A Math student was given the following geometric sequence:

___, ___, ___, 1458, ___, ___, 1 062 882

and asked to find the common ratio. The students work is shown below.

Step 1 - 1 062 882 = ar^6

Step 2 - 1458 = ar^3

Step 3 - 1062882=ar^6/1458=ar^3

Step 4 - 729 = r^2

Step 5 - r = 27

a) Unfortunately, the student made an error. Identify the error and make the correction. [2 Marks]

b) Use an appropriate formula to determine the first term. [2 Marks]