TOPIC 1 ALGEBRA

ARITHMETIC SEQUENCES & SERIES

S. Aldous, A. Beetz & S. Thauvette
IB DP SL Mathematics

You Should Be Able To

State whether a sequence is arithmetic,

giving an appropriate reason
Find the common difference in an arithmetic
sequence
Find the nth term of an arithmetic sequence
Find the number of terms in an arithmetic
sequence
Solve real-world problems involving
arithmetic sequences and series.

Challenge Nobs Tricky

Sequence
Nob Yoshigahara discovered this beautiful
number sequence. Can you work out the
logic behind the sequence and fill in the
missing number?

Make some sequences by picking four

numbers that form a pattern. Record as
many as you can.

How do you see this pattern growing?

Draw shapes 4 and 5.

How many matchsticks are in shape 10?
Can you describe the pattern using
algebra?

Finding the General Term

Use 2 pieces of paper.
On one, make up a value for u1.
On the other, make up a value for u4.
Swap the cards with someone else.
Find the general term for the arithmetic
sequence.
Make sure you both agree.

Each day a runner trains for a 10km

race. On the first day she runs 1,000m,
and then increases the distance by
250m each subsequent day.

On which day does she run a distance of

10km in training?

In an arithmetic sequence, the first term

is 2, the fourth term is 16, and the nth
term is 11,998.

Find the common difference d.

Find the value of n

Question Finding Un Given Two Terms

In an arithmetic sequence, U7 = 121 and
U15 = 193. Find the first three terms of the
sequence and Un.
Substitute know values in the formula for
the nth term to write a system of
equations. Then, solve the system.
Since a = 67 and d = 9, the first three
terms of the sequence are 67, 76, and 85.

Finding Un Given Two Terms continued

To find Un , substitute 67 for a and 9 for d in the
formula for the nth term.

Un = 67 + (n 1)9
Un = 67 + 9n 9
Un = 9n + 58
Thus, the first three terms are 67, 76, and 85, and
Un = 9n + 58.

You Should Know

A sequence is arithmetic if the difference

between consecutive terms is the same
An arithmetic sequence has the form:
u1, u1 + d, u1 + 2d, u1 + 3d, , u1 + (n 1)d

The common difference can be found by

subtracting a term from the subsequent
term:
d = un + 1 un

When to use the term formula

You should know:

Textbook: Arithmetic Sequences p.155

159
Homework: Arithmetic Sequences

ARITHMETIC SERIES
S. Aldous, A. Beetz & S. Thauvette
IB DP SL Mathematics

Arithmetic Series

Calculate the sum of the first n terms of

an arithmetic series

Challenge
The top three layers of boxes in a store
display are arranged as shown. If the
pattern continues, and there are 12 layers
in the display, what is the total number of
boxes in the display?

Treasure Hunt
In the pod there are ten pink cards.
Find any card. Note down its number.
Solve the question on the card.
Find the answer on another card somewhere in
the pod. Note down the cards number.
Continue answering questions and noting the
card numbers. You should finish at the same
card you started.
Show your teacher the list of card numbers you
visited.

Sum of a Series Given First Terms

Find the sum of the first 60 terms of the
series:
(a) 5 + 8 + 11 +

Sum of a Series Given First and Last Terms

Consider the series 17, 7, 3, , 303.
(a) Show that the series is arithmetic.
Show that the difference between two
consecutive terms is constant. For
example:
7 17 = 3 7 = 10
Therefore, d = 10 and the series is
arithmetic

Continued
Consider the series 17, 7, 3, , 303.
(b) Find the sum of the series.
The formula for the sum of an arithmetic series
requires the value of n. Use the term formula
first to find n.
n = 33
Now use the appropriate formula to find the
sum of the first 33 terms.
S33 = 4719

Question
The sum of the first five terms of an
arithmetic series is 65/2. Also, five times
the 7th term is the same as six times the
second term. Find the first term and
common difference.

Question continued

Be Prepared

Look for words or expressions that suggest the

use of the term formulaafter the 10 th
month, in the 8th rowand those that
suggest the sum formulatotal cost, total
distance, altogether.
Look for questions in which information is
given about two terms. This normally suggests
the formation of a pair of simultaneous
equations that you will have to solve to find
the first term and the common difference.
The last term of a sequence can be used to
find the number of terms in the sequence

You should know:

When to use the sum formula

Textbook: Arithmetic Series p.167 169

Homework: Arithmetic Series