What is the 20th 20^{\text {th }} term of the sequence defined by an=(n−1)(2−n)(3+n)?a_{n}=(n-1)(2-n)(3+n) ?

Answer: The 20th 20^{\text {th }} term of the sequence is −7866-7866.

Step-by-step solution

Step 1: Understand the Problem

The problem asks for the 20th 20^{\text {th }} term of a sequence defined by a given formula. The formula for the nth n^{\text {th }} term, ana_n, is provided as a product of three factors involving nn. To find the 20th 20^{\text {th }} term, we need to substitute n=20n=20 into this formula.

Step 2: Substitute n=20n = 20 into the formula

To find the 20th 20^{\text {th }} term, we replace every instance of nn in the given formula with the number 2020. This substitution will allow us to calculate the value of a20a_{20}.

Step 3: Calculate each factor

Now, we evaluate each of the three factors separately. The first factor is 20−1=1920-1=19. The second factor is 2−20=−182-20=-18. The third factor is 3+20=233+20=23.

Step 4: Multiply the factors

Finally, we multiply the three calculated factors together to find the value of a20a_{20}. First, multiply 19×(−18)19 \times (-18), which gives −342-342. Then, multiply −342×23-342 \times 23.

Step 5: Final Calculation

Performing the multiplication −342×23-342 \times 23 yields −7866-7866. This is the 20th 20^{\text {th }} term of the sequence.

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