Idea 4of 21Builds onPatterns around you
Find the missing term
How do you fill a gap in the middle of a pattern?
Today you'll discover
- how to find the rule around a gap
- how to check the term you found
- the part of a repeating pattern that repeats
Think first5, 9, ?, 17, 21
What is the missing term?
Decide first, then press Next. Work out the rule from the jumps you can see.
A row of boxes, 5, 9, a blank, 17, 21. Jumps of plus 4 appear between the terms that are known, with question marks beside the gap. Then a repeating pattern, 3, 6, 9, 3, blank, 9, with its repeating part bracketed. Finally the gap is filled with 13. The last step asks about 50, 44, blank, 32, 26.
See the whole ideathe big idea and the key word, in one place
The big idea
Find the change from the terms you know, fill the gap, then check both sides.
Repeating patternsFind the core, the part that repeats. The missing term is whichever part of the core is not there.
Easy to get wrongA gap hides two jumps. Work out the rule from jumps you can see, not from the ones beside the gap.
Key word
- core
- the part of a repeating pattern that repeats: in 3, 6, 9, 3, 6, 9 the core is 3, 6, 9
Ready to use it?
- Find a missing term in a growing, shrinking or repeating pattern.
- Check the term fits on both sides.