Question

type the missing number in this sequence:
□, -17, -12, -7, -2
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Explanation:

Step1: Find the common difference

To find the common difference, we subtract consecutive terms. Let's take \(-12 - (-17)\).

$$ -12 - (-17) = -12 + 17 = 5 $$

Similarly, \(-7 - (-12) = -7 + 12 = 5\) and \(-2 - (-7) = -2 + 7 = 5\). So the common difference \(d = 5\).

Step2: Find the missing term

The sequence is an arithmetic sequence. To find the term before \(-17\), we subtract the common difference from \(-17\) (since we are moving backwards in the sequence).

$$ -17 - 5 = -22 $$

Answer:

\(-22\)