Worksheet 3 – Patterns, Sequences and Series
Quadratic Patterns
1. Given the sequence: 5; 11; 21; 35; 53;…
a) Determine the next two terms.
b) Hence, or otherwise, determine the nth term Tn in terms of n.
c) Determine the 16th term.
d) Which term is equal to 885?
2. Given the sequence: 2; 5; 9; 14; 20;…
a) Determine the next two terms.
b) Hence, or otherwise, determine the nth term Tn in terms of n.
c) Determine the 9th term.
d) Which term is equal to 90?
3. Given the sequence: 3; 7; 7; 3; -5;…
a) Determine the next two terms.
b) Hence, or otherwise, determine the nth term Tn in terms of n.
c) Determine the 14th term.
d) Which term is equal to -137?
4. Given the sequence: a; 16; 29; b; 73;…
a) Determine a and b.
b) Hence, or otherwise, determine the nth term Tn in terms of n.
c) Determine the 8th term.
d) Which term is equal to 489?
5. Given the sequence: 6; a; 5; b; -24;…
a) Determine a and b.
b) Hence, or otherwise, determine the nth term Tn in terms of n.
c) Determine the 14th term.
d) Which term is equal to -786.
Arithmetic Sequences and Series
6. Given the sequence: 57; 62; 67; 72; 77; …
a) Determine the general term, Tn, in terms of n.
b) Determine the 15th term.
c) Is 100 a part of the sequence? Show all working out.
d) Determine the sum of the first 15 terms.
e) Determine the sum of the next 15 terms (ie from term 16 to term 30).
f) Why will the terms in the sequence only end in 2 or 7?
7. Given the sequence: 4; 1; -2; -5;…
a) Determine the general term, Tn, in terms of n.
b) Determine the sum of the first 20 terms.
c) Prove that -29 is part of the sequence.
8. Given the following sequence: 14; 12 ; 11 ;…
a) Determine the general term, Tn, in terms of n.
b) Determine the value of the 10th term.
c) Is 0 a part of the sequence? Show all your working out.
d) Determine the sum of the first 14 terms.
e) Determine the n if Sn = 42.
9. Given that the following sequence is an arithmetic sequence:
− 1; + 2; 2 ;…
a) Determine the value of p.
b) Hence determine the first term and the common difference.
c) Find the 10th term.
d) Find the sum of the first 15 terms.
e) Find n if Sn = 1 161.
10. Given that the following sequence is an arithmetic sequence:
+ 3; − 1; 2 − 3;…
a) Determine the value of p.
b) Hence determine the first term and the common difference.
c) Find the 13th term.
d) Find n if Sn = - 464.
11. Given that an arithmetic series has a second term equal to 36 and the fifth
term is equal to 48, determine:
a) the first term and the common difference.
b) the 8th term
c) the sum of the first 10 terms.
d) the term which is equal to 76.
e) n when Sn = 1 188.
12. Given that an arithmetic series has a fourth term equal to 92 and the seventh
term is equal to 65, determine:
a) the first term and the common difference.
b) the 11th term.
c) the sum of the first 17 terms.
d) n if Sn = 609.
13. Given that an arithmetic sequence has a third term equal to 75 and the sum of
the first 12 numbers in the sequence is equal to 306, determine:
a) the first term and the common difference.
b) the 9th term.
c) the sum of the first 20 terms.
d) n if Sn = -456.
Geometric Sequences and series
14. Given the following geometric sequence: 3; 6; 12; …
a) Determine the general term, Tn, in terms of n.
b) Determine the sum of the first 12 numbers.
c) Is the sequence converging or diverging? Give a reason for your answer.
15. Given the following sequence: 3; 1; ;…
a) Determine the general term, Tn, in terms of n.
b) Determine the sum of the first 10 terms.
c) Determine the sum to infinity.
d) Which term is equal to ?
16. Given the following sequence: ; ; ;…
a) Determine the general term, Tn, in terms of n.
b) Is this series converging or diverging? Give a reason for your answer.
c) Determine the sum of the first 12 terms.
d) Which term is equal to ?
17. Given that the following sequence is geometric:
− 1; 2 ; 4 + 6; …
a) Determine the value of p.
b) Hence determine the first term and the common ratio.
c) Determine the sum of the first 5 terms.
d) Which term is equal to 1 458?
18. Given that the following sequence is geometric:
5 + 2; + 4; 2 − 1; …
a) Determine the value of p if p > 0.
b) Hence determine the general term, Tn, in terms of n.
c) Determine the sum of the first 7 terms.
d) Determine n if = 23 .
e) Determine the sum to infinity.
19. In a certain geometric sequence the third term is and the seventh term is .
a) Determine the first term and the common ratio.
b) Determine the sum of the first 7 terms.
c) Determine the sum to infinity.
d) Determine n if =
20. In a certain geometric sequence the 2nd term is and the Sum to infinity is .
a) Determine the first term and the common ratio.
b) Determine the 8th term.
c) Determine the sum of the first 11 terms.
d) Determine n if = .
Mixed Questions
21. Given the following sequence 2; ; is both arithmetic and geometric
determine, x and y.
22. George’s new job pays him a salary of R 15 000 per month. Every year it
increases by 7%. Georges expenses per month are R12 000 and increase by R
1 000 every year.
a) Write down the general term, Tn, in terms of n, that expresses the
growth in George’s salary.
b) Write down the general term, Tn, in terms of n, that expresses the
growth in George’s expenses.
c) Write down the sequence that expresses the difference between
George’s salary and expenses.
d) According to the pattern in (c) will George’s expenses ever exceed his
salary? Show all working out.
e) Thus is the difference between George’s salary and expenses a
converging or diverging series?
f) How much will George have saved by his fifth year of work?
23. Below is a sequence of coloured boxes, study them carefully before answering
the questions that follow:
1. 2. 3.
a) Determine the general term for the grey boxes and a separate general
term for the white boxes, in terms of n.
b) Determine the total number of grey boxes needed for the first 7
diagrams.
c) If one box measures 2,5cm by 2,5cm determine the area of the 10th
diagram.