Thread: Formula from a sequence

I am trying to derive a formula for this sequence:

3, 4, 6, 8, 12, ...

Need Help!!

Originally Posted by jyoung

I am trying to derive a formula for this sequence:

3, 4, 6, 8, 12, ...

Need Help!!

one method:

define the sequence as a function of , where is an integer.

so you have 5 points. (1,3), (2,4), (3,6), (4,8), and (5,12). now we want to find a curve that passes through all those points. let the curve be given by:



we have:

..............(1)
..............(2)
.............(3)
.........(4)
..........(5)

you have 5 equations, 5 unknowns. solve simultaneously