I have a few quick hints for you.

STEP ONE

Ask yourself if the sequence looks as if it is growing slowly,

quickly, or in between.

Here is an example of a sequence that is growing quickly:

2, 9, 28, 65, 126,

Here is an example of one that is growing slowly:

2, 4, 6, 8, 10

Here is one that's in between:

2, 5, 10, 17, 26, 37, 50,

If the sequence seem to be growing quickly, compare it to other

quick-growing sequences like the sequences of cubes or fourth
powers, or maybe factorials.

If it is growing in between, compare it to the sequence of squares

or move to step 2.

If it is growing slowly, move to step 2.

If you can't tell, move to step 2.

STEP TWO

Take your sequence and compare successive terms.

Let's look at the in-between one. The first way to compare is to

see the difference between each one.

+3 +5 +7 +9 +11 +13
2 5 10 17 26 37 50

Do you see a pattern?

Sometimes the pattern of the differences isn't helpful. Look at

3, 9, 27, 81

If you can't recognize this sequence, differences won't help

you - but another trick will:

+6 +18 +54
3 9 27 81

Another other trick is to look at multiples.

*3 *3 *3
3 9 27 81

While these methods aren't foolproof, they will get you started. Good
luck.
Here is the sequence: 1, 2, 5, 14 ...

Find the following 2 terms and a formula for the nth term.

Are we expected to use trial and error to find the nth term, or are
there any nice formulas to help us?

Date: 01/12/2003 at 00:15:37

From: Doctor Kastner
Subject: Re: Sequence and series

Hi Xina -

Sadly, there are no nice formulas that you can use to figure out these
sorts of problems. All is not lost, however; we just need to expand
our thinking a bit. Looking for a common difference is a good first
start, but what we really want to find is some type of pattern. Let's
think about the following sequence:

1 3 6 10 15

If you look at the differences between terms, you'll see that it goes

2 3 4 5

So while there isn't a common difference, there is a clear pattern to

the differences, and the next numbers would be 21 and 28. The same is
true for the sequence

1 2 4 8 16 32

The differences are

1 2 4 8 16

which again doesn't have a common term, but it is a nice pattern of

doubling. With this in mind, let's look back at your sequence. The
differences are

1 3 9

which again suggests a pattern. Do you see the next number?

I hope this helps. Write back if you're still stuck, or if you have
other questions.
I am teaching a 7th grade Pre-Algebra class and recently came across
the following problem: Write an expression to find the nth term of the
following sequence 3, 9, 18, 30, 45 . . . The variable n represents
the number of the term, such as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and so on.

My students and I have been able to solve similar problems, but this one
has us temporarily stumped. Do you have any hints for us?

Thank you,
Tina D'Andrea

Date: 5/29/96 at 0:53:15

From: Doctor Tom
Subject: Re: Problem solving with sequences

First of all, you should be aware that these problems of determining

formulas for sequences are not well-formed. For example, what's the
next number in this sequence:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30 31 ?

You probably think it's 32, but it could be 1. The numbers could be
the days of the year, and after January 31 comes February 1.

So you're really looking, in a sense, for the "simplest" formula for the
sequence, and "simplest" can be a matter of opinion.

In your example, the numbers go up by 6, then 9, then 12, then 15, so

I'll assume the numbers that follow go up by three more each time --
by 18, 21, 24, 27, and so on.

I find it easiest to approach such sequences as follows:

List your numbers (I'll add a few to your sequence to show the pattern
better). Then, on the line below, list the differences of those
numbers. On the next line, list the differences of the differences, and
so on:

n=1 n=2 n=3 n=4 n=5 n=6 n=7 n=8

3 9 18 30 45 63 84 108 ...
6 9 12 15 18 21 24 ...
3 3 3 3 3 3 ...
0 0 0 0 0 ...

If you eventually come to a row of zeroes, you can write the answer in
the form of a "polynomial".

If the first row of differences is all zeroes, then all your numbers are
the same, and the answer is just a constant. The answer looks like
this:

A, where "A" is the constant.

If the second row of differences is all zeroes, then the answer has the
form:

A + B*n, where "A" and "B" are constants.

If the third row of differences is all zeroes, the answer will be:
 A + B*n + C*n^2, where "A", "B", and "C" are constants.

And so on. We just have to figure out what A, B, and C are.

In cases like this, it is easier to start with n=0, and we can "work
backward" to see that the zeroth term would be 0. (The difference
between it and the case where n=1 would be 3.)

Now just plug in the first three values:

If n=0, A + B*0 + C*0^2 = 0.

If n=1, A + B*1 + C*1^2 = 3.
If n=2, A + B*2 + C*2^2 = 9.

From the first row, A + 0 = 0, so A=0.

Using the fact that A = 0, the second row gives:

B + C = 3.

The third row gives:

2B + 4C = 9.

Multiply the equation "B+C=3" by 2 to get:

2B + 2C = 6.

Subtract it from "2B+4C=9" to get:

2C = 3.

So C = 3/2, and therefore B = 3/2.

The equation is:

(3n + 3n^2)
-----------
2

Test it:

n=0 ==> 0
n=1 ==> 3
n=2 ==> (6+12)/2 = 9
n=3 ==> (9+27)/2 = 18
n=4 ==> (12+48)/2 = 30
n=5 ==> (15+75)/2 = 45

and you can try your own numbers.

It's too bad that you really need some algebra to solve such problems
easily, but the nice thing is that this method will work for any such
sequence problem where some row of differences is all zeroes.

Continued
As a great example, you might want to try to do the same thing to find a
formula for:

0 + 1 + 2 + 3 + ... + n

The sequence (and the differences) are just:

0 1 3 6 10 15 21 28 ...
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ...
1 1 1 1 1 1 ...
0 0 0 0 0 ...

A + B*0 + C*0 = 0
A + B*1 + C*1 = 1
A + B*2 + C*4 = 3

If you work it out, A = 0, B = 1/2, C = 1/2, so the formula to add up

all the numbers from 0 to n is just:

(n + n^2)
---------
2
I have to find the next number and it's a mystery to me.

1, 3, 11, 67, ?

Date: 07/25/2003 at 01:34:24

From: Doctor Greenie
Subject: Re: Lots of trouble on this one

Hi, John -

It is impossible to determine what THE next number is in this

sequence. Given ANY sequence of numbers, it is possible to develop
many different rules which produce that given sequence of numbers -
but those many different rules may well produce different "subsequent"
numbers. In problems like this, as the number of given numbers
increases, it becomes harder and harder to find a rule that fits all
the given numbers; but with only the first four numbers given, it is
comparatively easy to find a rule that works.

Here is one way to find a rule that will find the next number (and
subsequent numbers) in the sequence:

1 ==> times 2, plus 1 ==> = 3

3 ==> times 4, minus 1 ==> = 11
11 ==> times 6, plus 1 ==> = 67

And so the next number in the sequence will be

67 ==> times 8, minus 1 ==> = 535

However, as I have noted, this is only one possible answer to the

problem. It is quite possible to find completely different rules
that generate these first four given numbers but give very different
next numbers.
 9, 5, 45, 8, 6, 48, 6, 7... What is the next number?

I can usually figure it out but if there is a formal way that makes
it easier I would love to know about it!

Thanks,

Kim Reger

Date: 07/22/2002 at 23:22:09

From: Doctor Peterson
Subject: Re: Finding the Next number in a series

Hi, Kim.

Mathematically speaking, problems like this are impossible. Literally!

That's because there is no restriction on what might come next in a

sequence; ANY list of numbers, chosen for no reason at all, forms a
sequence. So the next number can be anything.

A question like this is really not a math question, but a psychology

question with a bit of math involved. You are not looking for THE
sequence that starts this way, but for the one the asker is MOST
LIKELY to have chosen - the most likely one that has a particularly
simple RULE. And there is no mathematical definition for that.

If you just wanted _a_ sequence that starts this way, but can be
defined by _some_ mathematical rule, there is a technique that lets
you find an answer without guessing. This is called "the method of
finite differences," and you can find it by searching our site (using
the search form at the bottom of most pages) for the phrase. It
assumes (as is always possible) that the sequence you want is defined
by a polynomial, and finds it. Sometimes this is what the problem is
really asking for.

But often, especially when many terms are given, there is a much
simpler rule that is not of polynomial form. Then you are being asked
to use your creativity to find a nice rule. Sometimes starting with
finite differences gives you a good clue, even if you don't end up
with a polynomial; just seeing a pattern in the differences can
reveal something about the sequence. Other times it is helpful to
factor the numbers, or to look at successive ratios. Here you are
doing a more or less orderly search, in order to find something that
may not turn out to be orderly.

Some puzzles like this are really just tricks. The "rule" may be that
the numbers are in alphabetical order, or that each number somehow
"describes" the one before, or even that they are successive digits
of pi. In such cases, you have to ignore all thoughts of rules and
orderly solutions, and just let your mind wander. This is sometimes
called "lateral thinking," and it's entirely incompatible with
"formal methods"!

I first assumed the specific sequence you gave was just a random list
of numbers, rather than a real problem, so I shouldn't bother looking
for a pattern. But glancing at it, I see that it is not random:

9, 5, 45, 8, 6, 48, 6, 7, ...

I see some multiplications here:

9 * 5 = 45, 8 * 6 = 48, 6 * 7 = __

I can't recall what chain of reasoning my mind went through to see

that, but it may have helped that my kids asked me to go through a
set of multiplication flash cards an hour or two ago. And focusing on
the few larger numbers, thinking about how large numbers might pop up
(multiplication makes bigger changes than addition), probably led me
in the right direction. I don't recall seeing anything quite like
this presented as a sequence problem before, but seeing factors, one
of my usual techniques, was the key.

In this case, you were apparently just asked to find the NEXT number,
so we're done as soon as you fill in my blank. It may well be that
there is no pattern beyond that; the choice of 9, 5, 8, 6, 6, 7 may
be random. That's a good reminder that we have to read the problem
carefully and not try to solve more than we were asked. We weren't
told that there was any pattern beyond the next number!
When given a series of numbers and asked to predict the next number,
what is the formula for doing so? Example: 2,5,12,23, ?

This question appears on psychological exams, federal employment exams

and many others. Is there a mathematical way of determining the next
number in this series?

Date: 8/30/96 at 12:46:8

From: Doctor Jerry
Subject: Re: Predicting the next number in a sequence

First, if the first several terms of a sequence are given, there is no

method for determining the general term. Suppose I'm given the numbers
a, b, c, d and asked to determine the fifth and sixth terms of the
sequence. I'll show that any number of different solutions is
possible.

I start by determining a polynomial

p(x) = Ax^3 + Bx^2 + Cx + D

such that p(1) = a, p(2) = b, p(3) = c, and p(4) = d. Then consider

f(n) = p(n) + (n-1)(n-2)(n-3)(n-4) or

g(n) = p(n) + (n-1)(n-2)(n-3)(n-4)(n-5).

Notice that both f and g determine sequences whose first four terms
are a, b, c, and d. Remaining terms are wildly different. This idea
could be elaborated.

You can, however, try to guess what was most likely in the mind of the
person who made up the question. For the sequences
2,4,6,8,...
1,4,9,16,...
I suppose most persons would say 10,12 or 25,36.

For the sequence you gave, 2, 5, 12, 23, I noticed that 5 - 2 = 3,

12 - 5 = 7, and 23 - 12 = 11. Since 3, 7, and 11 can be viewed as the
odd numbers, leaving every other one out, one could argue that the
next two terms are 23 + 15 and 38 + 19. Other, more or less natural
answers are possible. However, one has no choice but to accept
whatever the text makers decree is the correct answer!
Hi,

My students have just started examining number patterns. They are able
to identify the number pattern corresponding to a number sequence, but
are having difficulty explaining it in words. I have to make these
descriptions as simple as possible, and am having some difficulty
writing a description for the following:

1 3 6 10 15 ...

They can identify what's happening (going up by 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.) but

can't grasp the language. How would you explain it using a general
description?

I hope this is clear.

Thanks a bunch!
Carrie

Date: 04/16/2002 at 23:37:18

From: Doctor Peterson
Subject: Re: Patterning

Hi, Carrie.

I often struggle myself when students ask about sequences, because

there are many different ways to look at them, and I'm never quite
sure which will be easiest for a particular student to grasp, or will
look like the most natural way to see it. Part of the problem, of
course, is that I see these things from a higher perspective, and am
too familiar with the concepts. In this case, you are probably aware
of several ways to state what this sequence is:

the triangular numbers

successive partial sums of the series 1+2+3+...
explicitly: a[n] = n(n+1)/2
recursively: a[1] = 1, a[n] = a[n-1] + n

The last expresses in rather advanced terms the observation you made.
But students aren't going to follow that.

I'd like to see you do an experiment with your class, and just let
them brainstorm ways to describe the pattern. As I've suggested,
there are many valid ways to state it, and many ways also to approach
a full description starting with simple observations. It could be a
useful exercise for them to come up with their own list of ways to
describe it, and perhaps even a chart of different paths to the
realization of what this sequence really is. You might challenge them
to find as many observations as they can about the sequence, and then
to decide which they would start with if they were discussing it with
younger students, and which, on the other hand, give the clearest and
most complete explanation of the nature of the pattern. I suppose
that's cheating, letting them find the answer to your question for
you; but it just might teach the subject better than just telling
them what to say about it.

Here is one route they might find:

We can first look for a recursive pattern, that is, a pattern in the
way each term relates to the one before it. In this case, we see that
the difference between successive terms increases constantly:

terms: 1 3 6 10 15
differences: 2 3 4 5

Now we might want to clarify just what we mean by "increasing"; how

are the differences increasing? One way is to look at the second
difference; what is the difference from one difference to the next?
We see that it is always 1:

terms: 1 3 6 10 15
differences: 2 3 4 5
second diff: 1 1 1

But that's awfully hard to grasp. We might instead look for a way to
describe the differences explicitly; it can help here to write down
the index of each term next to it in order to compare:

indexes: 1 2 3 4 5
terms: 1 3 6 10 15
differences: 2 3 4 5

Now we can see that the difference we add to each term to get the next
is the index of the next term. That makes it a lot easier to describe
the pattern: to get term N, add N to the previous term.

That's a perfectly good description of the pattern. But there's

another direction we could go in. Looking back at the differences, we
can see

terms: 1 3 6 10 15
differences: 2 3 4 5
cumulative sums: 1 + 2=3
1 + 2 + 3=6
1 + 2 + 3 + 4=10

So we've turned a recursive pattern into one that generates each term
as a sum.

I don't know whether this is helpful to you, or even comes near what
you are really asking; but if it only shows that there are many ways
to talk about the same pattern, and that that observation itself is
useful to students, perhaps it can help.
Hi Gentleman,

My question is about trying to find a formula between numbers. For

example, suppose I have 10 numbers: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20
It is obvious that the first number plus 2 will yield the second
number, 4; 4 plus 2 will yield the number 6, and so on. So the formula
for this group of numbers is x + 2.

Say I have another set of numbers: 2, 6, 14, 30, 62.....

If the first number is multiplied by 2 and 2 is then added, you will
get 6. 6*2 + 2 will yield 14. 14*2 + 2 will be 30.. So the formula is
x*2 + 2.

The above two examples are very simple. The formula can be found by
observation. However if I have a group of numbers like 13, 80, 145,
167, 188... Those numbers look random but they are related. Do you
have any idea how to find the formula? I only want to know the method.
I have tried to use the difference equation, but it doesn't work.

Best Regards,

Ricky.

Date: 11/22/97 at 05:40:52

From: Doctor Mitteldorf
Subject: Re: Formula

Dear Ricky,

Finding numbers from a formula is a science. You can even program a

computer to do it. But finding a formula from numbers is an art.
You try this and you try that, and with a little luck you're sometimes
successful.

You've mentioned differences: taking successive differences is a

powerful way to give you insight into the formulas behind many
sequences. Taking ratios of successive terms, dividing each by the
previous one, is another technique.

Remember that there's no one "right answer" for finding a formula to

match a sequence of numbers. That's because there are a lot more
formulas than there are sequences, and you can always find several
formulas that work. In test questions, there's usually one that
"seems" simplest, and that's what they're looking for; but it's not
the only answer...

Here's one "brute force" way that will always generate a formula, but
it might not be the "simplest" formula. If you have 5 numbers in the
sequence, they can be matched by an expression of the form:

a + bn + cn^2 + dn^3 + en^4

Just write down the 5 equations and solve for a,b,c,d and e. For the
sequence you suggested, the n=0 term is 13, so a=13. The next term is
n=1, so
a + b + c + d + e = 80

The next term is n=2, and the corresponding equation is

a + 2b + 4c + 8d + 16e = 145
Try writing down the other two equations and solving them all
together. You'll get a formula for sure, but it may not be the
simplest or most satisfying one.

-Doctor Mitteldorf, The Math Forum

Check out our web site! http://mathforum.org/dr.math/

Date: 11/24/97 at 01:34:26

From: RICKY CHU
Subject: Further problem on formula

Dear Doctor Mitteldorf,

Thanks for your help and ideas. I have tried your suggestion to find
out a formula, but this is not the one that I want. I used a group of
numbers, say 10, 18, 34, 66, 130. The formula is (x * 4 + 2) / 2 - 3.
That formula can be simplified as (x * 2 - 2).

If I use your suggested solution:

a + b*n + c*n^2 + d*n^3 + e*n^4 = 10,

a = 10;
b = 14/3;
c = 11/3
d = -2/3;
e = 1/3;

I agree with you that there are many formulas to generate the same
result. My further problem is I have to use the existing data to
forecast/predict the following numbers. If I use the above approach, I
can't find the following numbers. How do I know the number next to
130?

Do you have any idea to find the mentioned formula or any book that
you can refer me to?

Best Regards,

Ricky.

Date: 12/03/97 at 04:51:21

From: Doctor Mitteldorf
Subject: Re: Further problem on formula

Dear Ricky,

The solution you found is certainly simpler and more elegant than
mine.

You can always match a list of 5 numbers with a formula that has 5
free parameters in it (a b c d e). Your formula has only 2 free
parameters and it works - but this is a measure of 1) the fact that
your formula is "better," and 2) that there really is a pattern in
your numbers.
A geometric sequence is one in which each number is a constant times
the previous number. They are not hard to detect. But your sequence is
"almost geometric." I suppose the best way to detect it is to notice
that each number is close to twice the last, and that might inspire
you to play with the disparity.

In general, pattern recognition is an art as well as a science.

With experience, you just get better at it. Does the sequence in your
question come from "real" data, or is it a made-up problem? For
made-up problems, it's anyone's guess; but if the sequence comes from
some scientific or mathematical source, the source must be considered
a valuable clue to what kind of pattern to expect.

You can search for resources on this topic under "pattern recognition"
and under "sequences". Both terms are subject to lots of distraction:
"pattern recognition" is also used to describe the process of
recognizing images, like people's faces, etc, from a collection of
dots. "Sequences" can also describe the area of mathematics that
relates to summation of infinite lists of numbers.
Hey Dr. Math,

I just received a math assignment which I think is too hard. The

problem is as follows:

term 1 2 3 4 5 n
value 2 4 8 16 32 ?

What I have to do is show the formula that is used to get the value,
and I'm really having a hard time doing that.

Jose

Date: 08/21/98 at 14:37:30

From: Doctor Jaffee
Subject: Re: How to get a formula from a pattern

Hello Jose,

I'll try my best to help you out. There are a variety of techniques
that you can use to solve problems like this one. Generally, the first
thing that most people do is subtract adjacent numbers in the value
row. If you keep on getting the same answer (which is not the case in
your problem) then there is an easy way to arrive at the answer. For
example:

term 1 2 3 4 5 ... n
value 3 7 11 15 19

In this case, the difference of adjacent numbers is always 4. That

must mean that the value of the n term is 4*n + something. Since the
value of the first term is 4*1 - 1 that must mean that the value of
the n term is 4n - 1. You can check and see 4*2 - 1 = 7, 4*3 - 1 = 11,
and so on.

Now, if the difference between adjacent terms isn't the same in every
case, but when you take the difference of the successive answers you
always get the same answer, there is a slightly different technique.
You would end up with a quadratic expression. But that's not the case
for your example, either.

But, the next method will work. Factor each of the values to prime
factors. 2 = 2, 4 = 2*2, 8 = 2*2*2, 16 = 2*2*2*2, etc. In other words,
your original problem could be rewritten:

term 1 2 3 4 5 n
value 2^1 2^2 2^3 2^4 2^5 ? (the ^ means exponent)

Is the answer more obvious now? If not, write back and I'll try to
help you some more. Also, send in any more problems that are giving you
difficulty and I or one of the other Doctors will try to help you out.
My daughter received this in a homework assignment, and I don't
believe there is enough specific information to logically give the
next four numbers in the sequence: 2, 8, 7, 28.

Date: 11/12/2001 at 14:41:24

From: Doctor Peterson
Subject: Re: Number patterns

Hi, Ray.

I agree, there really is not enough information here. I can guess what
they probably want, however; most likely they have had other examples
where they alternated two simple operations to get successive terms,
and you are expected to assume that this pattern is similar.

If so, then we are first multiplying by 4 (2*4 = 8), then subtracting

1 (8-1 = 7), then multiplying by 4 again (7*4 = 28), so you would
continue in the same way: 27, 108, 107, 428.

But another perfectly valid pattern would be "for odd terms, add 5
each time; for even terms, add 20." That would give 12, 48, 17, 68.

If a problem merely says "give the next four numbers" or "find the
pattern in this sequence," there are infinitely many possible answers,
since the word "pattern" has no precise definition; it's really a
matter of guessing what pattern they had in mind, which is not math
but psychology or ESP. To make this a valid problem, they should say
something at least as clear as "This sequence was formed by a pattern
similar to those you saw in this chapter. Make a reasonable guess as
to what the pattern is, and show how it continues." Or, I suppose,
they could say "Find a pattern in this sequence, explain how it works,
and use that pattern to predict the next four numbers. There may be
more than one correct answer."

But to imply that students can determine _the_ correct answer by

looking at four numbers is a misleading lesson in what math is all
about. It's not a guessing game.
I have tried to do the following questions twice, but I still couldn't
figure them out. Would you please show me how to do them?

1) Give the next two terms of the sequence:

1, 1, 2, 4, 3, 9, 4, ...

2) Write down the first four terms and the seventh term of the
sequence for which the nth term is given.

a) 2n - 1
b) n - 4

Date: 11/19/98 at 21:20:46

From: Doctor Anderson
Subject: Re: Sequences

Hi, Kathy.

These can be tricky, especially the first one, where you have to find
a pattern. You can think about it for hours, trying a million
different patterns, and never get the right one.

I don't know about you, but my first instinct on question (1) is to

figure out what to add to or subtract from each term to get the next
term. This is often a good method, and we can sometimes find the answer
easily by writing out this sequence:

1-1, 2-1, 4-2, 3-4, 9-3, 4-9, ...

which is the same as:

0, 1, 2, -1, 6, -5,...

So to get the second term, add 0 to the first, to get the third, add 1
to the second, to get the fourth, add 2 to the third, to get the
fifth, add (-1) to the fourth, etc. Well, I don't see a nice pattern,
do you? So although this often works, it doesn't seem to here.

Let's think of another way to look at it. I can't really help you here
without telling you the right way to go. I can't give you the actual
answer, but here is the right direction on this one. Pair up terms
that are next to each other. Do it like this: (1,1), (2,4), (3,9),
and you can't make the next pair yet, call it (4,x). Look at these,
especially (2,4) and (3,9), for a while. What kind of relation does the
second number have with the first, in each pair? This should help you
find x, once you see the pattern. Now, that gives you the next term, so
what about the one after that? Well, look at the sequence of first
terms of each pair. This has a really simple pattern. So far we have
(1,1), (2,4), (3,9), and (4,x), so let's call the next pair (y,z). I
hope you can find y without too much trouble, and you don't even need
to find z (the question doesn't ask for it).

Now, for question (2). I will solve an example like yours, all the way
through.
Let's use the sequence with the nth term being 3n+2. What is another
way of saying the first term? It is the term where n = 1. Well, if
n = 1, then 3n + 2 = 3(1) + 2 = 5. So we can make a simple chart
following this procedure:

n 3n+2
------------------
1 3(1) + 2 = 5
2 3(2) + 2 = 8
3 3(3) + 2 = 11
4 3(4) + 2 = 14
7 3(7) + 2 = 23

From here, you should be able to find the first 4 terms and the 7th
term of your problems. Good luck, and if you get stuck, feel free to
ask for more help.
My family is stumped on this number pattern. We have tried every way
we know to solve it. Could you help us out?

1,7,23,55,109,191,___ (fill in the blank)

Thanks!
Luke

Date: 10/03/2002 at 15:48:15

From: Doctor Greenie
Subject: Re: Number pattern

Hi, Luke -

Often a sequence like this is created from a formula in the form of a

polynomial. If that is the case, the formula can be found by applying
a process called the method of finite differences. Here is a link to a
page in the Dr. Math archives where there is a detailed discussion of
this method:

Method of Finite Differences

http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/53223.html

This method is rather advanced for most 11-year-olds; you (or you and
your family) are certainly welcome to give it a try if you want to.

By just playing around with some ideas, I discovered a way you might
be able to find the formula for generating the terms of your sequence
without using a method as complicated as the method of finite
differences. To be able to do this, you will need the following hint:

Compare the given sequence of numbers to the cubes of the first

several integers, as indicated in this table:

integer n n cubed term in sequence difference

----------------------------------------------------
1 1 1 0
2 8 7 1
3 27 23 4
4 64 55 9
5 125 109 16
6 216 191 25
...

The differences between n cubed and the n-th term in your sequence
show a nice pattern which you can use to develop the formula (or rule)
for producing the terms of your sequence.

I hope this helps. Please write back if you have any further
questions about any of this.