Precalculus

How to solve

The sum of an arithmetic series is the average of first and last terms times how many terms: Sₙ = n(a₁ + aₙ)/2.

Steps

  1. Find the last term aₙ = a₁ + (n − 1)d.
  2. Average it with a₁.
  3. Multiply by n.

Example

Sum of the first 10 terms of 3, 7, 11, …

  1. a₁₀ = 3 + 9·4 = 39.
  2. S₁₀ = 10(3 + 39)/2 = 210.

Answer: 210

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