I can't understand one thing in one question of Arithmetic Progression. I have to find 21st term from the set {12,2,−4,−10} and this is where problem start.
Arithmetic Progression
Equation: Tn=a+(n−1)d
Tn = Term
n = Term Number
a = First Number
d = Difference between two series wise numbers
I need this data to find out mentioned number, like 21st number, if I find just d I can just count the numbers to see what number is coming at 21st position, but in this set of numbers, has unmatched difference and I don't know why, either it is right set or wrong.
Let's take example;
If I want to find 5th term from set {2,4,6...} then I need all the data listed above and if I find just d from this set, I can figure out 5th number without using equation.
Here is example;
d=b−a | a is first term and b is second term
d=4−2
d=2
so the difference between two "series wise" numbers is 2. Now in very first set "mentioned above" is different difference in first two terms and in second two terms.
{12,2,−4,−8}
so first two terms {12,2} has difference of 10
and next two terms {2,−4} has difference of 6.
Answer
To put this plainly, your sequence is not an arithmetic progression. If you set
{T1,T2,T3,T4}={12,2,−4,−10},
then T2−T1=−10 and T3−T2=−6, which is completely inconsistent with an arithmetic progression. You also have T4−T3=−6, so you can sort of hope that the first 12 is a typo (instead of an 8), in which case the sequence goes as
Tn=12−6(n−1)
and the 21st term is then T21=−108, but extrapolating based on four not-very-consistent terms is always a very dicy proposition. You will need to weigh this yourself with respect to the source you got this question from: how they phrase the section, how strongly they imply the progression is arithmetic, and how likely they are to have made a typo.
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