The 16th term of an AP is three times the 5th term.if the 12th term is 20 more than the 7th term.find the first term and common difference?

This question sounds suspiciously like homework (it certainly doesn't sound like something that you would want to know for fun!) The point of homework is firstly to make sure that you cover all the work that is necessary for you to be able to finish your course, and secondly so that your teacher can assess you to make sure that you fully understand what is being taught.

There are three possible reasons why you want somebody else to answer this question for you.

• Reason one

You know how to do it but you genuinely do not have the time to complete it by the deadline that has been set. In this case, you should speak to your teacher and arrange for an extension.

• Reason two

You know how to do it but are feeling lazy and don't want to. You probably know what the answer to this scenario is!

• Reason three

You don't understand the question and don't want to your teacher to know. If this is the case, this is the worst thing that you can do. Either your teacher will suspect that you have been cheating and you will get into all kinds of trouble, or your teacher will think that you know what you are doing and give you other things to do and the situation will get worse.

In this instance, you really need to let your teacher know that you are unsure of how to tackle the problem; that is what they are there for. Math tends to build on underpinning knowledge so if you do not have it you are going to struggle even more, and teachers would much rather that you were confident before you move on to the next stage.