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About Vijilant
Expertise
Most questions on number theory, divisibility, primes, Euclidean algorithm, Fermat`s theorem, Wilson`s theorem, factorisation, euclidean algorithm, diophantine equations, Chinese remainder theorem, group theory, congruences, continued fractions.

Experience
Teacher of math for 50 years

Organizations
ATL

Publications
Journal of mathematics and its applications

Education/Credentials
BSc Hons Liverpool

Awards and Honors
State Scholarship 1955

Past/Present Clients
I taught John Birt, former Director of the BBC in 1961. His homework book was the most perfect I have ever marked. And also the most neat. I could tell he was destined for great things. One of my classmates was the poet Roger McGough, and I have a mention in his autobiography.

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Number Theory - math

Expert: Vijilant - 10/27/2009

Question
i dont get how you figure out how far away a term is from another example: 1,2,6 ,120, ,5040

Answer
Hello Suli
Recognising a sequence is a matter of knowing the rules of basic sequences and trying to see if you can find a fit. Clearly this sequence is not an AP or GP, nor is it a poynomial function.
However, the numbers should be recognisable as factorials.
I think you have missed a comma after the 6 in the question. If that is the case, the nth term of this sequence is n!.
1= 1
2 = 1*2
6 = 1*2*3
24 =1*2*3*4
120 = 1*2*3*4*5
720 = 1*2*3*4*5*6
5040 = 1*2*3*4*5*6*7.

Best wishes

vijilant

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