SOLUTION: In a potato race, 10 potatoes are placed in a straight line 5 meters apart, the first potato being placed 6 meters from the starting point. How many meters does a contestant travel

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Question 965723: In a potato race, 10 potatoes are placed in a straight line 5 meters apart, the first potato being placed 6 meters from the starting point. How many meters does a contestant travel in collecting the potatoes one at a time and placing them in a basket located at the starting point ?
Answer by Edwin McCravy(20056) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
In a potato race, 10 potatoes are placed in a straight line 5 meters apart, the
first potato being placed 6 meters from the starting point. How many meters does
a contestant travel in collecting the potatoes one at a time and placing them in
a basket located at the starting point ?
For the first potato he travels 6 meters up and 6 meters back, 
so the first term of the sequence is 12.

For the second potato in addition to the 12 m, he travels 5 m 
more up and 5 m more back, so that's 12+10 or 22 m.  So the 
common difference is 10 m.

We have an arithmetic sequence with a%5B1%5D=12, d=10, n=10

S%5Bn%5D=expr%28n%2F2%29%282%5E%22%22a%5B1%5D%2B%28n-1%29d%29
S%5B10%5D=expr%2810%2F2%29%282%5E%22%22%2A%2812%29%2B%2810-1%29%2810%29%29
S%5B10%5D=5%2824%5E%22%22%2B%289%29%2810%29%29
S%5B10%5D=5%2824%2B90%29
S%5B10%5D=5%28114%29
S%5B10%5D=570

Answer 570 meters

Edwin