An arithmetic series is 2,5,8,11... What is the nth term of this sequence?

Step 1: Difference between each term is 3. As the difference is constant it means that the degree of n in the nth term formula must be 1 (i.e no n^2, n^3 etc.). As we are adding 3 to each successive term we have 3n in the formula.
Step 2: Using a trick, if a 0th term existed it would be 2-3 = -1. Hence the formula is 3n-1.Alternatively, you can substitute in values for n. For the first term i.e n=1, we have 2 = 3(1) - x where x is a constant. Solving for x we get x = 1. It is good practice to use the trick and check your answer by plugging in a couple different values for n, making sure you get the correct term in the sequence


TM
Answered by Tarun M. Maths tutor

35185 Views

See similar Maths GCSE tutors

Related Maths GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Solve the following equation: 4x + 7 = 2x - 5


write log2(5) +log2​​​​​​​(3) in its simplest form


Expand the brackets (2x + 3)(3x - 1)


There are 892 litres of oil in Mr Aston’s oil tank. He uses 18.7 litres of oil each day. Estimate the number of days it will take him to use all the oil in the tank.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences