Thread: Arithmetic Series Question

The sum of the first 5 terms of an arithmetic series is 85, and the sum of the first 6 terms is 123. Write the first 3 terms of the series.

Okay i tried, but ended up with strange numbers.

formulas:
tn=t1+(n-1)d
sn=n/2(2(t1)+(n-1)d)

please help

Using the summation formula, we find:





The two equations may be written:





Now, solve this system to determine and .

thanks Mark, helpful as always. i try later, too tired now...

Originally Posted by MarkFL2

Using the summation formula, we find:





The two equations may be written:





Now, solve this system to determine and .

answer is d=7 t1=3

I actually wrote it out exactly like you did, but then i got help from another site as well and the person said that i could bring the fraction (5/2 & 6/2) over and use it to divide with 85 and 123. whew. I made it seem so difficult lol.

I blame my teacher for not showing the proper steps!!!

Oh and the two equations with 17 and 41 confuses me, so i didn't know what to do with them.

Given the system:

(1)

(2)

I would multiply (1) by -2, then add the two equations to eliminate :



and then using (1), we find:

Originally Posted by MarkFL2

Given the system:

(1)

(2)

I would multiply (1) by -2, then add the two equations to eliminate :



and then using (1), we find:

OHHH, so you try to eliminate what you can to solve right?

Yes, elimination is one way, substitution is another. I tend to favor elimination for small systems like this.

Thanks