The sum of the common terms of the following three arithmetic progressions:
-
,
-
,
-
,
is equal to _____.
The sum of the common terms of the following three arithmetic progressions:
,
,
,
is equal to _____.
Correct answer:321
Standard Method
Given: The three arithmetic progressions are
Find: The sum of the common terms of these three APs.
To find common terms, use the least common multiple of the common differences:
The common terms are:
Their sum is:
Therefore, the required sum is .
Using common difference structure
Given: Three APs with common differences , , and .
Find: The sum of terms that are present in all three progressions.
A term common to all three APs must recur with step size equal to the LCM of the three differences:
So once one common term is found, the next common terms differ by .
From the listed terms, the common terms identified are:
All of them lie within the given ending terms , , and respectively.
Now add them:
Hence, the sum of the common terms is .
Taking the LCM and assuming every multiple of is a common term is incorrect, because a common term must also match the starting values of all three APs. First identify an actual common term, then move by .
Adding terms common to only two APs is wrong. The question asks for terms common to all three arithmetic progressions, so each selected term must appear in every one of the three lists.
Ignoring the last terms , , and can lead to including extra terms beyond the range of one AP. After finding the common pattern, check that each common term lies within all three finite progressions.
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