the sum of the first 7 terms of an ap is 49 and some of the first 17 times is 289 find the sum of the first 25 terms

Answer: 625

Step-by-step solution

Step 1: State the formula for the sum of first n terms

Let aa be the first term and dd be the common difference of the given AP. The sum of the first nn terms of an arithmetic progression is given by the formula Sn=n2[2a+(n−1)d]S_n = \frac{n}{2}[2a + (n - 1)d].

Step 2: Form equation using the sum of the first 7 terms

We are given that the sum of the first 77 terms is 4949. Substituting n=7n = 7 into the sum formula gives 72(2a+6d)=49\frac{7}{2}(2a + 6d) = 49. Dividing both sides by 77 and multiplying by 22 yields 2a+6d=142a + 6d = 14, which simplifies to a+3d=7a + 3d = 7.

Step 3: Form equation using the sum of the first 17 terms

We are also given that the sum of the first 1717 terms is 289289. Substituting n=17n = 17 into the formula gives 172(2a+16d)=289\frac{17}{2}(2a + 16d) = 289. Since 289=172289 = 17^2, dividing by 1717 and multiplying by 22 gives 2a+16d=342a + 16d = 34, which simplifies to a+8d=17a + 8d = 17.

Step 4: Solve the system of linear equations for a and d

Subtracting equation (1), a+3d=7a + 3d = 7, from equation (2), a+8d=17a + 8d = 17, eliminates aa and leaves 5d=105d = 10, so d=2d = 2. Substituting d=2d = 2 back into a+3d=7a + 3d = 7 gives a+6=7a + 6 = 7, which gives a=1a = 1.

Step 5: Calculate the sum of the first 25 terms

Now we find the sum of the first 2525 terms by setting n=25n = 25, a=1a = 1, and d=2d = 2 in the formula Sn=n2[2a+(n−1)d]S_n = \frac{n}{2}[2a + (n-1)d]. We get S25=252[2+48]=252×50=25×25=625S_{25} = \frac{25}{2}[2 + 48] = \frac{25}{2} \times 50 = 25 \times 25 = 625. Note that for this AP, Sn=n2S_n = n^2.

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