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Math Group 2

The document discusses different types of sequences including their terms, patterns, and formulas to generate the terms. It provides examples of finding the next term in a sequence and determining the nth-term formula. It also discusses specific types of numeric sequences like Fibonacci, triangular, square, and pentagonal numbers.

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Faisaliah Abdullah
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44 views4 pages

Math Group 2

The document discusses different types of sequences including their terms, patterns, and formulas to generate the terms. It provides examples of finding the next term in a sequence and determining the nth-term formula. It also discusses specific types of numeric sequences like Fibonacci, triangular, square, and pentagonal numbers.

Uploaded by

Faisaliah Abdullah
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 DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PROBLEM SOLVING WITH PATTERNS

Terms of a Sequence
An ordered list of numbers such as 5, 14, 27, 44, 65…,

Is called a sequence. The numbers in a sequence that are separated by commas are the terms of the sequence. In the above
sequence, 5 is the first term, 14 is the second term, 27 is the third term, 44 is the fourth term, and 65 is the fifth term. The three
dots “…” indicate that the sequence continues beyond 65, which is the last written term. It is customary to use the subscript
notation an, to designate the nth term of a sequence. That is

A1, represents the first term of a sequence.

A2 represents the second term of a sequence.

A3 represents the third term of a sequence.

An represents the nth term of a sequence.

In the sequence 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, … , n2 + n, …

A1 = 2, a2 =6, a3 =12, a4 =20, a5 =30, and an = n2 + n.

When we examine a sequence, it is natural to ask:

•What is the next term?

•What formula or rule can be used to generate the terms?

To answer these questions, we often construct a difference table, which shows the differences between successive terms of the
sequence. The following table is a difference table for the sequence 2, 5, 8, 11, 14,

The following table is a difference table for the sequence 5, 14, 27, 44.65, ….

Example 1 Predict the Next term of a sequence

Use a difference table to predict the next term in the sequence. 2,7, 24, 59, 118, 207…

Nth-Term formula for a sequence

In Example 1 we used a different table to predict the next term of a sequence. In some cases we can use patterns to predict a
formula, called an nth-term formula, that generates the term of a sequence. As an example, consider the formula an = 3n² + n.
This formula defines a sequence and provides a method for finding any term of the sequence. For instance, if we replace n with
1,2,3,4,5 and 6, then the formula an = 3n² + n generates the sequence 4,14,30,52,80,114. To find the 40th term, replace each n
with 40.

A40 = 3(40) ² + 40 = 4840

Example 2 Find an nth-term formula

Assume the pattern by the square tiles in the following figure continues.

a. What is the nth-term formula for the number of tiles in the nth figure of the sequence?

b. How many tiles are in the eighth figure of the sequence?

c. Which figure will consist of exactly 320 tiles?

a.Examine the figure for patterns. Note that the second figure has two tiles on each of the horizontal section and one tile
between the horizontal section. The third figure has three tiles on each horizontal section and two tiles between the horizontal

section. The fourth figure has four tiles on each horizontal section and three tiles between the horizontal sections.

Thus the number of tiles in the nth figure is given by two groups of n plus a group of n less one. That is,

An = 2n + (n – 1)

An = 3n – 1

b. The number of tiles in eight figure of the sequence is 3(8) – 1 = 23.

c. To determine which figure in the sequence will have 320 tiles, we solve the equation

3n – 1 = 32

3n – 1 = 320

3n = 321 ● Add 1 to each side.

N = 107 ● Divide each side by 3.

The 107th figure is composed of 320 tiles

Sequence on the Internet

A sequence is a series of actions that is completed in a specific order. Action 1 is performed, then Action 2, then Action 3, etc.,
Until all of the actions in the sequence have been carried out.

Here are two sequence from this website.

• 0,3,6,9,12 …

• 11,6,1,-4,-9…….
• 200,100,50……

The Fibonacci Sequence

At the beginning of a month, you are given a pair of newborn rabbits. After a month the rabbits have produced no offspring;
however, every month thereafter, the pair of rabbits produces another pair of rabbits. The offspring reproduce in exactly the
same manner. If none of the rabbits dies, how many pairs of rabbits will there be at the start of each succeeding month?

The solution of this problem is a sequence of numbers that we now call the Fibonacci sequence. The following figure shows the
numbers of pairs of rabbits on the first day of each of the first six months. The larger rabbits represent mature rabbits that
produce another pair of rabbits each month. The numbers in the blue region-1, 1, 2. 3,3,8-are the first six terms of the Fibonacci
sequence.

POLYGONALS NUMBERS

The ancient Greek mathematicians were interested in the geometric shapes associated with numbers. For instance, they
noticed that triangles can be constructed using 1, 3, 6, 10, or 15 dots, as shown in figure 3.1 on page 76. They called the
numbers 1, 3, 6, 10, 15,… triangular numbers. The Greeks called the numbers 1, 5,12, 22, 35,…. Pentagonal numbers.

An nth-term formula for the triangular number is;

Triangularn = n(n + 1)

The square numbers have an nth-term formula of

Squaren = n2
The nth-term formula for the pentagonal number is

Pentagonaln = n(3n – 1 )

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