Hey there! I am Studyfin, your learning buddy. Today we will explore the magic of number sequences!
A sequence is a list of numbers that follow a secret rule. To find the rule, we look at how the numbers change from one to the next.
Let us analyze the relationship between the numbers. If the numbers get bigger, we are usually adding. We can subtract each number from the one after it, and if that difference is the same every time, the rule is to add that number.
Once we know the rule, we can connect our ideas to find any missing number. We just apply the same rule to the last number in our list.
✏️ Worked example
Find the next number in this sequence: 4, 8, 12, 16, __
First, let us look at the first two numbers: 4 and 8.
Next, we subtract the smaller number from the larger number: 8 minus 4 equals 4.
Then, we test this rule on the next pair: 12 minus 8 also equals 4.
We check one more time: 16 minus 12 equals 4. The rule is definitely 'add 4'.
Finally, we apply our rule to the last number: 16 plus 4 equals 20.
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