Find the common ratio of a given geometric sequence, write down the formula for the nth term and use it to calculate a given term in the sequence.
", "licence": "Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International"}, "preamble": {"css": "", "js": ""}, "advice": "The terms in a geometric sequence are found by repeatedly multiplying the last term by a constant, called the common ratio.
\nTo find the common ratio, pick a term of the sequence and divide it by the previous term.
\nWe can calculate the common ratio using a table:
\n| $n$ | \n$1$ | \n$2$ | \n$3$ | \n$4$ | \n
| $a_n$ | \n$\\var{a}$ | \n$\\var{a*r}$ | \n$\\var{a*r^2}$ | \n$\\var{a*r^3}$ | \n
| $a_n \\div a_{n-1}$ | \n\n | $\\var{r}$ | \n$\\var{r}$ | \n$\\var{r}$ | \n
The common ratio is $\\var{r}$.
\nThe general formula for the $n^\\text{th}$ term of a geometric sequence is
\n\\[\\displaystyle {a_n=ar^{(n-1)}\\text{,}}\\]
\nwhere $a$ is the first term, and $r$ is the common ratio.
\nSo the formula for this sequence is
\n\\[ a_n = \\simplify[]{ {a}*{r}^n } \\text{.} \\]
\nWe know from part b) that the formula for the $n^\\text{th}$ term is $a_n = \\simplify[]{ {a}*{r}^n}$.
\nTherefore the $\\var{n}^\\text{th}$ term in the sequence is
\n\\begin{align}
a_\\var{n} &= \\var{a} \\times \\var{r}^{\\var{n}-1} \\\\
&= \\var{a*r^n}
\\end{align}
Find the common ratio for the following geometric series.
\n$\\var{a}, \\var{a*r}, \\var{a*r^2}, \\var{a*r^3}, \\ldots$
\nCommon ratio: [[0]]
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\n$a_n = $ [[0]]
", "showFeedbackIcon": true, "customMarkingAlgorithm": "", "scripts": {}, "steps": [{"prompt": "The formula for the $n^\\text{th}$ term of a geometric sequence is
\n\\[ a_n = ar^{(n-1)} \\]
\nwhere $a$ is the first term in the sequence and $r$ is the common ratio.
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\n$a_\\var{n} =$ [[0]]
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