document.write( "<A HREF=/cgi-bin/jump-to-question.mpl?question=1140358>Question 1140358</A>: <I><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> find the nth term of the sequence -2/3,-1/6,1/3,5/6,4/3 </SPAN>\n" );
document.write( "</I><HR><TABLE width=100%><TR><TD><B><A HREF=http://www.algebra.com/>Algebra.Com's</A> Answer #760882 by </B><A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=greenestamps><B>greenestamps(13200)</B></A><img src=\"/images/stars/stars-13.gif\" alt=\"\" >&nbsp;<A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=greenestamps><IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/aboutme-small.gif BORDER=0 alt=\"About Me\" VALIGN=MIDDLE></A>&nbsp;<IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/cgi-bin/show-face.mpl?user=greenestamps><BR>You can <A HREF=\"/cgi-bin/embed-solution.mpl?show=1&solution=760882\">put this solution on YOUR website!</A><BR><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> <br><BR>\n" );
document.write( "Rewrite the given sequence all with the least common denominator:<br><BR>\n" );
document.write( "-4/6, -1/6, 2/6, 5/6, 8/6, ...<br><BR>\n" );
document.write( "The numerators form an arithmetic sequence: -4, -1, 2, 5, 8, ...<br><BR>\n" );
document.write( "So the given numbers are the first 5 terms of an arithmetic sequence given by the formula<br><BR>\n" );
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document.write( "However, while that is very probably the intended answer to the problem, in fact it is not possible to answer the question as posed.  The trouble is that, with the problem as shown, the subsequent terms of the sequence could be ANYTHING; and of course that would make it impossible to know the n-th term.<br><BR>\n" );
document.write( "Unfortunately, you see this kind of problem all the time, where there is an obvious apparent pattern to the given sequence of numbers.  But for the problem to be valid and solvable, the statement of the problem HAS TO tell you that the sequence is an arithmetic sequence. </SPAN>\n" );
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