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Lesson 13 of 14

9 min

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Nine ideas, nine checks. Look at the table as often as you like.

Nine rules worth checking before you say what comes next
IdeaHow it goes
A rule, not a guessA rule must fit every join, not only the first.
Looking backA recursive rule needs a first term to begin.
Jumping thereAn explicit rule gives any term from its position.
The same stepAn AP has tₙ = a + (n − 1)d.
Adding the first nTwo copies fill a rectangle n × (n + 1).
The same multiplierA GP has tₙ = a × rⁿ⁻¹.
Stage countsStage n of the Sierpiński triangle has 3ⁿ triangles.
A tower and a countEach size takes twice the last, plus one.
Does it really fitTwo rules can share three terms and part at the fourth.

What makes a rule more than a lucky guess?

  • The numbers rise from one term to the next
  • The list shows the pattern three times
  • One rule fits every join

A recursive rule says "double the term before". No first term is given. What can it build?

  • Nothing, because there is no term to look back at
  • Every doubling from 2 onward
  • Only the second term

The rule is tₙ = 3n + 2. Which position holds 137?

  • Position 44
  • Position 45
  • Position 46

An AP starts at 5 and adds 3 at every step. What is its 10th term?

  • 35, from 5 + 10 × 3
  • 30, from 3 × 10
  • 32, from 5 + 9 × 3

What is 1 + 2 + 3 + … + 100?

  • 5050, from 100 × 101 ÷ 2
  • 10100, from 100 × 101
  • 5000, from 100 × 50

A GP starts at 2 with common ratio 3. What is its 5th term?

  • 2 × 3⁵ = 486
  • 2 × 3⁴ = 162
  • 2 + 3 × 4 = 14

A list multiplies by 1/2 at every step, starting at 48. What does it do?

  • It grows, because multiplying beats adding
  • It stays level
  • It shrinks, because the ratio is between 0 and 1

How many black triangles does stage 3 of the Sierpiński triangle have?

  • 27, from 3³
  • 9, from 3²
  • 12, from 3 × 4

The list 1, 2, 4 fits two rules. One doubles. One adds 1, then 2, then 3. Which continues it?

  • Doubling, because it is simpler
  • Neither can be picked. They part at the fourth term
  • The other rule, because it follows the gaps

Chapter 8 of Ganita Manjari is Predicting What Comes Next. Bring the question you could not finish.

Next: Linear Equations in Two Variables. Two rules that must both hold at once. One pair of numbers fits them both.

Reveal every answer to finish this lesson.