Answer: 1547 bricks are required to build the staircase.
Step-by-step explanation:
We are given:
Number of bricks in the first step, [tex]a_1[/tex] = 131
Number of bricks in the second step, [tex]a_2[/tex] = 131 - 5 = 126
Number of bricks in the third step, [tex]a_3[/tex] = 126 - 5 = 121
Sequence become:
131, 126, 121, .....
These are in arithmetic progression where a = 131 and d (common difference) = -5
To calculate the sum of an AP, we use the formula:
[tex]S_n=\frac{n}{2}[2a+(n-1)d][/tex]
where,
n = number of terms = 17
Putting values in above equation, we get:
[tex]S_n=\frac{17}{2}[2(131)+(17-1)(-5)]\\\\S_n=\frac{17\times 182}{2}=1547[/tex]
Hence, 1547 bricks are required to build the staircase.