Year 11 - Maths
Sequence notation
Further sequences
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils consider different types of sequences such as Fibonacci and oscillating sequences. They then consolidate their knowledge of different types of sequences by solving contextual problems.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to define notation for sequences.
Key Notes
- Sequence notation becomes more formal in further studies.
- There is notation for a term, the next term and for general terms.
- You can use this notation to write the term-to-term rule.
Vocabulary To Learn
- n^th term: The nth term of a sequence is the position of a term in a sequence where n stands for the term number.
- Term-to-term: A term-to-term rule describes how to calculate the next term in the sequence from the previous term.
- Fibonacci sequence: A Fibonacci sequence is a sequence where each term is the sum of the two previous terms.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Pupils may think that $$u_1$$ means that $$u$$ has a value of one.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Solve this in steps: explain the method from this lesson and why each step matters.
Sequence notation becomes more formal in further studies. There is notation for a term, the next term and for general terms.
2. Use this key word in a maths sentence and explain it clearly. 'n^th term'
The nth term of a sequence is the position of a term in a sequence where n stands for the term number. Use this word when showing your method, then check your final answer is reasonable.
3. Spot and fix this common maths mistake.
Mistake: Pupils may think that $$u_1$$ means that $$u$$ has a value of one. Correction: $$u_1$$ refers to the first term in the sequence and $$u_2$$ refers to the second term. The subscript refers to the term number.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Advanced problem solving with further sequences Study Guide
- Arithmetic sequences and their graphs Study Guide
- Checking and securing rules for generating arithmetic sequences Study Guide
- Checking and securing understanding of geometric sequences Study Guide
- Checking and securing understanding of special number sequences Study Guide
- Conditions in arithmetic sequences Study Guide
- Fibonacci and alternating sequences Study Guide
- Identifying values in an arithmetic sequence Study Guide
- Introducing quadratic sequences Study Guide
- Problem solving with further sequences Study Guide
- Quadratic sequences Study Guide
- Reasoning about values in an arithmetic sequence Study Guide
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