Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Number Patterns (Part 2)
If none of the strategies in Number Patterns Part 1 work for your number pattern, you can try using a table like the one below (click on the table to see a larger view).
Our example number pattern will be: 4, 7, 12, 19, 28, …
Put the numbers in your number pattern into Row A of the table (click the table to see a larger view).
Then, figure out what you could do to the first number in your pattern, to get to the next number in your pattern.
In our example pattern, the first number is 4 and the next number is 7. To get from 4 to 7 we could add 3. So, we will put + 3 in the first box in Row B.
Then look at the second number in Row A. What can you do to this number, to get to the next number in your pattern?
In our example, the second number in the pattern is 7 and the third number in the pattern is 12. To get from 7 to 12 you can add 5. We will put + 5 in the second box in Row B.
Continue this process to fill in as much of Row B as you can.
Now, concentrate on only Row B for the moment. Can you see a pattern here? (Use the strategies in Number Patterns Part 1).
In our example, the numbers in Row B are increasing by 2 each time. We can continue this pattern by adding 2 to the last number in Row B.
Remember that Row B tells us what we need to do to get from one number in Row A to the next.
Now, we can look back to Row A. The next number in Row A can now be calculated.
In our example, the next number in the pattern will be 28 +11.
Therefore, the next number in our pattern is 39.
