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Lesson On Writing Rule of A Sequence

This document provides examples and steps for finding the general term of a sequence given its first few terms. It begins with four example problems showing the process of determining the formula for the nth term based on patterns in the terms. It then lists some pointers for finding the general term, such as examining if terms are multiples of the term number, whether the sequence increases or decreases, and considering powers, multiples, and constants. The document concludes with practice problems for students to determine the formula for additional sequences.

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Carolyn Ancheta-Daquioag
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64 views

Lesson On Writing Rule of A Sequence

This document provides examples and steps for finding the general term of a sequence given its first few terms. It begins with four example problems showing the process of determining the formula for the nth term based on patterns in the terms. It then lists some pointers for finding the general term, such as examining if terms are multiples of the term number, whether the sequence increases or decreases, and considering powers, multiples, and constants. The document concludes with practice problems for students to determine the formula for additional sequences.

Uploaded by

Carolyn Ancheta-Daquioag
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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LESSON ON WRITING RULE OF A SEQUENCE:

After watching the video, study the following examples:


1. Find a formula for the nth term of the sequence 2, 8, 18, 32,…
Solution:
Solving a problem like this involve some guessing. Looking over the first 4 terms, see that
each is twice a perfect square:
2 = 2(1)
8 = 2(4)
18 = 2(9)
32 = 2(16)
By writing each sequence with an exponent of 2, the formula for the nth term becomes
obvious:
a1 = 2 = 2(1)²
a2 = 8 = 2(2)²
a3 = 18 = 2(3)²
a4 = 32 = 2(4)²
.
.
.
an = 2(n)² = 2n²
The general term of the sequence 2, 8, 18, 32,…. is an = 2n².

3 4 5
2. Find the general term for the sequence 2, , , ,….
8 27 14
Solution:

2
The first term can be written as . The denominators are all perfect cubes while the
1
numerators are all 1 more than the base of the cubes of the denominators:

1+1
a1 = 2/1 =
13

2 +1
a2 = 3/8 =
23
3 +1
a3 = 4/27 =
32

4 +1
a4 = 5/64 =
43
n +1
Observing this pattern, recognize the general term to be an =
n3
3. Find the nth term of a sequence whose first several terms are given

1 3 5 7
, , , ,...
2 4 6 8
Solution:
Notice that the numerators of these fractions are the odd numbers and the
denominators are the even numbers. Even numbers are in the form usually written in the
form 2n, and odd numbers are written in the form 2n – 1 (an odd number differs form an
even number by 1). So, a sequence that has these numbers for its first four terms is given
2n − 1
by an = .
2n
4. Find the nth term of a sequence whose first several terms are given
-2, 4, -8, 16, -32,…
Solution:
These numbers are powers of 2 and they alternate in sign, so a sequence that
agrees with these terms is given by an = (-1)n 2n.
Note: Finding the nth term of a sequence from the 1st few terms are not always automatic.
That is, it sometimes takes a while to recognize the pattern. Don’t be afraid to guess the
formula for the general term. Many times, an incorrect guess leads to the correct formula
Some pointers on how to find the general term of a sequence:

Pointers on How to Find the General Term of a Sequence


1. Study each term of the sequence as it compares to its term
number. Then answer the following questions:

a. Is it a multiple of the term number?


b. Is it a multiple of the square or cube of the term
number? If each term is a multiple of the term number,
there will be a common number.

2. Examine the sequence. Does it increase or decrease?

a. If it increases slowly, consider expressions that


involve the term number plus or minus a constant like:
n + 2 or n – 3.
b. If it increases moderately, think about multiples of the
term number plus or minus a constant like: 2n or 3n –
1.
c. If the sequence increases very rapidly, try powers of
the term number plus or minus a constant like: n 2 or n2
+ 1.

3. If the sequence consists of fractions, examine how the


denominator and numerator change as separate sequences.
n +1
For example: an = yields
n2
2 3 4 5 6
, , , , ,...
1 4 9 16 25
SEATWORK NO. 1.2 LET’S PRACTICE FOR MASTERY

Direction: Answer the given problems in a 1 whole sheet of paper then show your
answers/solutions to the whole class.

A. Determine the general term for each of the following sequences:


1. 2, 3, 4, 5, …
2. 3, 6, 9, 12, ….
3. 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, …
1 1 1 1
4. , , , ,…
4 8 16 32
1 1 1 1
5. , , , ,…
3 9 27 81

B. Write the formula for the nth term of the sequence:


1. The sequence of the natural numbers.
2. The sequence of the negative even integers.
3. The sequence of the odd natural numbers.
4. The sequence of the negative odd numbers.
5. The sequence of the multiples of 7.

Note: Send the image/picture of your answer through this link:


https://forms.gle/MopFe2ENnVXDcL8bA

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