Questions: Find the first four terms of the sequence defined below, where n represents the position of a term in the sequence. Start with n=1.
an=2^n
Transcript text: Find the first four terms of the sequence defined below, where $n$ represents the position of a term in the sequence. Start with $n=1$.
\[
a_{n}=2^{n}
\]
Solution
Solution Steps
To find the first four terms of the sequence defined by \( a_n = 2^n \), we need to evaluate the expression for \( n = 1, 2, 3, \) and \( 4 \).
Step 1: Define the Sequence
The sequence is defined by the formula \( a_n = 2^n \). We will calculate the first four terms of this sequence by substituting \( n \) with the values 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Step 2: Calculate the Terms
For \( n = 1 \):
\[
a_1 = 2^1 = 2
\]
For \( n = 2 \):
\[
a_2 = 2^2 = 4
\]
For \( n = 3 \):
\[
a_3 = 2^3 = 8
\]
For \( n = 4 \):
\[
a_4 = 2^4 = 16
\]
Step 3: List the Terms
The first four terms of the sequence are:
\[
a_1 = 2, \quad a_2 = 4, \quad a_3 = 8, \quad a_4 = 16
\]
Final Answer
The first four terms of the sequence are \(\boxed{2, 4, 8, 16}\).