Common Difference Calculator

About this calculator

In an arithmetic sequence, each term is found by adding a fixed amount, called the common difference, to the term before it. Given any two terms and how far apart they are in the sequence, the common difference can be found by dividing the gap between the two term values by the number of steps between them.

Students and teachers use this constantly in algebra coursework, since arithmetic sequences are one of the first patterns introduced in sequence and series topics. It also shows up in scheduling and planning problems, such as figuring out a fixed weekly savings increase or a stepped pricing structure, where each stage increases by the same fixed amount as the one before it.