Move the decimal so there is one non-zero digit to the left of the decimal point. The number of decimal places you move will be the exponent on the
10
. If the decimal is being moved to the right, the exponent will be negative. If the decimal is being moved to the left, the exponent will be positive.
Let a₁ = the first term. Because each previous term is 1/5 of the value of the current term, the geometric sequence is a₁, 5a₁, 25a₁, ..., The common ratio is r = 5. The n-th term is
The fifth term is 781.25. Therefore a₁*5⁴ = 781.25 625a₁ = 781.25 a₁ = 1.25