Arithmetic progression
 | This article uses too much jargon, which needs explaining or simplifying. (October 2022) |
In mathematics, an arithmetic progression, or arithmetic sequence, is a sequence with the property that the difference between the two terms which follow one another is constant. This is different from a geometric progression, where the ratio of change between two terms is constant.
If the initial term of an arithmetic progression is [math]\displaystyle{ a_1 }[/math] and the common difference of successive members is [math]\displaystyle{ d }[/math], then the [math]\displaystyle{ n }[/math]-th term of the sequence ([math]\displaystyle{ a_n }[/math]) is given by:
- [math]\displaystyle{ a_n = a_1 + (n - 1)d }[/math]
A finite portion of an arithmetic progression is called a finite arithmetic progression and sometimes just called an arithmetic progression. The sum of a finite arithmetic progression is called an arithmetic series.