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Year 9 · Maths

Use Sequences To Find The Nth Term

Year 9 learners practise finding the nth term of an arithmetic sequence.

The activities include Find the nth Term in Arithmetic Sequences. The checked support below includes video, worksheet, teaching. Open a resource in its provider's website and choose the format that best helps the learner explain the idea independently.

Understand the key idea

The nth term is a rule that finds any term in a sequence from its position. For an arithmetic sequence, start with the common difference, write that number multiplied by n, then adjust the rule so it gives the correct first term.

Common mix-up

The nth-term rule is not the same as the instruction for finding only the next term.

Try this first

  1. Find the common difference.
  2. Use the difference as the coefficient of n.
  3. Substitute n = 1 and adjust the constant until the rule gives the first term.

Ask: How can you test the rule against the first three terms?

Activities covered

  • Find the nth Term in Arithmetic Sequences

Checked learning resources

  • Arithmetic sequences

    Oak National Academy · Video · Opens on the provider website

    I can appreciate the features of an arithmetic sequence and be able to recognise one. This KS3 maths video lesson directly teaches the concepts and calculation method required by "Find the nth Term in Arithmetic Sequence

  • Patterns and sequences

    BBC Bitesize · Worksheet · Opens on the provider website

    BBC KS3 maths teaching, worked examples and practice checks for Use Sequences To Find The Nth Term. This was selected against the complete context of "Find the nth Term in Arithmetic Sequences" rather than its title alon

  • Sequences: lesson sequence

    Oak National Academy · Teaching · Opens on the provider website

    This KS3 Oak unit provides sequenced teaching and worked examples on Sequences, including the closest lesson: Arithmetic sequences.

  • Find the nth Term in Arithmetic Sequences video

    Corbettmaths Primary · Video · Opens on the provider website

    Year 9 Maths video matched to find the nth term in arithmetic sequences.