Consider the sequence: 72, 69, 66, ... The numbers continue in the same pattern as long as they remain positive. What will be the maximum possible sum of the terms of this sequence?
The given sequence is an Arithmetic Progression (AP) with the first term $a = 72$ and common difference $d = -3$. For the terms to remain positive, the $n$-th term must be greater than 0: $$ T_n = a + (n-1)d > 0 $$ $$ 72 - 3(n-1) > 0 $$ $$ 3(n-1) < 72 $$ $$ n-1 < 24 \implies n < 25 $$ The maximum number of positive terms is 24. The sum of the first 24 terms is: $$ S_{24} = \frac{n}{2} [2a + (n-1)d] $$ $$ S_{24} = \frac{24}{2} [2(72) + (23)(-3)] $$ $$ S_{24} = 12 [144 - 69] = 12 \times 75 = 900 $$ Hence, the maximum sum is 900.
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