what are the next two terms to the geometric sequence -4, 8, -16?

Question

exact values, not decimal approximations

Answer 1

The pattern is multiplying the previous term by -2, so the sequence should be: -4,8,-16,32,-64

Answer 2

A geometric sequence is defined by the fact that to obtain each term in the sequence, you multiply the previous term by a number called the common ratio. In order to determine this ratio, we simply take two consecutive terms and divide:

8 ÷ -4 = -2.

Thus, in order to determine each successive term, we'll be multiplying the last term by -2.

-16 • -2 = 32, and 32 • -2 = -64. These are the next two terms in the sequence.