In Exercises 1–14, write the first six terms of each arithmetic sequence. a1= 5/2, d = -1/2

Key Concepts

Arithmetic Sequence

An arithmetic sequence is a sequence of numbers in which the difference between consecutive terms is constant. This difference is known as the common difference (d). Each term can be generated by adding the common difference to the previous term, starting from the first term (a1).

First Term (a1)

The first term of an arithmetic sequence, denoted as a1, is the initial value from which the sequence begins. In this case, a1 is given as 5/2. This term serves as the foundation for calculating subsequent terms in the sequence by repeatedly adding the common difference.

Common Difference (d)

The common difference (d) in an arithmetic sequence is the fixed amount that is added to each term to obtain the next term. In this problem, d is -1/2, indicating that each term will decrease by 1/2 from the previous term. Understanding this concept is crucial for generating the terms of the sequence.