NAME
10-2
DATE
PERIOD
Word Problem Practice
Arithmetic Sequences and Series
1. CONSTRUCTION A retaining wall is
being built out of bricks. The bottom
row of the wall has 150 bricks. Each row
contains 5 fewer bricks than the row
below it. How many bricks should be
ordered if the wall is to be 20 rows tall?
5. READING Resolving to read more each
week, Drew starts a new reading
program and promises to read
10 minutes the first week, 20 minutes
the second, 30 minutes the third,
and so on.
2050 bricks
a. How much time will Drew spend
reading during the 12th week?
120 min or 2 h
Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
46 peonies
3. COMMISSION A company will give
Roberto $100 for the first sale he makes.
Each sale after that, they will give him an
extra $40.50 per sale. So, he will make
$140.50 for the second sale, $181 for the
third sale, and so on. How many sales will
he have to make in a month to earn at
least $2000?
9 sales
b. After one year, how much time did
Drew spend reading?
2
13,780 min or 229 −
h
3
6. CARS Professional drivers can
accelerate very quickly. The times and
distances for a racing car are listed in
the table below.
Times (s)
1
2
3
4
5
Distance (m)
15
60
135
240
375
a. Calculate the first and second
differences of the sequence.
First: 45, 75, 105, 135
Second: 30, 30, 30
b. What type of model best describes
this sequence?
quadratic
c. Find the model for this sequence.
a n = 15n 2
4. SALARY An employee agreed to a salary
plan where her annual salary increases
by the same amount each year. If she
earned $50,100 for the third year and
$57,300 for the seventh year, how much
was her pay for the first year?
$46,500
Chapter 10
13
Glencoe Precalculus
Lesson 10-2
2. GARDENING Alison bought 10 peonies to
start a flowerbed. In the fall, she splits
the plants, which results in her getting
4 more peonies each year. If she continues
to do this every year, how many peonies
will Alison have in 10 years?