MATHEMATICS 10 QUARTER 1 Week 4

NAME: ____________________________________ YR & SEC: _____________________

Competency:

The learners determine geometric means, the nth term of a geometric sequence, and the sum of the
terms of a given finite or infinite geometric sequence.

Expectations

This module is written to help you understand the important concepts on finding the term of a geometric
sequence, determining geometric means, and solving problems involving geometric series. After going through
this module, you are expected to:

1. Determine the nth term of a given geometric sequence;

2. Solve for the geometric mean(s) of a geometric sequence, and
3. Find the sum of the given geometric series.

Pre-test

Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate sheet of paper.

1. What is the next term of the sequence 2, 10, 50, …?

A. 50 B. 150 C. 250 D. 35
2. Find the first term of the geometric sequence whose fifth term is 96 and the common ratio is 2.
A. 3 b. 4 c. 5 d. 6
3. What is the sum of the first five terms of 3, 12, 48, 192, …?
A. 1013 b. 1023 c. 1033 d. 1043
4. The first term of an infinite geometric sequence is 3, its second term is 2, 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑠𝑢𝑚?
A. 16 b. 10 c. 9 d. 7
8
5. Find the geometric mean between −2 𝑎𝑛𝑑 − .
9
1 2 4 5
A. B. C. D.
3 3 3 3

Looking Back at your Lesson

You’ve learned from the previous lesson that a Geometric Sequence is defined as a sequence in
which each term is obtained by multiplying the preceding term by a 𝑓𝑖𝑥𝑒𝑑 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 called the common ratio.

LET’S TRY!

If the given sequence is geometric, then write its common ratio. Otherwise, write NOT.

1. 2, 6, 18, 54, … 4. 5, 10, 15, 20, …

2. 100, 20, 4, … 5. 30, 10, ,
10 10
3 9
,…
3. 7, 10, 13, 16, …
Mathematics 10 QUARTER 1 WEEK 4 Page 1 | 9
 Introduction of the Topic

Lesson 1: FINDING THE nth TERM OF A GEOMETRIC SEQUENCE

In the previous activity you have identified whether the given terms are example of a geometric sequence
or not. Let’s use one of those example to generate the formula of a geometric sequence which can be used to
find the nth term of a certain geometric sequence.

Let 2, 6, 18, 54, … form a geometric sequence, find the general rule of this sequence and determine its
7the term.
How do you obtained 6, 18, and 54 in the given example?

We know that 6, 18 and 54 are the 2 nd, 3rd and 4th term of the geometric sequence respectively, in this
case use the value of preceding term and the common ratio of the given to obtained the 6, 18 and 54. Now, let’s
use this idea to generate a formula.

In this procedure we only use the 1st term and the common ratio of the GS 2, 6, 18, 54, …

𝑎1 = 2, 𝑟 = 3 (agree?)

𝑎2 = 6 𝑎2 = 2(3) 𝑎2 = 𝑎1 (𝑟) 𝑎2 = 𝑎1 𝑟1
𝑎3 = 18 𝑎3 = 𝑎1 (𝑟)(𝑟) 𝑎3 = 𝑎1 𝑟 2
𝑎3 = 2(3)(3)

𝑎4 = 2(3)(3)(3) 𝑎4 = 𝑎1 (𝑟)(𝑟)(𝑟)
𝑎4 = 54 𝑎4 = 𝑎1 𝑟 3

what have you notice about the procedure given above?

As we can see, the exponent of r in the rightmost procedure of those given terms has a relation with
number of terms (n). The exponent was obtained by subtracting 1 from n. Therefore, the general rule to find the
nth term of a geometric sequence is written by,

𝑎𝑛 = 𝑎1 𝑟 𝑛−1 where,

𝑎𝑛 = 𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚
𝑎1 = 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚
r=common ratio

Example 1. Find the 8𝑡ℎ term of the geometric sequence : 24, 12, 6, 3, …

Solution: Since we are looking for the 8th term, thus 𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑎8 . The first term, 𝑎1 = 24, while the common ratio
can be obtained by :
12 6 3 1
𝑟= = = =
24 12 6 2
1 8−1 3
Thus: 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑎1 𝑟 𝑛−1 ; substituting the values, we have 𝑎8 = 24 ( ) =
2 16

3
Therefore, 𝑎8 =
16

Example 2: Find the 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚 of a 𝑔𝑒𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐 𝑠𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 whose 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑡ℎ 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚 is −40 and whose 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑜𝑛 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜 is
−2.

Solution:

Given that 𝑎4 = −40, and 𝑟 = −2, the first term can be solved by substituting the given values to the

formula: 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑎1 𝑟 𝑛−1

So, 𝑎4 = 𝑎1 𝑟 4−1 ; −40 = 𝑎1 (−2)3

−40 = 𝑎1 (−8) simplifying

Mathematics 10 QUARTER 1 WEEK 4 Page 2 | 9

 −40 −8
= 𝑎1 ( )
−8 −8

5 = 𝑎1

Therefore, the first term for the given sequence is 5.

Example 3: The third term of a geometric sequence is 144 and the sixth term is 486. Find the first term.

Solution: The third term and the sixth term of the geometric sequence are as follows:

𝑎3 = 𝑎1 𝑟 2 = 144 and 𝑎6 = 𝑎1 𝑟 5 = 486, dividing 𝑎6 by 𝑎3 :

𝑎1 𝑟5 486
= ; the 𝑎1 will be cancelled, and simplifying both sides, we have :
𝑎1 𝑟2 144

𝑟5 486 486 ÷18 27

= ; 𝑟 5−2 = ; 𝑟3 = ; taking the cube root of both sides, we’ll get:
𝑟2 144 144 ÷18 8

3 27 3
𝑟= √ =
8 2

3
Solving for 𝑎1 : Using 𝑎3 = 𝑎1 𝑟 2 ; where 𝑎3 = 144, 𝑟 =
2

3 2 9 4
144 = 𝑎1 ( ) ; 144 = 𝑎1 ; multiplying both sides by ,
2 4 9

4 9 4
(9) 144 = 𝑎1 4 (9)

64 = 𝑎1

Therefore, the first term is 64.

Activity 1

Find the indicated term.

1 1
1. 6, 18, 54, 162, … 𝑎7 4. 2, 1, , , … 𝑎9
2 4
1 1
2. 2, 4, 8, 16, … 𝑎8 5. , , 1, 2, … 𝑎10
4 2
3. 4, −8, 16, −32, … 𝑎6

Activity 2: Your Bucket List!

Jose wins a trip to China package. He needs to pack up his bag. What item do you think will
Jose put in his bag? To help Jose, kindly answer the following items below. The answer of those unknown
value in the geometric sequence has a corresponding item that Jose can pick and put in his bag.

1. 𝑎3 = −18, 𝑎6 = 486, 𝑎1 =? Jose’s Possible Item

2. 𝑎2 = 4 , 𝑎5 = 500, 𝑎1 = ?
T-shirts (r=5) Shoes (r = 2)
3. 𝑎1 = 1, 𝑎7 = 64, 𝑟 =?
4. 𝑎3 = 27, 𝑎5 = 243, 𝑎1 =? Pants (a1 = -2) Foods (a1 =4/5 )
5. 𝑎4 = 1000, 𝑎1 = 8, 𝑟 =? Jose’s Bag
Socks (a1 = 1) Gameboy (a1 =3)
Snacks (r = -3 )

Lesson 2. Geometric Mean

Consider the following sequences:

a. 2, ____, ____, ____,32, the terms in between 2 and 32 are called geometric means. How do we find the geometric

means of this given geometric sequence? We still need to apply the formula we used earlier in this module.

𝑎𝑛 = 𝑎1 𝑟 𝑛−1 , where:

𝑎𝑛 is the nth term; a1 is the first term, and r is the common ratio.

Since we have 5 terms including the first and the last term, thus we’ll use 𝑎5 = 𝑎1 𝑟 𝑛−1

𝑎5 = 2(𝑟)5−1 𝑟 which stands for common ratio will remain as r since it is not given

32 = 2(𝑟)4 we substitute 32 to a5 because it is the fifth term

Mathematics 10 QUARTER 1 WEEK 4 Page 3 | 9

32 2
= 𝑟4 divide both sides by 2 so we can cancel out 2 in the right side leaving the variable with the
2 2
exponent

16 = 𝑟 4
4 4
√16 = √𝑟 4 we extract the fourth root since the highest exponent is 4.

𝑟 = ±2 the common ratio now is ±2.

a. If = +2 :

𝑎2 = 2 ∙ 2 = 4 second term

𝑎3 = 4 ∙ 2 = 8 third term

𝑎4 = 8 ∙ 2 = 16 fourth term

Therefore, the sequence is 2, 4, 8, 16, 32

a. If 𝑟 = −2

𝑎2 = 2 ∙ − 2 = −4

𝑎3 = −4 ∙ − 2 = 8

𝑎4 = 8 ∙ − 2 = −16

Therefore, the sequence is 2, −4, 8, −16, 32

2 1 2 1
b. , ________, , the term in between and is also a geometric mean. This can be found by getting the square
3 6 3 6

2 1 1 1
root of the product of the two numbers. Therefore, Geometric Mean = √ ∙ = √ =
3 6 9 3

Example 3

Insert two geometric means between 6 and 750.

Solution:

𝑎𝑛 is 𝑎4 since there will be 4 terms: the first two given terms and the two geometric means to be inserted.

𝑎4 = 6(𝑟)4−1

750 = 6𝑟 3 𝑎4 will be replaced by 750 since it is the fourth term. 6 is the first term of series
750 6
= 𝑟3 we divide both sides by 6 to cancel out the 6 in the right side
6 6

125 = 𝑟 3
3 3
√125 = √𝑟 3 extract the root

𝑟=5 the common ratio is 5

6 ∙ 5 = 30 multiply the first term by the common ratio

30 ∙ 5 = 150 multiply the product by the common ratio again

Therefore, the geometric means are 30 and 150.

Example 4

Insert three geometric means between 7 and 567.

Solution:

𝑎𝑛 is 𝑎5 , there are 5 terms: the two given terms and the three geometric means to be

Mathematics 10 QUARTER 1 WEEK 4 Page 4 | 9

 inserted.

567 = 7(𝑟)5−1
567 7 4
= 𝑟 divide both sides by 7 to cancel out 7 in the right side
7 7

81 = 𝑟 4
4 4
√81 = √𝑟 4 extract the root

𝑟 =3 the common ratio is 3

7 · 3 = 21 the first geometric mean

21 · 3 = 63 the second geometric mean

63 · 3 = 189 the third geometric mean

2
Therefore, the geometric means are 21, 63 and189.

2 128
Activity 3. Geometric Puzzle.

Complete the puzzle by finding the indicated geometric means -16

of the following geometric sequence. One of the geometric mean is -27
already given in the puzzle.
81 9
Cross:

1. Insert two geometric means between 2 and 128.

729
3. Insert three geometric means between −27 and 729

Down

2. Insert two geometric means between 2 and −16

4. Insert two geometric means between 27 and 729
5. Insert two geometric mean between 9 and 27
1

Lesson 3. Geometric Series

We already true with nth term of a geometric sequence and its geometric now, let’s find the sum of the
terms of a geometric sequence. In mathematics, the sum of the n terms of a geometric sequence is called
geometric series. In the review part of this module, we used the example 2, 6, 18, 54,… as geometric sequence.
We used this to find the general rule of a geometric sequence used in finding the nth term of geometric sequence.
Now, let’s used this example to generate a formula for a geometric series.

Let,

𝑆𝑛 = 2 + 6 + 18 + 54 + ⋯ + 𝑛𝑡ℎ 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚

In the previous lesson, we said the 2, 6, 18, and 54 are the terms of the geometric sequence and we obtained
the succeeding terms using the first term of the sequence and its common ratio. Therefore, we can write the
sum of this sequence in symbols as,

𝑆𝑛 = 𝑎1 + 𝑎1 𝑟 + 𝑎1 𝑟 2 + 𝑎1 𝑟 3 + ⋯ + 𝑎1 𝑟 𝑛−1

Now, multiply this terms (𝑆𝑛 = 𝑎1 + 𝑎1 𝑟1 + 𝑎1 𝑟 2 + 𝑎1 𝑟 3 + ⋯ + 𝑎1 𝑟 𝑛−1 ) by r. So we can have,

𝑟𝑆𝑛 = 𝑎1 𝑟 + 𝑎1 𝑟 2 + 𝑎1 𝑟 3 + ⋯ + 𝑎1 𝑟 𝑛−1 + 𝑎1 𝑟 𝑛

then, subtract 𝑆𝑛 from 𝑟𝑆𝑛 . So we can have,

𝑟𝑆𝑛 = 𝑎1 𝑟 + 𝑎1 𝑟 2 + 𝑎1 𝑟 3 + ⋯ + 𝑎1 𝑟 𝑛−1 + 𝑎1 𝑟 𝑛

−𝑆𝑛 = 𝑎1 + 𝑎1 𝑟 + 𝑎1 𝑟 2 + 𝑎1 𝑟 3 + ⋯ + 𝑎1 𝑟 𝑛−1

Tip: follow the rules of subtracting integers. Change the sign of the subtrahend and proceed to addition.

This time you need find the value of 𝑆𝑛 . Use common monomial factor to find 𝑆𝑛 .

Mathematics 10 QUARTER 1 WEEK 4 Page 5 | 9

 𝑆𝑛 (𝑟 − 1) = 𝑎1 (−1 + 𝑟 𝑛 )
𝑆𝑛 (𝑟 − 1) = 𝑎1 (𝑟 𝑛 − 1)
𝑆𝑛 (𝑟 − 1) 𝑎1 (𝑟 𝑛 − 1)
=
(𝑟 − 1) (𝑟 − 1)
Therefore, the sum of the first 𝑛 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑠 of a geometric sequence can be written as,

𝑎1 (1 − 𝑟 𝑛 )
𝑆𝑛 = ,𝑟 ≠ 1
1−𝑟
Example 1

What is the sum of the first 10 terms of the sequence 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, … ?

Solution:

Applying the formula,

𝑆𝑛 will now be 𝑆10

𝑎1 will be replaced by 3 since it is the first term.

𝑟 which is the common ratio, can be obtained by dividing any two consecutive terms of the given series.
6 12
( = , 𝑖𝑛 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑜𝑛 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜 𝑖𝑠 2)
3 6

3(1 − 210 )
𝑆10 =
1−2
3(1 − 1024)
𝑆10 =
1−2
3(−1023)
𝑆10 =
−1
𝑆10 = 3069

Therefore, the sum of the first 10 terms is 3069.

Example 2
2059 3
If the sum of the first seven terms of a geometric sequence is , and the common ratio is , find the first
8 2
term of the sequence.

Solution
𝑎1 (1−𝑟 𝑛)
Applying the formula 𝑆𝑛 =
1−𝑟

2059 3
𝑆𝑛 will be replaced by and r will be replaced by .
8 2

Substitute the given to the formula.

3 7
2059 𝑎1 [1 − ( ) ]
2
=
8 3
1−
2
2187
2059 𝑎1 (1 − 128 )
=
8 3
1−
2
2059
2059 𝑎1 (− 128 )
=
8 1
−
2
2059 2059 2
= 𝑎1 ( )( )
8 128 1

2059 2059
= 𝑎1 ( )
8 64
64 2059
(2059) ( 8
) = 𝑎1

8 = 𝑎1
Mathematics 10 QUARTER 1 WEEK 4 Page 6 | 9
Lesson 4. Infinite Geometric Series

Given with an infinite geometric series, its sum can be obtained using the formula:
𝑎1
𝑆∞ =
1−𝑟
Note: We can only use this formula if we have an infinite series and the absolute value of the common ratio is
less than (|𝑟| < 1). Otherwise, there will be no sum.

Example #1
1 1
Find the sum of the given series 4, 1, , ,…
4 16

Solution:

Before we apply the given formula, first, we need to make sure that |𝑟| < 1.
1
𝑟= , since the common ration is less than 1, we can now use the indicated formula above.
4

4
𝑆∞ = , we simply substitute the given to the formula.
1,
1−
4

4
𝑆∞ =
3
4
16
𝑆∞ =
3
16
Therefore, the sum of the given series is
3

Activity No. 4

Find the indicated sum of the geometric sequence having the following characteristics:
1. 3, 6, 12, … ; 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑆5
2. 𝑎1 = 14, 𝑟 = 3, 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒.
1
3. 𝑎1 = 318, 𝑟 = , 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑆𝑛
2
4. 𝑆7 = 547, 𝑟 = −3, 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑎1
1
5. 𝑆𝑛 , 𝑖𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑠 3, 1, , …
3

Remember

In order to find the nth term of a given Geometric Sequence, we apply the formula 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑎1 𝑟 𝑛−1
𝑎1 (1−𝑟 𝑛)
In finding the sum of a given geometric series we apply the formula 𝑆𝑛 = ,𝑟 ≠ 1
1−𝑟

𝑎1
In finding the sum of an infinite geometric series we apply the formula S∞= |𝑟| < 1
1−𝑟

Check your Understanding

Answer the following. Solve the unknown.

1. The first term of the geometric sequence is 2 and its common ratio is 2. Find the 7 th term of
the geometric sequence.
2. What is the second term of the geometric sequence if the first term is 3 and its last term is
1125?
3. Determine the sum of the geometric sequence 2, 6, 18, 54, 162.
4. If the sum of the first five terms of the sequence is 341 and has a common ratio of 4. Find
𝑎1 .
5. What is the sum of an infinite geometric sequence whose first term is 192 and has common
1
ratio of ?
4

Mathematics 10 QUARTER 1 WEEK 4 Page 7 | 9

 Post-test

Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate sheet of paper.

1. What is the next term of the sequence 2, 10, 50, …?

A. 50 B. 150 C. 250 D. 35
2. Find the first term of the geometric sequence whose fifth term is 96 and the common ratio is 2.
A. 3 b. 4 c. 5 d. 6
3. What is the sum of the first five terms of 3, 12, 48, 192, …?
A. 1013 b. 1023 c. 1033 d. 1043
4. The first term of an infinite geometric sequence is 3, its second term is 2, 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑠𝑢𝑚?
A. 16 b. 10 c. 9 d. 7
8
5. Find the geometric mean between −2 𝑎𝑛𝑑 − .
9
1 2 4 5
A. B. C. D.
3 3 3 3

Mathematics 10 QUARTER 1 WEEK 4 Page 8 | 9

 MATHEMATICS 10
Quarter 1 Week 1
ANSWER SHEET

Name: Math Teacher:

Section: Score:

Mathematics 10 QUARTER 1 WEEK 4 Page 9 | 9