BTC Activity · IBDP Mathematics AA · SL & HL · 1.2

The Auditorium

Arithmetic sequences & series · Groups of 3–4 · VNPS
⏱ ~40 min 👥 Groups of 3–4 SL & HL 🖊 Work on your whiteboard
1

Reading the Pattern

Arithmetic sequences · nth term
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Context

A concert hall is being designed. The architect's rule: each row has a fixed number of extra seats compared to the row in front. The first four rows of one design look like this:

Row 1: 12 seats  ·  Row 2: 15 seats  ·  Row 3: 18 seats  ·  Row 4: 21 seats
Task 1a

How many seats are in Row 10? How many in Row 20? Work it out — don't use a formula.

Task 1b

How many seats are in Row \(n\)? Write a general expression for any row number \(n\).

Task 1c

A VIP row has exactly 63 seats. Which row number is it?

🔐 Show your teacher — then enter the code to continue
2

A New Theatre

Extracting \(u_1\) and \(d\) from given terms
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🔒 Complete Phase 1 to unlock

Context

The architect has a second design. This time you are not given the first row — only two data points:

Row 5: 38 seats  ·  Row 12: 59 seats
Task 2a

Find the common difference \(d\) and the number of seats in Row 1.

Task 2b

Write the general term \(u_n\) for this theatre.

Task 2c

The theatre only builds rows with up to 150 seats. How many rows does it have?

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3

The Sum Problem

Deriving \(S_n\) · The Gauss shortcut
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🔒 Complete Phase 2 to unlock

Context

A third theatre design: Row 1 has 20 seats, and each row adds 6 more than the one before.

Task 3a

Find the total number of seats in the first 5 rows. Use any method.

Task 3b

Find the total number of seats in the first 15 rows.

Task 3c

The client wants to know: the finished hall will have 40 rows. What is the total number of seats?

Can you think of a way that doesn't involve adding 40 different numbers?

Task 3d — Verify

A different theatre has 30 rows, starts at 8 seats in Row 1, and adds 5 seats per row. Use your method from 3c to find the total number of seats.

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4

Sigma Notation & Reverse Problems

Sigma notation · Solving for unknowns in \(S_n\)
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🔒 Complete Phase 3 to unlock

Task 4 — Intro

In Phase 3 you found the formula \(S_n = \dfrac{n}{2}(u_1 + u_n)\). This is useful when you know the first and last terms — but what if you only know \(u_1\), \(d\), and \(n\)?

Replace \(u_n\) in the formula above using the expression for \(u_n\) you found in Phase 1. Simplify until you get a formula for \(S_n\) that uses only \(u_1\), \(d\), and \(n\).

Task 4a

The symbol \(\Sigma\) is the Greek capital letter sigma — the Greek equivalent of the letter S, used here because S stands for sum. With that in mind, figure out what the following expression is asking you to compute, and find its value:

\(\displaystyle\sum_{k=1}^{25}(7 + 4(k-1))\)

Once you have the answer, write the sum from Phase 3, Task 3c in the same notation.

Task 4b — Working backwards

A theatre has a total of 1 350 seats spread across 25 rows, with a common difference of 4 seats per row. Find the number of seats in the first row.

HL Extension

A second theatre satisfies all of these conditions:

  • The common difference is \(d = 3\) seats per row.
  • The last row has 49 seats.
  • The total number of seats is 424.

Find the number of rows \(n\) and the number of seats in the first row \(u_1\).

🔐 Show your teacher to complete the activity
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Activity Complete!

You've worked through all four phases of The Auditorium.
Well done — get ready for the class consolidation.