The nth term of linear and quadratic sequences worksheet — GCSE Higher

1.The nth term of a sequence is 4n + 2. A term in the sequence has value 30. Work out its position, n, in the sequence.

2.A market trader builds a display of oranges in a rectangular block. The block is n oranges wide and 4 oranges longer than it is wide. The number of oranges needed is 5 when n = 1, 12 when n = 2, 21 when n = 3, 32 when n = 4, and 45 when n = 5. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the number of oranges needed for a display of width n.

3.The first four terms of a sequence are 2, 6, 10, 14. Priya says the nth term is 4n. Work out the correct expression for the nth term.

4.A theatre has rows of seats arranged so that row 1 has 12 seats, row 2 has 17 seats, row 3 has 22 seats and row 4 has 27 seats, with each row having 5 more seats than the row before. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the number of seats in row n.

5.The first four terms of a sequence are 9, 14, 19, 24. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the nth term.

6.The nth term of a sequence is n² + 2n − 4. Work out the 7th term.

7.The first five terms of a quadratic sequence are −1, 4, 13, 26, 43. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the nth term.

8.The first five terms of a quadratic sequence are 6, 11, 18, 27, 38. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the nth term.

9.The nth term of a sequence is n² − 2n + 5. Work out the 10th term.

10.A gym charges a reduced price for the first month of membership and a standard price for every month after that. The total cost is £5 for 1 month, £12 for 2 months, £19 for 3 months and £26 for 4 months. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the total cost, in pounds, of n months of membership.

11.The first four terms of a sequence are 11, 18, 25, 32. Ravi thinks the nth term is 7n. Work out the correct expression for the nth term.

12.The first four terms of a sequence are 6, 13, 20, 27. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the nth term.

13.The nth term of a sequence is 3n² + 2n − 1. Work out the 10th term.

14.A car park charges by the hour. Parking for 1 hour costs £5, 2 hours costs £9, 3 hours costs £13 and 4 hours costs £17, with the cost increasing by the same amount for each extra hour. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the cost, in pounds, of parking for n hours.

15.A square patio of side length n slabs is surrounded by a single border of square paving slabs of the same size. For a patio with side length n, the total number of slabs used for the patio and its border together is 9 when n = 1, 16 when n = 2, 25 when n = 3, and 36 when n = 4. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the total number of slabs.