if a1 = 2 and an+1 = 3an - 4 then find the value of a5

Answer 1

Since a1=2, we can use that in an+1. Lets choose n=1, that means a2=3a1-4=3(2)-4=6-4=2. Now we do the same procedure, let n=2 that means a3=3a2-4 = 3(2)-4=2. Lets look for a4 = 3a3-4 = 2. Notice that a1=a2=a3=a4, I will assume a5 is also 2 but we can check in the equation. Use n=4 to find a5=3a4-4=3(2)-4 = 2. SO in this problem a1=a2=a3=a4=a5, which is not always the case for other problems but is for this particular one.