Q. Write an explicit formula for an, the nth term of the sequence 5,−10,20,…Answer: an=
Identify Sequence Type: Identify whether the given sequence is geometric or arithmetic. The sequence 5,−10,20,… has a common ratio between consecutive terms, as each term is multiplied by −2 to get the next term. Therefore, it is a geometric sequence.
Use Explicit Formula: Use the explicit formula for a geometric sequence, an=a1⋅r(n−1), where a1 is the first term and r is the common ratio. For the sequence 5,−10,20,…, the first term, a1, is 5 and the common ratio, r, is −2.
Substitute Values: Substitute the values of a1 and r into the formula to write an expression to describe the sequence. The expression for the sequence 5,−10,20,… is an=5×(−2)(n−1).
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