Question

Determine the nth term for each of the following sequences:16,15,14,13,12,..

Answer 1

F(n) = 1st term - common difference (n - 1)

The operation is subtraction because the sequence is decreasing.

n = number of the term you are looking for
1st term = 1st number in the sequence, in this case, 16
common difference = difference between one number to the next

f(n) = 16 - 1(n-1)

Assuming we are looking for the 5th term.
f(5) = 16 - 1(5-1)
       = 16 - 1(4)
       = 16 - 4
       = 12     * as you can see, 12 is the 5th term of the sequence.

If you are looking for the equivalent of the nth term, simply substitute n by the number you are looking for and solve the equation.