NUMBER PATTERNS

Questions to ask
One of the important things you need to do when faced with a pattern, is to know what
questions to ask:

Is there a constant difference or ratio between numbers?

If the difference or ratio is not constant, is there a pattern in the differences?
Does the pattern alternate?
Do you need to take two or more numbers together to make a sequence?
Are powers of numbers involved?
Is there no pattern at all, in that some other criteria must be involved, e.g. prime
numbers, days in the month?

Strategies
When looking for the pattern in a list of numbers either look for the pattern that connects
the number with the number before it.

e.g. 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, . . . . . (each number is two more than the one

before it)

Or, look for a pattern that connects each term with its position number in the sequence.

Number 1 2 3 4 .... 100

Term 2 4 6 8 .... 2 100 = 200

Number pattern exercises

Fill in the gaps in each pattern:

1) , , , , , , ____, ____, ____, . . . . . . .

2) , , , , , , ____, ____, ____, . . . . . .

3) , , , , , , ____, ____, ____, . . . . . . .

4) 1, -1, 2, -2, 3, ____, ____, ____, . . . . . . .

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 5) 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, ____, ____, ____, . . . . . . .

6) 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, ____, ____, ____, . . . . . . .

7) 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, ____, ____, ____, . . . . . . .

8) 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, ____, ____, ____, . . . . . . .

9) 1, 5, 9, 13, 17, ____, ____, ____, . . . . . . .

10) 3, 3, 6, 9, 15, 24, 39, ____, ____, ____, . . . . . . .

11) 1, 2, 6, 24, 120, 720, ____, ____, ____, . . . . . . .

12) 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, ____, ____, ____, . . . . . . .

13) 2, 6, 18, ____, ____, ____, . . . . . . .

14) 0, 6, 13, ____, ____, ____, . . . . . . .

15) ____, ____, ____, 1, 2, 4, ____, ____, ____, . . . . . . .

1
16) 1000, 100, 10, 1, , ____, ____, ____, . . . . . . .
10

17) 3, -2, ____, 0, 1, ____, ____, . . . . . . .

18) ____, ____, ____, 7, 11, 15 . . . . . . .

19) -4, -2, 0, 2, ____, ____, ____, . . . . . . .

20) 1, 7, 13, ____, ____, ____, . . . . . . .

21) 8, 4, 2, ____, ____, ____, . . . . .. .

22) 130, 122, 114, ____, ____, ____, . . . . . . .

23) 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, ____, ____, ____, . . . . . . .

24) ____, ____, ____, 23, 32, 41 . . . . . . .

25) 5, 13, 21, ____, ____, ____, . . . . . . .

26) ____, 50, 25, 12, ____, ____, . . . . . . .

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 27) ____, ____, 79, ____, 61, ____, 43, . . . . . . .

28) 13, -7, -1, ____, 11, ____, ____, ____, . . . . . . .

29) 250, 50, 10, ____, ____, ____, . . . . . . .

30) 135, 45, 15, ____, ____, ____, . . . . . . .

31) 7, -5, -2, 2, 7, ____, ____, ____, . . . . . . .

32) 2, 5, 11, 23, ____, ____, ____, . . . . . . .

33) ____. 100, 20, 4, 0.8, ____, ____, . . . . . .

34)

Number 1 2 3 4 ....

Term 1 3 5 7 ....

a) Find (2 1) - 1

b) Find (2 2) - 1

c) Find (2 3) - 1

d) The 100th term in the sequence is given by (2 ___) - 1

e) The 100th term in the sequence is _____?

35)

Number 1 2 3 4 .... n .... 100 ....

Term 2 5 10 17 .... ___ .... ___ ....

a) Find 12 + 1

b) Find 22 + 1

c) Find 32 + 1

d) The 100th term in the sequence is given by ____2 + 1

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 e) The 100th term in the sequence is _____?

f) The nth term in this sequence is given by ____2 + 1

g) What is the 13th term?

36)

Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 .... n ....

Term 3 7 11 15 19 23 .... ___ ....

a) Find (4 1) - 1 = _____

b) Find (4 2) - 1 = _____

c) Find (4 3) - 1 = _____

d) Find (4 6) - 1 = _____

e) nth term = _____

f) 31st term = _____

37)

Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 .... n ....

Term 0 2 4 6 8 10 .... ___ ....

a) What is the nth term?

b) What is the 71st term?

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Number pattern Solutions

1) , , , , , , , , . . . . . . .

2) , , , , , , , , , . . . . . .

3) , , , , , , , , , . . . . . . .

4) 1, -1, 2, -2, 3, -3, 4, -4, . . . . . .

5) 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, . . . . . . . even numbers

6) 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, . . . . . . . odd numbers

7) 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, . . . . . . . add 3

8) 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, 64, . . . . . . n2

9) 1, 5, 9, 13, 17, 21, 25, 29, . . . . . . . add 4

10) 3, 3, 6, 9, 15, 24, 39, 63, 102, 165, . . . . . . add two previous numbers

11) 1, 2, 6, 24, 120, 720, 5040, 40 320, 362 880, . . n! = n(n-1)(n-2)(n-3).1

12) 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, . . . . prime numbers

13) 2, 6, 18, 54, 162, 486, . . . . . . . previous number 3

14) 0, 6, 13, 19 , 26, 32 , . . . . . . . add 6

1
15) 8 , , , 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, . . . . . . .double

1 1 1 1
16) 1000, 100, 10, 1, , , , , . . . . . . . divide by 10
10 100 1000 10000

17) 3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, . . . . . . .add 1

18) -5, -1, 3, 7, 11, 15. . . . . . .add 4

19) -4, -2, 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, . . . . . . .add 2

20) 1, 7, 13, 19, 25, 31, . . . . . . . add 6

21) 8, 4, 2, 1, , , . . . . . . .divide by 2
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 22) 130, 122, 114, 106, 98, 90, . . . . . . .subtract 8

23) 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, . . . . . . . add 1, add 2

24) -4, 5, 14, 23, 32, 41 . . . . . . add 9

25) 5, 13, 21, 29, 37, 45, . . . . . . .add 8

26) 100, 50, 25, 12, 6, 3 18 , . . . . . . .divide by 2

27) 97, 88, 79, 70, 61, 52, 43, . . . . . . .subtract 9

28) 13, -7, -1, 5, 11, 17, 23, 29, . . . . . . .add 6

2 2
29) 250, 50, 10, 2, 5 , 25 , . . . . . . .divide by 5
5 5
30) 135, 45, 15, 5, 3 , 9 , . . . . . . .divide by 3

31) 7, -5, -2, 2, 7, 13, 20, 28, . . . . . . .add 2, add 3, add 4, add 5, . . . .

32) 2, 5, 11, 23, 47, 95, 191, . . . . . . . add 3, add 6, add 12, add 24, . . . .

33) 500. 100, 20, 4, 0.8, 0.16, 0.032, . . . . . . divide by 5

34) a) 1 b) 3 c) 5 d) (2 100) - 1 e) 199

35) a) 2 b) 5 c) 10 d) 1002 + 1 e) 10001

f) n2 + 1 g) 170

36) a) 3 b) 7 c) 11 d) 23 e) (4 n) - 1
f) 123

37) a) (2 n) - 2 b) 140

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Number Squares

Possible strategies
Do the rows or columns add up to the same total?
Is one row or column a combination of the other rows or columns?
Does the pattern involve the individual digits of the numbers?

Number Squares Exercises

1. 4 20 5 2. 5 6 4 5

? 8 8 3 2 9 6

6 54 9 7 1 4 8

7 49 7 6 2 7 ?

3. 2 3 8 4. 12 3 24 12

4 2 16 33 14 5 16

3 2 9 27 53 2 19

2 2 ? 71 45 19 ?

5. 10 3 7 6. 2 3 4 24

5 1 4 1 5 2 10

8 2 6 6 3 2 36

9 7 ? 2 2 1 ?

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 7. 12 3 4 8. 1 3 5 7

16 2 8 2 5 8 11

27 ? 9 3 7 11 15

4 9 14 ?

9. ? 13 6 10. 2 ? 13

7 9 ? ? 12 1

12 ? 10 11 3 ?

11. Each symbol represents a digit

The sums of each row and column are given

What is the sum of the digits along the diagonal, starting in the top lefthand corner?

14

11

10 8 8 11 ?

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Fill in the spaces in the following, identifying the row and column rules in each case.

12. 3 6 12 13. 12 9

1 4 10 7
2 4 9 3

14. 0 6 15. 48 16 8

7 9 4 2

5 1 6 2

16. 10 50 17. 6 2

25 50 12 2

50 100 8 4

18. 9 6 19. 19 14

5 8 12 10

6 6 12 15

20. 3 6 21. 2 4 16

1 4 16

4 8 256 6553
6

22. 6 30 23. 6 18
1 10 2 6

2 4 2 12

24. 18 14 17 25. 4 8

12 7 3 7
12 15 1 13

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Number Square solutions

1. 1, column 2 column 1 = column 3

2. 5, all rows add up to 20

3. 4, column 1 column 2 = column 3

4. 27, the individual digits in columns 1, 2 & 3 add up to the number in column 4
5. 2, column1 column 2 = column 3

6. 4, column 1 column 2 column 3 = column 4

7. 3, column 1 column 2 = column 3

8. 19, column 2 + column 3 - column 1 = column 4

9. 8, 11, 5, all rows, columns and diagonals add up to 27

10. 21, 23, 22, all rows, columns and diagonals add up to 36

11. 10, = 1, = 2, = 3, = 4

12. 3 6 12 13. 15 12 9

1 2 4 13 10 7

2 4 8 9 6 3

cols: 2 row1 = row2 + row 3 cols: -3 rows: - 2 , 4

14. 4 0 6 15. 48 16 8

7 3 9 12 4 2
5 1 7 6 2 1
cols: -4, +6 rows: +3, -2 cols: 3, 2 rows: 3, 2

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16. 5 10 50 17. 6 2 1
25 50 250 12 4 2
50 100 500 24 8 4

cols: 2, 5 rows: 5, 2 cols: 3, 2 rows: 2, 2

18. 6 9 6 19. 19 14 17
5 8 5 12 7 10

6 9 6 17 12 15

cols: +3, -3 rows: -1, +1 cols: -5, +3 rows: -7, +5

20. 3 6 12 21. 2 4 16
1 2 4 4 16 256
2 4 8 16 256 65536

cols: 2, 2 rows: 3, 2
2 2
cols: number rows: number

22. 3 6 30 23. 3 6 18

1 2 10 1 2 6

2 4 20 2 4 12

cols: 2, 5 rows: 3, 2 cols: 2, 3 rows: 3, 2

24. 19 14 17 25. 4 8 16
12 7 10 3 7 15
17 12 15 1 5 13

cols: -5, +3 rows: -7, +5 cols: +4, +8 rows: -1, -2

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