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are the first three terms of an arithmetic sequence.
3.1 Determine the value of .

Ask by Elliott Salazar. in South Africa
Jan 20,2025

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To find the value of , we start with the property of an arithmetic sequence, which states that the difference between consecutive terms is constant. Thus, we set up the equation using the first three terms given:
The first term:
The second term:
The third term:
The common difference from the first to the second term is:
Next, we find the common difference from the second to the third term:
Since these differences must be equal, we set them equal to each other:
Now, we isolate the square root:
For the square root to be real, must be non-negative (greater than or equal to zero), which leads us to:
Now squaring both sides, we get:
Rearranging gives us:
Factoring out :
This yields two potential solutions:
Now we check which of these fit the inequality . Only holds since does not.
To summarize, the value of is:

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