given that the nth term of a sequence as n2-20 divided by 4, find the first four terms
To find the first four terms of the sequence, plug in n = 1, 2, 3, and 4 into the given formula for the nth term.
For n = 1:
a₁ = (1² - 20) / 4
a₁ = (1 - 20) / 4
a₁ = (-19) / 4
a₁ = -4.75
For n = 2:
a₂ = (2² - 20) / 4
a₂ = (4 - 20) / 4
a₂ = (-16) / 4
a₂ = -4
For n = 3:
a₃ = (3² - 20) / 4
a₃ = (9 - 20) / 4
a₃ = (-11) / 4
a₃ = -2.75
For n = 4:
a₄ = (4² - 20) / 4
a₄ = (16 - 20) / 4
a₄ = (-4) / 4
a₄ = -1
Therefore, the first four terms of the sequence are:
-4.75, -4, -2.75, -1