Nth Term of Linear Sequences GCSE Maths
Finding the nth term helps you describe any term in a sequence without listing all the terms.
Example
For 5, 8, 11, 14, the difference is 3, so start with 3n. The first term of 3n is 3, but we need 5, so add 2. The nth term is 3n + 2.
Exam tip: The common difference is usually the number in front of n.
Common mistake: Students sometimes use the first term instead of the common difference as the coefficient of n.
Video explanation
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