Arithmetic and Geometric Progressions
Arithmetic Progression (AP)
Arithmetic Progression (AP) is a sequence of numbers in which the difference of any two
successive terms is constant.
This constant is called the common difference (denoted as 'd').
General Form of an AP:
An AP can be represented as:
a, a + d, a + 2d, a + 3d, ..., a + (n-1)d
Key Formulas:
1. The nth term (Tn) of an AP:
Tn = a + (n-1)d
2. Sum of the first n terms (Sn) of an AP:
Sn = n/2 [2a + (n-1)d]
OR
Sn = n/2 (a + l) where l = last term
Derivation of Sum Formula:
Let the first term be 'a', the common difference be 'd', and the number of terms be 'n'. The
AP is:
a, a + d, a + 2d, ..., a + (n-1)d
Sum of n terms (Sn):
Sn = a + (a + d) + (a + 2d) + ... + [a + (n-1)d]
Writing the series in reverse:
Sn = [a + (n-1)d] + [a + (n-2)d] + ... + a
Adding both equations:
2Sn = [2a + (n-1)d] + [2a + (n-1)d] + ... (n terms)
Simplifying:
2Sn = n[2a + (n-1)d]
Thus:
Sn = n/2 [2a + (n-1)d]
Practice Questions (AP):
1. Find the 15th term of an AP where the first term is 7 and the common difference is 3.
2. The sum of the first 20 terms of an AP is 210, and the first term is 5. Find the common
difference.
3. Determine the number of terms in the AP: 5, 8, 11, ..., 47.
4. If the sum of the first 10 terms of an AP is 100 and its last term is 20, find the first term
and common difference.
Geometric Progression (GP)
Geometric Progression (GP) is a sequence of numbers where each term after the first is
found by multiplying the previous term by a fixed, non-zero number called the common
ratio (denoted as 'r').
General Form of a GP:
A GP can be represented as:
a, ar, ar^2, ar^3, ..., ar^(n-1)
Key Formulas:
1. The nth term (Tn) of a GP:
Tn = ar^(n-1)
2. Sum of the first n terms (Sn) of a GP:
a. If |r| < 1: Sn = a(1 - r^n) / (1 - r)
b. If |r| > 1: Sn = a(r^n - 1) / (r - 1)
3. Sum of an infinite GP (|r| < 1):
S∞ = a / (1 - r)
Derivation of Sum Formula (Finite GP):
Let the first term be 'a', the common ratio be 'r', and the number of terms be 'n'. The GP is:
a, ar, ar^2, ..., ar^(n-1)
Sum of n terms (Sn):
Sn = a + ar + ar^2 + ... + ar^(n-1)
Multiplying the equation by 'r':
rSn = ar + ar^2 + ar^3 + ... + ar^n
Subtracting:
Sn - rSn = a - ar^n
Simplifying:
Sn(1 - r) = a(1 - r^n)
Thus:
Sn = a(1 - r^n) / (1 - r) if r ≠ 1
Practice Questions (GP):
1. Find the 10th term of a GP where the first term is 2 and the common ratio is 3.
2. The sum of the first 5 terms of a GP is 121, and the first term is 1. Find the common ratio.
3. Determine the sum of an infinite GP where the first term is 5 and the common ratio is 1/3.
4. If the 4th term of a GP is 16 and the 7th term is 128, find the common ratio and first term.
Relationship between AM and GM:
Arithmetic Mean (AM): The AM between two numbers a and b is given by:
AM = (a + b) / 2
Geometric Mean (GM): The GM between two numbers a and b is given by:
GM = √(a * b)
Relation between AM and GM:
For any two positive numbers a and b:
AM ≥ GM
Equality holds if and only if a = b.
Practice Questions (AM and GM):
1. Find the AM and GM of 9 and 16.
2. Prove that the AM of two numbers is always greater than or equal to their GM.
3. If the AM of two numbers is 10 and their GM is 8, find the numbers.
4. Three numbers are in GP. Their AM is 21 and their GM is 18. Find the numbers.
