High School

Which recursive formula can be used to define this sequence for [tex]n \ > \ 1[/tex]?

Given the sequence: 5, 35, 245, 1,715, 12,005, 84,035, ...

A. [tex]f(n) = 7f(n-1)[/tex]

B. [tex]f(n) = f(n-1) + 30[/tex]

C. [tex]f(n) = \frac{1}{7} f(n-1)[/tex]

D. [tex]f(n) = 5f(n-1) + 10[/tex]

Answer :

To determine the recursive formula for the given sequence [tex]\(5, 35, 245, 1,715, 12,005, 84,035, \ldots\)[/tex], let's analyze how the sequence progresses.

Step-by-step solution:

1. Identify consecutive terms:
- The sequence starts with: 5, 35, 245, 1715, 12005, 84035.

2. Calculate the ratios between consecutive terms:
- To see if there's a pattern, we calculate the ratio of each term to the previous one:
- [tex]\( \frac{35}{5} = 7 \)[/tex]
- [tex]\( \frac{245}{35} = 7 \)[/tex]
- [tex]\( \frac{1715}{245} = 7 \)[/tex]
- [tex]\( \frac{12005}{1715} = 7 \)[/tex]
- [tex]\( \frac{84035}{12005} = 7 \)[/tex]

3. Check consistency:
- All the ratios are equal to 7. This indicates that the sequence is a geometric progression where each term is 7 times the previous term.

4. Recursive formula:
- For a geometric sequence where the ratio between consecutive terms is constant, the recursive formula can be written as:
[tex]\[
f(n) = 7 \cdot f(n-1) \quad \text{for} \ n > 1
\][/tex]
- Our starting term [tex]\( f(1) = 5 \)[/tex], and each subsequent term is 7 times the previous one.

Thus, the recursive formula that defines this sequence for [tex]\( n > 1 \)[/tex] is:
[tex]\[ f(n) = 7 \cdot f(n-1) \][/tex]

This formula matches with the progression observed in the sequence.