Find the Next Term in Arithmetic Sequence: -15, -17, -19, -21, ?

Question

15,17,19,21,? -15,-17,-19,-21,\text{?}

Video Solution

Solution Steps

00:00 Complete the next number in the sequence
00:05 Find all numbers on the axis
00:10 Find the difference between each consecutive number
00:20 We can see that the difference is constant between each number
00:32 We will use this difference to find the next number
00:41 And this is the solution to the question

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, we'll follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Identify the pattern in the sequence.
  • Step 2: Calculate the common difference.
  • Step 3: Use the common difference to find the next term in the sequence.

Step 1: Look at the given sequence: 15,17,19,21-15, -17, -19, -21.
To find the common difference, we can subtract each term from the next one. For example, the difference between 15-15 and 17-17 is:

17(15)=17+15=2-17 - (-15) = -17 + 15 = -2

Similarly, between 17-17 and 19-19, and 19-19 and 21-21, we have:

19(17)=2-19 - (-17) = -2

21(19)=2-21 - (-19) = -2

Step 2: We have determined that the common difference dd is 2-2.

Step 3: To find the next term, subtract the common difference from the last term: 212=23-21 - 2 = -23.

Therefore, the next number in the sequence is 23-23.

Answer

23 -23