SOLUTION: Find the 1st term of this geometric sequence

SOLUTION: Find the 1st term of this geometric sequence - 3 , 17

Question 969778: Find the 1st term of this geometric sequence - 3 , 17
Answer by KMST(5328) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
We need more information than that.
Is 3 the second term, and 17 the third term?

If it is a geometric sequence, then each term is the one before times a fixed number, .
That number is called the common ratio, because it is the ratio between any two consecutive terms.
So, term number , ,
is related to the previous term,
term number =,
by <--->
for all natural number (counting number) values of .
IF 3 and 17 are consecutive terms,
then the common ratio between consecutive terms is
.
Each term is times the one before.
IF 3 and 17 are the 2nd and 3rd terms respectively,
then , , , and is the first term that we want to find.
From , for , we get
--->--->
so --->--->--->--->
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