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Algebra Difficulty 3.1 AMC 10/12 Find the answer

In the sequences {an} and {bn}, for all n belonging to the set of positive integers, an=2na_{n}=2^{n}, and an, bn, an+1 form an arithmetic sequence. Find the sum of the first n terms, Sn, of the sequence {bn}.

A number or a short expression. Spacing and $ signs are ignored.

Solution

Since an, bn, an+1 form an arithmetic sequence, we can write the equation 2bn=2n+2n+12b_{n}=2^{n}+2^{n+1}.

Solving for bn, we get bn=322nb_{n}= \frac {3}{2}\cdot 2^{n}.

Now, to find the sum of the first n terms, Sn, of the sequence {bn}, we have:

Sn=32(21+22+23++2n)S_{n}= \frac {3}{2}(2^{1}+2^{2}+2^{3}+…+2^{n}).

Recognizing that this is a geometric series, we can use the formula for the sum of a geometric series:

Sn=a1(1rn)1rS_{n}=\frac{a_1(1-r^n)}{1-r}

where a1a_1 is the first term, rr is the common ratio, and nn is the number of terms. In our case, a1=3221=3a_1=\frac{3}{2}\cdot2^1=3, r=2r=2, and nn is the number of terms.

Substituting these values into the formula, we get:

Sn=3(12n)12=3(2n1)S_{n}=\frac{3(1-2^n)}{1-2}=3(2^n-1)

Hence, the sum of the first n terms of the sequence {bn} is \boxed{S_n=3(2^n-1)}.

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Source: NuminaMath-1.5, licensed Apache-2.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.