In the arithmetic progression (12,17,22,27,\ldots), what is (n) for (a_n=72)?

Correct answer: 13

Here, the first term is 12 and the common difference is 5. Therefore, the nth term is \(a_n=12+(n-1)\times5=5n+7\). Substituting \(a_n=72\), we get \(5n+7=72\), so \(5n=65\) and \(n=13\). Thus, 72 is the 13th term of the progression. The nearby option 14 is incorrect because the 14th term is \(77\). Exam tip: To find a term position, first use \(a_n=a+(n-1)d\).