What is the 12th term of the sequence 20, 16, 12, …?
The common difference between each term is -4. To find the 12th term, we can use the formula for the nth term of an arithmetic sequence:
a_n = a_1 + (n-1)d
Where:
a_n = the nth term
a_1 = the first term
d = the common difference
n = the term number
Plugging in the values:
a_12 = 20 + (12-1)(-4)
a_12 = 20 + 11(-4)
a_12 = 20 - 44
a_12 = -24
Therefore, the 12th term of the sequence is -24.