Dictionary.com

arithmetic progression

Save This Word!

noun
a sequence in which each term is obtained by the addition of a constant number to the preceding term, as 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, and 6, 1, −4, −9, −14.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Also called arithmetic series.

Origin of arithmetic progression

First recorded in 1585–95

Words nearby arithmetic progression

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use arithmetic progression in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for arithmetic progression

arithmetic progression

noun
a sequence of numbers or quantities, each term of which differs from the succeeding term by a constant amount, such as 3,6,9,12Compare geometric progression
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for arithmetic progression

arithmetic progression
[ ăr′ĭth-mĕtĭk ]

A sequence of numbers such as 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 …, in which each term after the first is formed by adding a constant (in this case, 2) to the preceding number. Compare geometric progression.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
FEEDBACK