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What kind of sequence is this?\newline121,144,169,196,121, 144, 169, 196, \dots\newlineChoices:\newline(A) arithmetic\newline(B) geometric\newline(C) both\newline(D) neither

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Q. What kind of sequence is this?\newline121,144,169,196,121, 144, 169, 196, \dots\newlineChoices:\newline(A) arithmetic\newline(B) geometric\newline(C) both\newline(D) neither
  1. Verify Differences Uniform: Let's verify if the differences between consecutive terms are uniform. Given sequence: 121,144,169,196,ext...121, 144, 169, 196, ext{...} Are the consecutive differences in the sequence equal? 144121=23144 - 121 = 23, 169144=25169 - 144 = 25, 196169=27196 - 169 = 27. The consecutive differences in the sequence are not equal, but they are increasing by 22 each time.
  2. Check Ratios Equal: Let's check whether the ratios between consecutive terms are equal. Given sequence: 121,144,169,196,ext...121, 144, 169, 196, ext{...} Are the ratios between consecutive terms in the sequence equal? 144/121144 / 121 is not an integer, 169/144169 / 144 is not an integer, 196/169196 / 169 is not an integer. The sequence does not have a common ratio.
  3. Identify Sequence Type: Arithmetic sequence: Consecutive terms have a common difference. Geometric sequence: Consecutive terms have a common ratio. 121,144,169,196,121, 144, 169, 196, \ldots What type of sequence is this? The sequence has increasing differences and no common ratio. However, the differences are increasing by a constant amount, which suggests a pattern. Let's examine the numbers more closely. These numbers are perfect squares: 121=112,144=122,169=132,196=142121 = 11^2, 144 = 12^2, 169 = 13^2, 196 = 14^2. Each term is the square of consecutive integers, which means the difference between consecutive terms will always be an odd number that increases by 22 each time. This is a special characteristic of perfect squares.
  4. Determine Correct Choice: Since the sequence is neither arithmetic (no common difference) nor geometric (no common ratio), but it does follow a specific pattern of perfect squares of consecutive integers, the correct choice is neither arithmetic nor geometric.

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