The nth term of a geometric sequence can be written

a(n) = a(1)*r^(n-1)

We can rewrite the two given equations:

a(2) + a(4) = 30 = a(1)*r + a(1)*r^3 (Equation 1)
a(3) + a(5) = 15 = a(1)*r^2 + a(1)*r^4 (Equation 2)

Notice that Equation 1 can be substituted into Equation 2, i.e.,

a(1)*r^2 + a(1)*r^4 = 15
r*[a(1)*r + a(1)*r^3] = 15
r*(30) = 15
r = 1/2

If we substitute this into Equation 1, we have

a(1)/2 + a(1)/8 = 30
a(1) = 30 * 8/5 = 48

The answer is 48. Did he even need to specify that the sum exists? It's a finite geometric sequence so surely it's impossible for the sum not to exist? If you want to stop me old man, ask me the most basic combinatorics question you can think of and I'll start foaming at the mouth.

Thanks for verifying my answer, Elpam!

Sauce: The Last Adventurer, Ch. 103

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[–] 11 points 10 months ago (1 child)

Yeah, it makes no sense to specify that the sum exists; the finite sum always exists, and even if you were talking about the infinite sum, it makes no odds on what the first term is.

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    [–] 5 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    To clarify, this is not A * 2 but rather the 2nd Term of A, hope that helps clarify any potential confusion.

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  • [–] 2 points 10 months ago (3 children)

    For someone who sucks at math, would you be able to give a TL;DR on what a geometric sequence is?

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  • [–] 4 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    A geometric sequence is a sequence (that is an ordered list of numbers, usually following some pattern). The nth number in this sequence (a_n) can be generated by multiplying the base a by r^n, so a_2 would be a*r^2. Hope that makes it clear!

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