LESSON

1.1 SEQUENCE AND SERIES

SEQUENCES

Sequence/Number Sequence
- Is a set of numbers that are in order having a first number, second number, third
number, and so on. Numbers in a sequence are called Terms of the sequence.

 Example:
2, 4, 6, 8, 10 ← Number Sequence
In the given sequence, 2 ← first term, 4 ← second term, 6 ← third term, etc.
Terms are usually denoted by a1, a2, a3, etc. or t2, t2, t3, etc.

Finite Sequence
- A sequence having finite number of terms
 Example:
3, 5, 7, 9, 11

Infinite Sequence
- A sequence having infinite number of terms
 Example:
3, 5, 7, 9, 11, … ← three dots mean goes forever (infinite)

Solving Sequences

Sample Problem 1
Find the next two terms of each sequence:
a. 5, 8, 11, 14, …

Solution:
5, 8, 11, 14,…
(+3) (+3) (+3)
A term is obtained by adding +3 to the previous term.
5th term = 17
6th term = 20

b. 20, 13, 6, -1, -8, …

Solution:
20, 13, 6, -1, -8, …
(-7) (-7) (-7) (-7)
A term is obtained by adding -7 to the previous term
6th term = -15
7th term = -22

c. 2, 6, 18, 54, …

Solution:
2, 6, 18, 54, …
 (x3) (x3) (x3)
A term is obtained by multiplying 3 to the previous term
th
5 term = 162
6th term = 486
d. 32, -16, 8, -4, …
Solution:
32, -16, 8, -4, …
1 1 1
[x(-2)] [x(-2)] [x(-2)]
A term is obtained by multiplying 3 to the previous term
th
5 term = 2
6th term = -1

e. 3, 13, 23, 33, 43 = (+10)

f. 3, 12, 48, 192, 768 = (x4)
g. 20, 10, 5, 5/2, 5/4 = (x1/2)

Sample Problem 2
Refer to the 4 patterns of the diagram. The length of each matchstick is 3 cm.

1 2 3 4

a. Complete the table below. Mn represents the number of matchsticks in the nth
pattern, and the Pn represents the perimeter of the pattern.

n 1 2 3 4
Mn 7
Pn 18

Solution:
n 1 2 3 4
Mn 7 12 17 22
Pn 18 24 30 36

Observe that 5 matchsticks are added to the 1s pattern to get the 2 nd pattern.
M2 = 7 + 5
= 12
For the perimeter, the second pattern is 24 cm.
P1 = 6 x 3cm
= 18
b. Find M5

Solution:
 Since the next term is obtained by adding 5 to the previous term,
M5 = M4 + 5 = 22 + 5 = 27
c. Find P5

Solution:
Since we observed that the next term is obtained by adding 6 to the previous
term,
P5 = P4 + 6 = 36 + 6 = 42

Sequences are usually given by stating their general or nth term. Example, let us
consider the sequence given by an = 5n + 3.

The first five terms of the sequences are:

a1 = 5(1) + 3 = 8
a2 = 5(2) + 3 = 13
a3 = 5(3) + 3 = 18
a4 = 5(4) + 3 = 23
a5 = 5(5) + 3 = 28

Observe that the sequence can be denoted as 8, 13, 18, 23, 28.

Sample Problem 3
List all the indicated terms of each finite sequence.

a. an = 3n2 + 2 for 1 ≤ n ≤ 5
Solution:
Substitute the numbers from 1 to 5 for n in 3n2 + 2 to get the first 5 numbers
of the sequence.
a1 = 3(1)2 + 2 = 5
a2 = 3(2)2 + 2 = 14
a3 = 3(3)2 + 2 = 29
a4 = 3(4)2 + 2 = 50
a5 = 3(5)2 + 2 = 77

The five terms of the sequence are 5, 14, 29, 50, 77.

3𝑛
b. an = - 1 for 2 ≤ n ≤ 6
5
Solution:
3(2) 1
a2 = -1=5
5
3(3) 4
a3 = -1=5
5
3(4) 7
a4 = -1=5
5
3(5)
a5 = -1=2
5
3(6) 13
a6 = -1=
5 5
The five terms of the sequence are 1/5, 4/5, 7/5, 2, 13/5.
Sample Problem 4
Find the 6th term and the 8th term of the sequence whose nth term is given by:
5
a. an = 2(𝑛−5)
Solution:
5 5
a6 = 2(6−5) = 2
5 5
a8 = 2(8−5) = 6

Finding the General Term or the nth Term

Sample Problem 5
Find the general term for each sequence. Then find the 12th term for each.
a. 7, 11, 15, 19, 23, …
Solution:
Step 1: Prepare a table with a1 = 7, a2 = 11, a3 = 15 and so on.

n 1 2 3 4 5 … n
An 7 11 15 19 23 … ?

Step 2: Take the first difference. (First difference – difference of the first 2
numbers).
7 11 15 19 23
(4) (4) (4) (4)
Step 3: Form two equations of the form an + b = an .