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Patterns in Mathematics

Track quiz

A quick cheat-sheet first, then the quiz.

Patterns — what to remember for each idea
IdeaRemember
A pattern is a ruleIt tells you what comes next.
Number sequencesStart at a number, add the same step each time.
Shape numbersSome counts make a square, triangle, or rectangle. Not every count does.
Odd and evenEven pairs up fully. Odd always leaves one dot over.
Growing shapesA shape grows by the exact same rule every step.
Explaining whyMatching a few numbers isn't proof — rules can split apart later.

You see 3, 6, 9, 12. What is the rule?

  • Multiply by 3 each time
  • Add 3 each time
  • There is no rule — it just happens to grow

A sequence starts at 4 with a step of 5. What is its third number?

  • 9
  • 14
  • 19

Can every count of dots make a neat square?

  • Yes, any count at all
  • No — 7 dots cannot make equal rows and columns
  • Only counts smaller than 10 can

A triangle of dots has rows of 1, then 2, then 3. Which count fills it exactly?

  • 5
  • 6
  • 8

You add 6 + 9. What kind of answer should you expect?

  • Even, because both numbers are large
  • Odd, because one number is even and one is odd
  • There's no way to know without adding

A plus-shaped pattern starts at 5 tiles. It adds 4 tiles every step. How many tiles at step 3?

  • 9
  • 13
  • 17

Two different rules both match 5, 8, 11. What does that prove?

  • The rule must be "add 3" — nothing else fits
  • Not much on its own. More than one rule can match three numbers
  • The pattern is fake, since two rules can't both exist

Chapter 1, Patterns in Mathematics, opens your whole NCERT year. Read it slowly — you already know most of it.

Next: Lines and Angles — points, rays, and what an angle really measures.

Jump to lesson

This track

  1. 0 Start here
  2. 1 A pattern is a rule
  3. 2 Sequences that add the same amount
  4. 3 Some counts make neat shapes
  5. 4 Odd and even numbers
  6. 5 A growing shape follows a rule too
  7. 6 Spotting a rule is not the same as proving it
  8. 7 The big picture
  9. 8 Track quiz

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