Maths Olympiad Prep

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Algebra Difficulty 4.3 AIME Find the answer Philippines

Problem:

In an arithmetic sequence, the third, fifth and eleventh terms are distinct and form a geometric sequence. If the fourth term of the arithmetic sequence is 66, what is its 20072007th term?

A number or a short expression. Fractions can be typed as 3/2, and spacing doesn't matter.

Solution

Solution:

6015
Let aa and dd be the first term and the common difference of the given arithmetic sequence. Since there are distinct terms of the sequence, it follows that d0d \neq 0. Since the third, fifth and eleventh terms form a geometric sequence, we have
a+4da+2d=a+10da+4dora+d=0 \frac{a+4d}{a+2d} = \frac{a+10d}{a+4d} \quad \text{or} \quad a+d=0
Since the fourth term of the sequence is 66, we also have
a+3d=6 a+3d=6
Solving the system of equations involving (1)(1\star) and (2)(2\star), we get a=3a=-3 and d=3d=3. Thus, the 20072007th term is 3+2006(3)=6015-3+2006(3)=6015.

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