Sequences

Sequences

1. Nth Term (linear/arithmetic)

   • FInd the common difference (this tells you what to multiply N by)
     • Find out what what to add or subract
       • Put them together (3n+2)

2. Nth Term (quadratic)

   • Find the difference between each pair of terms
     • The difference is changing, so work out the difference between the differences
       • Divide this value by 2 - this gives the coefficient of the n2 term
         • Subtract the n2 term from each term in the sequence, this will give you a linear sequence
           • Find the rule for the nth term of the linear sequence and add this onto the n2 term

3. Deciding if a term is in a sequence

   • The expression equal to that value and solve to find n. If n is a whole number, the value is in the sequence