Arithmetic

Sequences & Series

By: Jeffrey Bivin
Lake Zurich High School
jeff.bivin@lz95.org

Last
April 28, 2006
Jeff Updated:
Bivin -- LZHS

Arithmetic Sequences
5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 3n+2,
-4, 1, 6, 11, 16, 5n 9, . . .
11, 7, 3, -1, -5, -4n + 15, . . .

Jeff Bivin -- LZHS

nth term
of arithmetic sequence

an = a1 + d(n 1)

Jeff Bivin -- LZHS

Find the nth term of an

arithmetic sequence
First term is 8
Common difference is 3

Jeff Bivin -- LZHS

an = a1 + d(n 1)
an = 8 + 3(n 1)
an = 8 + 3n 3
an = 3n + 5

Finding the nth term

First term is -6
common difference is 7

an = a1 + d(n 1)
an = -6 + 7(n 1)
an = -6 + 7n 7
an = 7n - 13
Jeff Bivin -- LZHS

Finding the nth term

First term is 23
common difference is -4

an = a1 + d(n 1)
an = 23 + -4(n 1)
an = 23 - 4n + 4
an = -4n + 27
Jeff Bivin -- LZHS

Finding the 100th term

a1 = 5
d=6
n = 100

Jeff Bivin -- LZHS

5, 11, 17, 23, 29, . . .

an = a1 + d(n 1)
a100 = 5 + 6(100 1)
a100 = 5 + 6(99)
a100 = 5 + 594
a100 = 599

Finding the 956th term

a1 = 156
d = -16
n = 956

Jeff Bivin -- LZHS

156, 140, 124, 108, . . .

an = a1 + d(n 1)
a956 = 156 + -16(956 1)
a956 = 156 - 16(955)
a956 = 156 - 15280
a956 = -15124

Find the Sum of the integers

from 1 to 100
S100 = 1 + 2 + 3 ++ 49 + 50 + 51 + 52 ++ 98 + 99 + 100
S100 = 100 + 99 + 98 ++ 52+51 + 50 + 49 ++ 3 + 2 + 1
2S100 = 101+101+101++101+101+101+101++101+101+101

2S100 = 100 (101)

S100
Jeff Bivin -- LZHS

100 (101)

5050
2

Summing it up
Sn = a1 + (a1 + d) + (a1 + 2d) + + an
Sn = an + (an - d) + (an - 2d) + + a1
2S n (a1 an ) (a1 an ) (a1 an ) ... (a1 an )
2 S n n(a1 an )
n
n(a1 an )
S n ai
2
i 1
Jeff Bivin -- LZHS

1 + 4 + 7 + 10 + 13 + 16 + 19

a1 = 1
an = 19
n=7

Jeff Bivin -- LZHS

n(a1 an )
Sn
2
7(1 19)
Sn
2
7(20)
Sn
2
S n 70

4 + 6 + 8 + 10 + 12 + 14 + 16 +
18 + 20 + 22 + 24

a1 = 4
an = 24
n = 11

Jeff Bivin -- LZHS

n(a1 an )
Sn
2
11(4 24)
Sn
2
11(28)
Sn
2
S n 154

Find the sum of the integers

from 1 to 100
a1 = 1
an = 100
n = 100

Jeff Bivin -- LZHS

n(a1 an )
Sn
2
100(1 100)
Sn
2
100(101)
Sn
2
S n 5050

Find the sum of the multiples of

3 between 9 and 1344
a1 = 9
an = 1344
d=3

Sn = 9 + 12 + 15 + . . . + 1344

an a1 d (n 1)

1344 9 3(n 1)
1344 9 3n 3
1344 3n 6
1338 3n
446 n
Jeff Bivin -- LZHS

n(a1 an )
Sn
2
n(9 1344)
Sn
2
446(1353)
Sn
2
S n 301719

Jeff Bivin -- LZHS

Find the sum of the multiples of

7 between 25 and 989
a1 = 28
an = 987
d=7

Sn = 28 + 35 + 42 + . . . + 987

an a1 d (n 1)
987 28 7(n 1)
987 28 7n 7
987 7n 21
966 7n
138 n

Jeff Bivin -- LZHS

n(a1 an )
Sn
2
n(28 987)
Sn
2
138(1015)
Sn
2
S n 70035

Jeff Bivin -- LZHS

25

Evaluate
a1 = 16
an = 82
d=3
n = 23

Jeff Bivin -- LZHS

(3i 7)
i 3

Sn = 16 + 19 + 22 + . . . + 82

n(a1 an )
Sn
2
23(16 82)
Sn
2
23(98)
Sn
2
S n 1127

100

Evaluate
a1 = -29
an = -199
d = -2
n = 86

Jeff Bivin -- LZHS

(2k 1)

k 15

Sn = -29 - 31 - 33 + . . . - 199

n(a1 an )
Sn
2
86(29 199)
Sn
2
86(228)
Sn
2
S n 9804

Find the sum of the multiples of

11 that are 4 digits in length
a1 = 1001S = 10 01+ 1012 + 1023 + ... + 9999
n
an = 9999
n(a1 an )
Sn
d = 11

2
an a1 d (n 1)
n(1001 9999)
S

n
9999 1001 11(n 1)
2
9999 1001 11n 11
819(11000)
9999 11n 990
Sn
2
9009 11n
S n 4504500
819 n

Jeff Bivin -- LZHS

Jeff Bivin -- LZHS

Review -- Arithmetic
nth term

an a1 d (n 1)

Jeff Bivin -- LZHS

Sum of n terms

n(a1 an )
Sn
2