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algebra intermediate

Problem

The first three stages of a pattern are shown below, in which each line segment represents a toothpick. If the pattern continues such that at each successive stage, three toothpicks are added to the previous arrangement, how many toothpicks are necessary to create the arrangement for the 250th stage?
problem
Solution
The number of toothpicks in each stage form an arithmetic sequence. The first term in this arithmetic sequence is 4, and the common difference is 3 (the number of toothpicks added to get to the next stage), so the number of toothpicks used in the 250th stage is .
Final answer
751