Arithmetic Sequence: Definition and Basic

Examples
An arithmetic sequence is a list of numbers with a definite pattern. If you take any number in the
sequence then subtract it by the previous one, and the result is always the same (or constant); then it is
an arithmetic sequence.

The constant difference in all pairs of consecutive numbers in a sequence is called common
difference, denoted by the letter d. We use the common difference to go from one term to another.
How? Take the current term and add the common difference to get to the next term, and so on. That is
how the terms in the sequence are generated.

If the common difference between consecutive terms is positive, we say that the sequence is
increasing.
On the other hand, when the difference is negative we say that the sequence is decreasing.

Here are two examples of arithmetic sequences:

With this basic idea in mind, you can now solve basic arithmetic sequence problems.

Example 1: Find the next term in the sequence .

First, find the common difference among each pair of consecutive numbers.

157 = 8

2315 = 8

3123 = 8

Since the common difference is 8 or written as d = 8, we can find the next term after 31 by adding 8 to
it. Therefore, we have 31 + 8 = 39.
Example 2: Find the next term in the sequence .

Observe that the sequence is decreasing. We expect to have a common difference that is negative in
value.

2431 = 7

1724 = 7

1017 = 7

To get to the next term, we will add this common difference of d = 7 to the last term in the sequence.
Therefore, 10 + (7) = 3.

Example 3: Find the next three terms in .

Be careful here. Dont assume that if the terms in the sequence are all negative numbers, it is a
decreasing sequence. Remember, it is decreasing whenever the common difference is negative. So
lets find the common difference by taking each term and subtracting it by the term that comes before
it.

The common difference here is positive four (+ 4) which makes this an increasing arithmetic
sequence. We can obtain the next three terms by adding the last term by this common difference.
Whatever is the result, add again by 4, and do it one more time.

Heres the calculation:

The next three terms in the sequence are shown in red.

Example 4: Find the seventh term (7th) in the sequence

Sometimes you may encounter a problem in arithmetic sequence that involves fractions. So be ready
to use your previous knowledge on how to add or subtract fractions.

In addition, always make sure that you understand what the question is asking so that you can have the
correct strategy to approach the problem.

In this example, we are asked to find the seventh term, not simply the next term. It is a good practice
to write all the terms in the sequence and label them, if possible.

Now we have a clear understanding on how to work this out. Find the common difference, and use this
to find the seventh term.

Finding the common difference,

Then we find the 7th term by adding the common difference of starting with the 4th term,
and so on. Heres the complete calculation.

Therefore, the seventh term of the sequence is zero (0). We can write the final answer as,
Example 5: Find the 35th term in the arithmetic sequence 3, 9, 15, 21,

You can solve this problem by listing the successive terms using the common difference. This method
is tedious because you will have to keep adding the common difference (which is 6) thirty five times
starting with the last term in the sequence.

You dont have to do this because it is cumbersome. And not only that, it is very easy to commit
careless error during the repetitive addition process.

If you decide to find the 35th term of the sequence using this successive addition method, your
solution will look similar below. The dot dot dot means that there are calculations there but not
shown as it can easily occupy the entire page.
Geometric Progression

In mathematics, a geometric progression, also known as a geometric sequence, is a sequence of

numbers where each term after the first is found by multiplying the previous one by a fixed, non-zero
number called the common ratio. For example, the sequence 2, 6, 18, 54, ... is a geometric
progression with common ratio 3.

EXAMPLES

Question

Write down the 8th term in the Geometric Progression 1, 3, 9, ...

Answer

Question

Find the sum of each of the geometric series

Answer
Question

Answer

Converting a Recurring Decimal to a Fraction

Decimals that occurs in repetition infinitely or are repeated in period are called recurring decimals.

For example, 0.22222222... is a recurring decimal because the number 2 is repeated infinitely.

The recurring decimal 0.22222222... can be written as .

Another example is 0.234523452345... is a recurring decimal because the number 2345 is repeated
periodically.

Thus, it can be written as or it can also be expressed in fractions.

Question

Express as a fraction in their lowest terms.

Answer
Seismic waves are waves of energy that travel through the Earth's layers, and are a result of
earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, magma movement, large landslides and large man-made explosions
that give out low-frequency acoustic energy. Many other natural and anthropogenic sources create
low-amplitude waves commonly referred to as ambient vibrations. Seismic waves are studied by
geophysicists called seismologists. Seismic wave fields are recorded by a seismometer, hydrophone
(in water), or accelerometer.

The propagation velocity of the waves depends on density and elasticity of the medium. Velocity tends
to increase with depth and ranges from approximately 2 to 8 km/s in the Earth's crust, up to 13 km/s in
the deep mantle.[2]

Earthquakes create distinct types of waves with different velocities; when reaching seismic
observatories, their different travel times help scientists to locate the source of the hypocenter. In
geophysics the refraction or reflection of seismic waves is used for research into the structure of the
Earth's interior, and man-made vibrations are often generated to investigate shallow, subsurface
structures.

mong the many types of seismic waves, one can make a broad distinction between body waves, which
travel through the Earth, and surface waves, which travel at the Earth's surface.[2]:4850[3]:5657

Other modes of wave propagation exist than those described in this article; though of comparatively
minor importance for earth-borne waves, they are important in the case of asteroseismology.

Body waves travel through the interior of the Earth.

Surface waves travel across the surface. Surface waves decay more slowly with distance than
body waves, which travel in three dimensions.
Particle motion of surface waves is larger than that of body waves, so surface waves tend to
cause more damage.

Body waves

Body waves travel through the interior of the Earth along paths controlled by the material properties in
terms of density and modulus (stiffness). The density and modulus, in turn, vary according to
temperature, composition, and material phase. This effect resembles the refraction of light waves. Two
types of particle motion result in two types of body waves: Primary and Secondary waves.

Primary waves

Main article: P-wave

Primary waves (P-waves) are compressional waves that are longitudinal in nature. P waves are
pressure waves that travel faster than other waves through the earth to arrive at seismograph stations
first, hence the name "Primary". These waves can travel through any type of material, including fluids,
and can travel at nearly twice the speed of S waves. In air, they take the form of sound waves, hence
they travel at the speed of sound. Typical speeds are 330 m/s in air, 1450 m/s in water and about
5000 m/s in granite.

Secondary waves
Main article: S-wave

Secondary waves (S-waves) are shear waves that are transverse in nature. Following an earthquake
event, S-waves arrive at seismograph stations after the faster-moving P-waves and displace the ground
perpendicular to the direction of propagation. Depending on the propagational direction, the wave can
take on different surface characteristics; for example, in the case of horizontally polarized S waves, the
ground moves alternately to one side and then the other. S-waves can travel only through solids, as
fluids (liquids and gases) do not support shear stresses. S-waves are slower than P-waves, and speeds
are typically around 60% of that of P-waves in any given material.

Surface waves

Seismic surface waves travel along the Earth's surface. They can be classified as a form of mechanical
surface waves. They are called surface waves, as they diminish as they get further from the surface.
They travel more slowly than seismic body waves (P and S). In large earthquakes, surface waves can
have an amplitude of several centimeters.[4]

Rayleigh waves

Main article: Rayleigh wave

Rayleigh waves, also called ground roll, are surface waves that travel as ripples with motions that are
similar to those of waves on the surface of water (note, however, that the associated particle motion at
shallow depths is retrograde, and that the restoring force in Rayleigh and in other seismic waves is
elastic, not gravitational as for water waves). The existence of these waves was predicted by John
William Strutt, Lord Rayleigh, in 1885. They are slower than body waves, roughly 90% of the velocity
of S waves for typical homogeneous elastic media. In the layered medium (like the crust and upper
mantle) the velocity of the Rayleigh waves depends on their frequency and wavelength. See also Lamb
waves.

Love waves

Main article: Love wave

Love waves are horizontally polarized shear waves (SH waves), existing only in the presence of a
semi-infinite medium overlain by an upper layer of finite thickness.[5] They are named after A.E.H.
Love, a British mathematician who created a mathematical model of the waves in 1911. They usually
travel slightly faster than Rayleigh waves, about 90% of the S wave velocity, and have the largest
amplitude.

Stoneley waves

Main article: Stoneley wave

A Stoneley wave is a type of boundary wave (or interface wave) that propagates along a solid-fluid
boundary or, under specific conditions, also along a solid-solid boundary. Amplitudes of Stoneley
waves have their maximum values at the boundary between the two contacting media and decay
exponentially towards the depth of each of them. These waves can be generated along the walls of a
fluid-filled borehole, being an important source of coherent noise in VSPs and making up the low
frequency component of the source in sonic logging.[6] The equation for Stoneley waves was first
given by Dr. Robert Stoneley (18941976), Emeritus Professor of Seismology, Cambridge