Instead of doing the problem for you, I'll do one exactly like yours, step by step: if the 4th term of an arithmetic sequence is 21 and the 11th term is 56, what is the common difference? __, __, __, 21, __, __, __, __, __, __, 56,...when n=4, a4=21 when n=11, a11=56 So we have this system Solve the first equation for a1 Substitute (21-3d) for a1 in The common difference is 5. Now do yours the exact same way. It's not necessary, but if you like you can find the first term by substituting d=5 in and find the arithmetic sequence to be: 6, 11, 16, 21, 26, 31, 36, 41, 46, 51, 56,... Edwin