Question 5

Explanation

Given the recursive formula for the sequence:

We are given $a_3 = -1$ and $a_5 = 3$. We need to find the value of $a_2$.

First, we find the value of $a_4$ by using the recursive formula and substituting $n = 3$ to relate $a_3$, $a_4$, and $a_5$.

Substitute the values $a_5 = 3$ and $a_3 = -1$:

Next, we find the value of $a_2$. Since we now have the values of $a_3$ and $a_4$, we can use the recursive formula with $n = 2$ to relate $a_2$, $a_3$, and $a_4$.

Substitute the values $a_3 = -1$ and $a_4 = 1$:

Thus, the value of $a_2$ is $-1$.