CEMC Banner

Problem of the Week
Problem E
Power Trail

The first four terms of a geometric sequence are \[a, \ b, \ 4a, \ a-6+b\] for some numbers \(a\) and \(b\) with \(a\neq 0\).

Determine all possibilities for the values of \(a\) and \(b\).

Note: A geometric sequence is a sequence in which each term after the first is obtained from the previous term by multiplying it by a non-zero constant, called the common ratio. For example, \(2\), \(6\), \(18\) is a geometric sequence with three terms and a common ratio of \(3\). You can explore geometric sequences further in our CEMC Courseware.