MATHEMATICS

QUARTER I - MODULE 1
MELC 1, 2 & 3

Sequences
PART I.
Introduction
Hello! Welcome to Grade 10!
Please look around you and try to see if you can find any patterns in your
surroundings. You may start with your mother’s plants. What do you notice about the leaves
and the petals of the flowers, if any? Do they show any pattern? How about your chair cover,
your bed cover, your towels, and blankets? Are there evident patterns in the designs? As a
teenager, I know you love music, too. When you sing along with your favorite song, be it K-
pop, pop-rock, reggae, jazz, or anything, are you enjoying the beat, the melody, the rhymes,
and the rhythm? These elements show patterns, don’t they? That is why when you like the
song or the music, it becomes easy to remember because aside from the good mood it sets
you in, there is an obvious pattern in the song.
Patterns are everywhere and very useful. Recognizing and extending patterns are
important skills needed for learning concepts in mathematics, especially in what we call
sequences.
In this module, you will work with patterns. You must identify the pattern in a set of
objects or numbers to be able to determine what element or term comes next, or predict any
element or term that is asked. You will also learn about one of the many kinds of sequences,
which is the arithmetic sequence.

Pretest
Find out how much you already know about the topics covered in this module through this
pretest. Take your time in answering the 15-item test. Good luck!

Directions: Read each item carefully. Choose the letter of the best answer. Write your
answers on a separate sheet of paper.

1. What is the next term in the sequence 4, -12, 36?

a. -42 b. -54 c. -72 d. -108
2. Which term in the sequence -2, -5, -8, -11 …is -32?
a. 9th term b. 10th term c. 11th term d. 12th term
3. What are the first three terms of the sequence whose general term is an = 2n+1?
a. 3, 5, 7 b. 4, 6, 8 c. 5, 6, 7 d. 6, 8, 10
4. Find the general term of the sequence -10, -20, -30, -40…
a. an = -10n b. an = 10n c. an = n – 10 d. an = 10 - n
5. An online seller sold 89 face shields on the first day, 76 face shields on the second
day and 63 face shields on the third day and so on. If this pattern continues, how
many face shields will be sold on an nth day?
a. an = 102-13n b. an = 102+13n c. an = 100 +13n d. an = 100-13n
6. In the given sequence 15, 19, 23, 27. What is the 12th term?
a. 63 b. 59 c. 51 d. 33
7. What is the common difference of the arithmetic sequence below?
111, 116, 121, 126, …
a. 8 b.6 c. 5 d. 3
8. The value of a7 in an arithmetic sequence where a3 = -4 and a8 = 11 is
a. 2 b. 5 c. 8 d. 10
9. What operation is used in determining the common difference?
a. multiplication b. division c. addition d. subtraction

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10. What is the missing term of the given arithmetic sequence 74, 79, 84, ___,94, 99?
a. 109 b. 89 c. 69 d. 59
11. In an arithmetic sequence, what are the two terms between 9 and 27?
a. 11 and 15 b. 15 and 17 c. 15 and 21 d. 17 and 21
12. What is the next term of an arithmetic sequence 32, 41, 50, 59, _____?
a. 60 b. 63 c. 65 d. 68
13. If the first term of an arithmetic sequence is 5 and the 8th term is 54, what is a4?
a. 5 b. 17 c. 26 d. 41
14. What is the sum of the terms of the arithmetic sequence 26, 21, 16, 11?
a. 74 b. 70 c. 68 d. 66
15. If the first term of a sequence is -58 and the last term is -34, what is the sum of the
sequence if it has 6 terms?
a. 276 b. -276 c. 144 d. -144

What do you think about the pretest? Check your answers. (Answer Key is found at
the end of this module). If you got a perfect score, SKIP this lesson. If you got 14 and
below, PROCEED with this lesson.

Presentation/Discussion

MELC 1: Generates patterns

Study this situation:
To help protect her family, Jodi is planning to buy a set of face shields for the
members of her family. She has 10 days to save some of the money she earns from her
online selling before she can buy the face shields. She saved Php25 on the first day,
Php30 on the 2nd day, then 35 on the 3rd day. If this trend continues, how much does she
save on the 10th day?
Before we answer the question above, let us list the amounts that Jodi saves in a day
up to the 5th day:
Day 1 2 3 4 5
Amount in pesos 25 30 35 40 45

Questions:
1. What do you notice about the numbers in the 2nd row?
2. How do you find the amount for the 3rd day? 4th day? 5th day?

The numbers in the second row form a pattern. The numbers constantly increase by
5. To find the amount for the third to fifth days we just add 5 to the previous amount.

Aside from numbers, shapes and other figures may also form a pattern. Study the
items below, observe the pattern, and then determine the next number or figure.

What comes next?

1.
___________

2. ___________

3. 5, 8, 11, 14, _______

4. 20, 16, 12, 8, ______
5. 2, 4, 8, 16, ______

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Were you able to get the next number or figure?
The next figures and numbers are , ,17, 4, and 32. Do you know
why?

Each set of figures and numbers above are called sequences and each figure or
number is called a term.
In number 1, we have 1 square, 3 squares, and 5 squares. Notice that, 1 square + 2
squares is 3 squares; 3 squares + 2 squares is 5 squares. So 5 squares + 2 squares is 7
squares. So the next term is 7 squares or . .

In number 2, the 1st figure has 3 sides, the 2nd figure has 4 sides, and the 3rd figure
has 5 sides. Thus the next figure has 6 sides (hexagon ).

In number 3, the 1st number 5 plus 3 gives 8 (2nd term), then 8 plus 3 is 11 (3rd term),
11 plus 3 is 14 (4th term). Thus, the next term is 14 + 3 or 17.

In number 4, notice that 20 – 4 = 16, 16 – 4 = 12 and 12 – 4 = 8. Therefore, the next

term is 8 – 4 = 4.
In number 5, note that 21 = 2 (1st term); 22 = 4 (2nd term), 2 3 = 8 (3rd term) and
2 4 = 16 (4th term). Thus, the next term will be 2 5 = 32 .

Going back to the problem about Jodi’s savings, by adding Php5 to the amount every
day, the sequence can be completed::
25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70.

Therefore, Jodi saves Php 70 on the 10th day. Furthermore, if you want to find the total
amount saved by Jodi in 10 days, you can simply add. That gives a total of Php475.00.

The above sequence is a finite sequence where a n = 5n + 20 . This equation is

called the general term or the nth term of a sequence. When you are given the equation for
the general term or nth term of a sequence, you can give the first few terms.

A sequence is a function whose domain is the finite set {1, 2, 3, …, n} or the infinite
set {1, 2, 3, …}. If the domain is {1, 2, 3, …, n}, then the sequence is finite. If the domain
is {1, 2, 3 …}, then the sequence is infinite. We can also say that a sequence is simply a set
of numbers written in a specific order:
a1, a2 , a3 , ..., an
where a 1 is the 1 term, a 2 is the 2nd term, and a n is the nth term. .
st

For example, in item (3) we have the terms of the sequence where 5 is the first term,
8 is the 2nd term, 17 is the 5th term.

When you are given at least 3 terms of a sequence, you can find the next term by
discovering how the second term is obtained from the 1st term, and how the 3rd term is
obtained from the 2nd term.

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Illustrative Examples:

1-2. Find the first 5 terms of the sequence given the nth term.
1. an = 2n − 3
Solution: To find the first 5 terms of a sequence, use the values of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 for n.
.
a1 = 2(1) − 3 a4= 2(4) − 3
a1 = 2 − 3 a4 = 8 − 3
a1 = −1 a4 = 5

a2 = 2(2) − 3 a5 = 2(5) − 3
a2 = 4 − 3 a5 = 10 − 3
a2 = 1 a5 = 7

a3 = 2(3) − 3
a3 = 6 − 3
a3 = 3

2. a n = (−3)n
Solution: We substitute 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 as values of n.
2 3 4 5
a1 = ( −3)
1
a 2 = ( −3 ) a 3 = ( −3 ) a 4 = ( −3) a 5 = ( −3 )
a1 = −3 a2 = 9 a3 = − 27 a4 = 81 a5 = − 243

In the previous examples, some terms of the sequence were found after being given
the general term. Now, you are given the first 5 terms of the sequence and you will write the
equation for the general or nth term.

3-4. Find a formula for the nth term of the sequence given the first set of terms.

3. Sequence: 2, 8, 18, 32…

Solution:
In solving a problem like this, some amount of guessing is involved.
Observe that:
2 = 2(1)
8 = 2(4)
18 = 2(9)
32 = 2(16)

Notice that the numbers inside the parenthesis are powers (squares) of 1, 2, 3, 4:
2
a1 = 2 = 2(1) = 2(1)
2
a 2 = 8 = 2( 4) = 2(2)
2
a 3 = 18 = 2(9) = 2(3)
2
a4 = 32 = 2(16 ) = 2( 4) …
2
a n = 2(n )
a n = 2n 2 This is the nth term or general term of the sequence.

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4. Sequence: 10, 13, 16, 19, 22,…
Solution:
The term increases constantly by 3. We use 3 as a factor to be multiplied by n.
10 = 3(1)+7
13 = 3(2)+7
16 = 3(3)+7
19 = 3(4)+7
22 = 3(5)+7
an = 3(n) + 7
a n = 3n + 7
This is the general term of the sequence.

MELC 2: Illustrates an arithmetic sequence

An arithmetic sequence is a list of numbers with a definite pattern. If you take any
number in the sequence then subtract it by the previous one and the result is always the
same or constant, then it is an arithmetic sequence.

The constant difference in all pairs of consecutive or successive numbers in a

sequence is called the common difference, denoted by the letter d. We use the common
difference to go from one term to another. How? Take the current term and add the common
difference to get to the next term, and so on.

The common difference d can be obtained by subtracting any two consecutive terms
of a sequence as in
d = a2 − a1 = a3 − a2 = a 4 − a3 = ... = an − an −1

If the common difference between consecutive terms is positive, we say that the
sequence is increasing. On the other hand, when the common difference is negative we say
that the sequence is decreasing.

Illustrative Examples:
1. Find the common difference and next two terms of the sequence 8, 12, 16, 20,…
Given: a1 = 8, a2 = 12, a3 = 16, a4 = 20, d = ?
Solution:
d = a2 − a1 d = a3 − a 2 d = a 4 − a3
= 12 – 8 = 16 - 12 = 20 - 16
d=4 =4 =4
Thus, the common difference of the sequence is 4.
The next two terms are: a5 = a 4 + d a 6 = a5 + d
a5 = 20 + 4 a6 = 24 + 4
a5 = 24 a 6 = 28
2. What is the common difference of an arithmetic sequence 34, 29, 24, 19,…?
Given: a1 = 34, a2 = 2,9 a3 = 24 a 4 = 19, d = ?
Solution:
d = a2 − a1 d = a3 − a 2 d = a 4 − a3
d = 29 – 34 = 24 - 29 = 19 - 24
d = -5 d = -5 d = -5

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Thus, the common difference of the sequence is -5.

3. What are the next two terms in the sequence 24, 19, 14, 9…?
Given: a1 = 24, a2 = 19, a3 = 14, a 4 = 9, d = ?
Solution:
d = a2 − a1 d = a3 − a 2 d = a 4 − a3
d = 19 – 24 = 16 - 12 = 19 - 24
d = -5 = -5 = -5

Since the common difference is -5, just add the preceding term to the common difference.
a5 = a 4 + d a 6 = a5 + d
a5 = 9 + ( −5) a6 = 4 + ( −5)
a5 = 4 a6 = − 1
Thus, the next two terms of the sequence 24, 19,14, 9,... are 4 and -1.

4. What is the missing term of an arithmetic sequence 3, 5, 7, ___,11, 13?

Given: a1 = 3, a2 = 5 a3 = 7
Solution: First we solve for d.
d = a2 − a1 d = a3 − a 2
d = 5−3 d = 7−5
d= 2 d= 2
Since the value of d = 2, we just add this to the 3 term to get the 4th term.
rd

So,
a 4 = a3 + d 1
a4 = 7 + 2
a4 = 9
Therefore, the missing term is 9.

MELC 3: Determines arithmetic means, nth term of an arithmetic sequence and

sum of the terms of a given arithmetic sequence

When the first few consecutive terms of an arithmetic sequence are given, we can
always find any term or the nth term. To find the nth term of an arithmetic sequence we use
the formula:

an = a1 + (n − 1)d

where a1 is the first term, d is a common difference, and n is the number of terms.

There are instances where you are given the terms of an arithmetic sequence where
some terms are missing. To find them, we will use the concept of arithmetic means. In an
arithmetic sequence, the term or terms between any two given terms are called arithmetic
means. To find the arithmetic means, we use the same formula for a n .

Given an arithmetic sequence where a1 is the first term and a n is the nth term, the
sum of the first n terms is given by the formulas:

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Sn =
n
(2a1 + (n − 1)d  or
n
Sn = (a1 + an )
2 2
We may use the first formula if we do not know the last term, and we may use the
second formula if we are given the first and last terms.

Illustrative Examples:

1. What is the 25th term of the arithmetic sequence -11, -16, -21, -26…?
Given: a1 = − 11, a2 = − 16 n = 25
Solution:
Solve for d :
d = a2 − a1
d = − 16 − ( −11)
d = −5
Substitute the values of a1 , n and d into the formula and simplify.
an = a1 + (n − 1)d
a25 = − 11 + (25 − 1)(−5)
a25 = − 11 + (24 )(−5)
a25 = − 11 − 120
a25 = − 131
Thus, the 25th term is -131.
2. Find the 14th term of the sequence 15, 20, 25, 30, …
Given: a1 = 15, d = a2 − a1 = 20 − 15 = 5, n = 14, a14 = ?
Solution:
an = a1 + (n − 1)d
a14 = 15 + (14 − 1)(5)
a14 = 15 + (13 )(5)
a14 = 15 + 65
a14 = 80
Thus, the 14th term is 80.
3. Insert four arithmetic means between 6 and 46.
Solution:
We’re going to insert 4 terms.
6, _____, _____, _____, _____, 46
a1 = 6, an = 46, n = 6, a2 = ? a3 = ? a4 = ? a5 = ?
First we must solve for d.
an = a1 + (n − 1)d
46 = 6 + (6 − 1)d
46 = 6 + 5d
46 − 6 = 5d
40 = 5d
40 5d
=
5 5
d =8

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Since d = 8, we have
a2 = 6 + 8 a3 = 14 + 8 a 4 = 22 + 8 a5 = 30 + 8
a2 = 14 a3 = 22 a 4 = 30 a5 = 38

Thus, the four arithmetic means between 6 and 46 are 14, 22, 30, 38.
4. Insert five arithmetic means between 15 and 51.
Solution: We will insert 5 terms between 15 and 51:

15, ___ , ___ , ___ , ___ , ___ , 51

a1 = 15, an = 51, n = 7, a2 = ? a3 = ? a4 = ? a5 = ? a6 = ?

We will solve for d:

an = a1 + (n − 1)d
51 = 15 + (7 − 1)d
51 = 15 + 6d
51 − 15 = 6d
36 6d
=
6 6
d =6

Since d = 6, we have

a 2 = 15 + 6 a3 = 21 + 6 a 4 = 27 + 6 a5 = 33 + 6 a6 = 39 + 6
a2 = 21 a3 = 27 a 4 = 33 a5 = 39 a6 = 45

Thus, the five arithmetic means between 15 and 51 are 21,27,33,39 and 45.

5. Find the sum of the first 20 terms of the arithmetic sequence 17, 22, 27,32,…
Given: a1 = 17, d = 22 − 17 = 5, n = 20
Solution:
Sn = 2a1 + (n − 1)d 
n Alternative solution:
2 Find a20 with a1 = 17, d = 5 and n= 20
S20 =
20
2(17) + (20 − 1)(5) an = a1 + (n − 1)d
2 a20 = 17 + (20 − 1)(5)
S20 = 1034 + (19 )(5)
a20 = 17 + 95
S20 = 10(34 + 95 )
a 20 = 112
S20 = 10(129 )
Then find S20 :
S 20 = 1290
n
Sn = (a1 + an )
2
20
S20 = (17 + 112)
2
S20 = 10(129 )
S 20 = 1290

Therefore, the sum of the first 20 terms of the arithmetic sequence is 1290.

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PART II. Activities

Directions: Answer each of the items below. Write your solutions on a separate
sheet of paper.

Activity 1
1-2. For each sequence below, give the next two terms.
1. 3, 8, 13, 18, _____, _____
1 1 1 1
2. , , , _____, _____
2 4 6 8

3-4. Write the first 5 terms of the sequence given its formula.
3. 𝑎𝑛 = 4𝑛 − 2
4. 𝑎𝑛 = (−3)𝑛

5. What is the equation for the nth term of each sequence below?
3, 12, 27, 48, …

Activity 2
Do as indicated.
1. Insert four arithmetic means between 5 and 15.
2. Insert three arithmetic means between 11 and 35.
3. Insert three arithmetic means between 59 and 83.
4. Find the last term of an arithmetic sequence if a1 = 7, d = 3, and n =11.
5. Solve for the last term of the sequence 15, 11, 7, 3, … where n = 45.

Activity 3
Find the sum of the terms of the following arithmetic sequences.
1. 16, 21, 26,31, 36
2. 12, 24, 36, 48,….a13
3. S2 = 106, a2 = 58, n = 7
4. Find the sum of the first 100 positive odd numbers.
5. Find the sum of the first 50 positive even numbers.

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PART III. Assessment

Let’s now find out how well you have learned in this module.

A. Directions: Read each item carefully. Choose the letter of the best answer. Write your
answers and solutions on a clean sheet of paper.

1. What is the next term in the sequence 3, -9, 27, -81?

a. -42 b. -72 c. -81 d. 243
2. Which term in the sequence -3, -6, -9, -12 … is -30?
a. 9th term b. 10th term c. 11th term d. 12th term
3. Find the next three terms of the sequence 5, 9, 13, 17,____,____,____.
a. 21, 25, 29 b. 20, 24, 28 c. 19, 23, 27 d. 18, 22, 26
4. What are the first three terms of the sequence whose general term is an = 3n+ 1?
a. 3, 5, 7 b. 4, 7, 10 c. 5, 7, 10 d. 6, 8, 10
5. Find the 99th term of the sequence defined by an = 2n + 3.
a. 201 b. 203 c. 205 d. 207
6. Find the first five terms of the sequence whose term is an = 6n.
a. 2,4,6,8,10 c. 6, 12, 18, 24, 30
b. 4,8,12,16,20 d. 8, 16, 24, 32, 40
7. An online seller sold 90 face masks on the first day, 75 face masks on the second
day and 60 face masks on the third day, and so on. If this pattern continues, how
many face masks will be sold on an nth day?
a. an = 105-15n b. an = 105+15n c. an = 100 +15n d. an = 100-15n
8. Sheila makes gift boxes for birthdays. She has 15 boxes leftover from last year, and
she plans to make 14 more each day. If there are 15 workdays until the day she
begins to sell the baskets, how many baskets will she make on the last day?
a. 190 boxes b. 195 boxes c. 225 boxes d. 235 boxes
9. Jelly is saving her money to buy a laptop. She already has Php5, 000.00, and she
plans to save Php750.00 per week from her job as a waitress. How much will Kelly
have saved after 10 weeks?
a. Php7,500.00 c. Php10,500.00
b. Php9,500.00 d. Php12,500.00
10. To boost her immune system, Janice has decided to add strength training to her
exercise program. Her coach suggested having 5 minutes of weight-lifting during her
routine for the first week. Each week thereafter, she is to increase the weight-lifting
time by 2 minutes. Which formula represents this increase in weight- lifting time?
a. an = 5n + 2 c. an = 2n + 5
b. an = 3n + 2 d. an = 2n + 3

B. For items 11 – 15, find what is asked for. Show solutions.

11. Find the 6 arithmetic means of 108 and 24.

12. What is a15 of an arithmetic sequence -26, -29, -32, -35,…
13. If a1 is 35, d is 11, what is a19?
14. Find the value of y when the arithmetic mean of 3y+1 and 4y +9 is 2y+11.
15. Find S25 for the sequence -8, 7, …15n-23,…

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Answer Key

15. b 10. b 5. a
14, a 9. d 4. a
13. c 8. c 3. a
12. d 7. c 2. c
11. c 6. b 1. d
Pretest

5. 5. -161 5. 2 550
4. -3, 9, -27, 81, -243 4. 37 4. 10 000
3. 2, 6, 10, 14, 18 3. 65. 71, 77 3. 546
2. 17, 23, 29 2. 156
2. 1. 7, 9, 11, 13 1. 130
1. 23, 28
Activity 2 Activity 3
Activity 1

REFERENCES:

Bernabe, Julieta G., et al.(2014). Our World Of Math Grade 10. Quezon City:
Vibal Group

Government of the Philippines. Department of Education (2015). Mathematics Learner’s

Module. First Edition.

https://www.slideshare.net/JSSagario/grade-10-math-module-1-searching-for-patterns-
sequence-and-series

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