Question:
The first term of an A.P. is 5 and its $100^{\text {th }}$ term is $-292$. Find the $50^{\text {th }}$ term of this A.P.
Solution:
In the given problem, we are given 1st and 100th term of an A.P.
We need to find the 50th term
Here,
$a=5$
$a_{100}=-292$
Now, we will find d using the formula
So,
Also,
$a_{100}=a+(100-1) d$
$-292=a+99 d$
So, to solve for d
Substituting a = 5, we get
$-292=5+99 d$
$-292-5=99 d$
$\frac{-297}{99}=d$
$d=-3$
Thus,
$a=5$
$d=-3$
$n=50$
Substituting the above values in the formula, $a_{n}=a+(n-1) d$
$a_{50}=5+(50-1)(-3)$
$a_{50}=5-147$
$a_{50}=-142$
Therefore, $a_{50}=-142$