AMC 12 Mock Exam 3 Problem 11
Problem 11 of 25
The sum of the first terms of an arithmetic sequence is , and the sum of the first terms is . What is the sum of the st through th terms of the sequence?
Answer choices
Show solution
Solution
Let the first term be and the common difference . Then and , i.e., and , so and ; the th term is .
The terms through sum to .
(Alternatively, the sums of consecutive blocks of terms form an arithmetic sequence: , , so the next block is .)
Tagged: arithmetic sequences and partial sums