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Mathematics lessons for IB® Diploma Programme

Applications and Interpretation | Statistics and Probability

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Arithmetic Sequences and Series

Activity Overview

Students use formulas to find the differences of the consecutive terms, plot a scatter plot of each sequence, and determine that sequences with common differences (called arithmetic sequences) have scatter plots whose points form a straight line.

Key Steps

step1

Step 1

In problem one, students will use formulas to find the differences of the consecutive terms of a sequence.

step2

Step 2

Then, students will plot a scatter plot of each sequence and determine that sequences with common differences, also called arithmetic sequences, have scatter plots that form a straight line.

step3

Step 3

In problems two and three, students generate a sequence and then find the sum of the first n terms of a sequence using a formula.