(c) The sum of the first \( n \) terms of an arithmetic series is \( \mathrm{S}_{n}=\frac{n}{2}(3-5 n) \). (1) Determine the general term of the sequence. (2) Hence, determine the value of the \( 40^{\text {th }} \) term.
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To find the general term of the sequence, we start with the formula for the sum of the first \( n \) terms, \( S_n = \frac{n}{2}(3 - 5n) \). The general term \( a_n \) can be found using the relation \( a_n = S_n - S_{n-1} \). First, let's calculate \( S_{n-1} \): \[ S_{n-1} = \frac{(n-1)}{2}(3 - 5(n-1)) = \frac{(n-1)}{2}(3 - 5n + 5) = \frac{(n-1)}{2}(8 - 5n) \] Now, substituting \( S_n \) and \( S_{n-1} \) into \( a_n \): \[ a_n = S_n - S_{n-1} = \frac{n}{2}(3 - 5n) - \frac{(n-1)}{2}(8 - 5n) \] Expanding this we get: \[ = \frac{n(3 - 5n) - (n-1)(8 - 5n)}{2} \] Calculating inside the bracket: \[ = n(3 - 5n) - (8n - 8 + 5n^2 - 5n) = n(3 - 5n) - (3n - 8 + 5n^2) \] \[ = 3n - 5n^2 - 3n + 8 - 5n^2 \] Thus, \[ = 8 - 10n^2 \] This simplifies to: \[ = -5n + 8 \] So, the general term is: \[ a_n = 8 - 5n \] Now we need to calculate the 40th term \( a_{40} \): \[ a_{40} = 8 - 5(40) = 8 - 200 = -192 \] Therefore, the value of the 40th term is: \[ \boxed{-192} \]