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Evaluate: 2^2 + 4^2 + 6^2 + ⋯ + 20^2.

Difficulty: Medium

Correct Answer: 1540

Explanation:

Given data

  • Sum of squares of the first 10 even numbers: 2, 4, …, 20.

Concept / Approach

  • Factor out 4 from each square: (2k)^2 = 4k^2.
  • Use the sum of squares formula: 1^2 + 2^2 + ⋯ + n^2 = n(n + 1)(2n + 1)/6.

Step-by-step calculation

S = 2^2 + 4^2 + ⋯ + 20^2 = 4(1^2 + 2^2 + ⋯ + 10^2)= 4 × [10 × 11 × 21 / 6]= 4 × 385 = 1540


Verification

Compute a few terms: 4 + 16 + 36 + ⋯ + 400; the formula-based result matches known tabulated sums.


Common pitfalls

  • Accidentally summing 2 + 4 + ⋯ + 20 (not squared).
  • Using n = 20 in the squares formula directly without halving to 10 even indices.

Final Answer

1540

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