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The first four terms of a Fibonacci sequence are a 2a 3a 5a The sum of the first five terms of this sequence is 228 Work out the value of a. - Edexcel - GCSE Maths - Question 6 - 2021 - Paper 3

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The-first-four-terms-of-a-Fibonacci-sequence-are---a---2a---3a---5a----The-sum-of-the-first-five-terms-of-this-sequence-is-228----Work-out-the-value-of-a.-Edexcel-GCSE Maths-Question 6-2021-Paper 3.png

The first four terms of a Fibonacci sequence are a 2a 3a 5a The sum of the first five terms of this sequence is 228 Work out the value of a.

Worked Solution & Example Answer:The first four terms of a Fibonacci sequence are a 2a 3a 5a The sum of the first five terms of this sequence is 228 Work out the value of a. - Edexcel - GCSE Maths - Question 6 - 2021 - Paper 3

Step 1

The sum of the terms

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Answer

To find the value of aa, we need to define the first five terms of the sequence. The terms can be expressed as follows:

  1. The first term is aa.
  2. The second term is 2a2a.
  3. The third term is 3a3a.
  4. The fourth term is 5a5a.
  5. The fifth term can be calculated as follows:
    • Since it's a Fibonacci sequence, the fifth term is the sum of the previous two terms, which is 5a+3a=8a5a + 3a = 8a.

Now we can sum these five terms:

extSum=a+2a+3a+5a+8a=19a ext{Sum} = a + 2a + 3a + 5a + 8a = 19a

Step 2

Setting up the equation

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Answer

We know from the problem statement that this sum equals 228:

19a=22819a = 228

To solve for aa, we can divide both sides by 19.

Step 3

Solving for a

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Answer

Dividing both sides by 19 gives us:

a=22819=12a = \frac{228}{19} = 12

Therefore, the value of aa is 12.

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