(a) An arithmetic progression has twelve terms. The sum of the first three terms is \(-36\) and the sum of the last three terms is \(72\). Find the first term and the common difference.

(b) The first three terms of a geometric progression are \(1\), \(1.2\) and \(1.44\). Find the smallest value of \(n\) such that the sum of the first \(n\) terms is greater than \(500\).