So the equation holds true for n = 1.
Inductive step:
Assume the equation holds true for some arbitrary positive integer k, i.e.,
$$ a+(a+d)+(a+2d)+\cdots+[a+(k-1)d]=ka+d\frac{k(k-1)}{2} $$
We want to show that the equation also holds true for k+1, i.e.,
$$
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