How would I find the formula for the nth term of a sequence such as 3, 7, 11, 15, 19?

This is an example of a linear sequence which will always have the formula: un=an+b.Where 'a' is the common difference between each term and 'b' is the 'zeroth' term.By subtracting the previous term from each individual term it can be found that the different is 4, (7-3=4, 11-7=4 etc.)and to find b, if 3 is the first term the zeroth term can be found by subtracting the common difference from the first term:3-4=-1.Hence the formula for the nth term is, un=4n-1

TG
Answered by Tommy G. Maths tutor

3439 Views

See similar Maths GCSE tutors

Related Maths GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Expand the brackets: (x + 5)(x - 3)?


How can I prove that an angle in a semi-circle is always 90 degrees?


How do you form the imperfect past tense and what is the difference between the preterite and the imperfect tense?


Solve the two simulatneous equations x^2+y^2=18 and x-y=3


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning