Identifying the Next Term in a Mathematical Sequence

Identifying the Next Term in a Mathematical Sequence

Welcome to our blog where we dive into the fascinating world of mathematical sequences. Today, we will explore a specific sequence and uncover the pattern underlying it. The sequence in question is a series of terms where each subsequent term is derived from the previous ones in an intriguing way. Let's uncover how to find the next term in the sequence 10, 10, 20, 35, 55, 80, and beyond!

Understanding the Sequence

The sequence provided is:

10 10 20 20 15 35 35 20 55 55 25 80

From this, we can see that the sequence starts at 10 and then each next term is derived by adding a value that increases by 5 each time. Looking into this pattern, we can identify that the sequence is:

10, 10 20 20, 15 35 35, 20 55 55, 25 80 80, 30 110

The Mathematical Formula

More formally, the sequence can be expressed using an arithmetic progression (AP). Let's denote the nth term of the sequence as an. We can write the sequence as:

S  10, 20, 35, 55, 80, ...

The pattern can be explained by the following differences between consecutive terms:

1 55  102 1010  203 2015  354 3520  555 5525  806 8030  110 [ANSWER]

We can observe that the difference between the terms follows an arithmetic progression with a common difference of 5, starting from 10:

D1 0 (initial difference) D2 10 D3 15 D4 20 D5 25 D6 30 (next difference)

Using the formula for the nth term of an AP, where the common difference is 5, we can find the next term in the sequence. The nth term can be calculated as:

an  an-1   5(n - 2)

Let's apply this to find the 6th term (80, 30 110) and the 7th term (110, 35 145).

Conclusion

Understanding and identifying patterns in sequences is a fundamental skill in mathematics. Whether it's an arithmetic progression or a more complex series, recognizing the underlying pattern can help us predict the next term. For the sequence 10, 10, 20, 35, 55, 80, the next term is 110, as calculated from the increasing differences of 5.

If you have any questions or would like to explore more such sequences, feel free to leave a comment or follow us on social media for more engaging content.

Related Keywords

sequence pattern recognition