Find nth Term of Arithmetic Progression Sequence

  • Thread starter Thread starter lionel messi.
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Terms
AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around finding the number of terms in the arithmetic progression sequence 212, 179, 146, 113, with the first term (a) being 212 and the common difference (d) being -33. Participants express confusion over the problem's clarity, questioning whether it asks for the nth term, the sum, or the number of terms, especially since the sequence appears to be infinite. They note that without a specified limit, the number of terms cannot be definitively determined, leading to the conclusion that there are infinitely many terms. The conversation also touches on potential issues with the clarity of the problem as presented in the book. The overall consensus is that the problem lacks sufficient information to provide a concrete answer.
lionel messi.
Messages
21
Reaction score
0
find no. of terms...

Homework Statement
find n
212,179,146,113,......

3. The Attempt at a Solution
here a=212 d=-33 but nth term or the sum is not given.any help will be appreciated thanks
 
Physics news on Phys.org


lionel messi. said:
Homework Statement
find n
212,179,146,113,......

3. The Attempt at a Solution
here a=212 d=-33 but nth term or the sum is not given.any help will be appreciated thanks


The problem statement is not complete. Are they asking you to find the nth term of the arithmetic progression, or its sum to n terms? Or something else?
 


If it's asking to find the number of terms, then it could possibly mean to find the number of terms that are positive? Because clearly this sequence can go on forever.
 


the question demands the no. of terms only..it seems impossible to solve...:/
 


Did you copy this question verbatim from what a teacher said/wrote on the board or do you actually have the physical question in front of you?
 


lionel messi. said:
the question demands the no. of terms only..it seems impossible to solve...:/

Well you could have found the general term :

Tn = a+(n-1)d

but n is not given !

Now your limit isn't specified ! This arithmetic progression can go on forever. However we know that its sum will be less than 0.

But its unending ! So if seriously this is your question then answer will be that number of terms are infinite.
 


the question above is as stated as in my book..
 


lionel messi. said:
the question above is as stated as in my book..

I'm guessing that the book is not written in English. Is it possible that something got lost in the translation?
 


it might be but during printing not translation.the book is in english...!
 
  • #10


What is the title of the book, then? Where is the problem in the book?
 

Similar threads

Back
Top