Question

Given the following sequence determine if it is arithmetic progression or not. If it is an Arithmetic Progression, find its general term.
5, 2, –2, –6, –11, ...

Answer 1

In the given sequence, we have:
t₁ = 5, t₂ = 2, t₃ = –2, t₄ = –6 and t₅ = –11
Thus, we get:
t₂ – t₁ = 2 – 5 = –3
t₃ – t₂ = –2 – 2 = –4
t₄ – t₃ = –6 + 2 = –4
t₅ – t₄ = –11 + 6 = –5

Because the difference between any two consecutive terms is not constant, the given sequence is not an arithmetic progression.