Colegio de San Gabriel Arcangel

City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, Philippines

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

Program : Bachelor of Arts In Psychology

Course code : GECO 4
Description : Mathematics In The Modern World

LAS #2
Name:_____________________________ Score :________________
Date : ____________________________ Section :________________

Topic : Mathematics as a Science of patterns

Learning 1. Identify patterns in nature an regularities in the world.

Outcomes 2. Find the next number in a number sequence.
3. identify the next figure in the sequence.

References 1.Calingasan, Recto M. Mathematics in the modern world, Quezon

City: C and E Publishing Inc.
2. Video: Nature by Numbers by Cristobal villa, 2010.
http.//www.etereastudios.com/docs htm/nbvn/intro.htm

DISCUSSION:
Mathematics as a Science of Patterns
The characterization of mathematics as the “study of patterns” had been first made by British mathematician, G.H.
Hardy. In his book, he said that “A mathematician, like a painter or a poet, is a master of patterns. If his patters are
more permanent that theirs, it is because they are made with ideas.”

A pattern is a visible regularity in the world or in a man-made design. As such, the elements of a pattern
repeat in a predictable manner. Patterns, in a mathematical sense, refer to the study of “tilings” “and wall-paper
symmetries.” This connotes order, regularity, and lawfulness. In the modern world, the patterns of counting,
measuring, reasoning, motion, shape, position, and prediction, reveal the powerful influence mathematics has over
people’s perception reality.

Pattern recognition is a key determinant of logical, verbal, numerical, and spatial abilities, Look at some of
the most commonly used patterns today: the logic patterns, number patterns, and word patterns.

Logic Patterns

One kind of logic pattern deals with the characteristics of various objects. Another kind deals with order.
Some patterns appear in a sequence while some possess similar attributes. These types of pattern are common in
aptitude tests. To construct or solve a patter, find the rule for the pattern, understand the nature of the sequence, and
analyze the difference between the two successive terms.

Example 1

Look carefully at the sequence of symbols or figures to find the pattern. What should be the figure in the sequence?

In this question, the first figure has 4 squares. The liners in the
first square are slanting to the left. The square below it has horizontal
lines. The third square has lines slanting to the right and the fourth square has vertical lines. In the second set of
squares, the top square has vertical lines. This was the last square on the first set of squares. In the third set of
squares, the top square has lines slanting to the right and this is the last square in the second set of squares. So, the
next set of squares must have a square on top with horizontal lines, followed by a square with lines slanting to the
right, followed by a square with vertical lines, and the last square with lines slanting to the left. Hence, the answer is
B.

Example 2

What will be the next figure in this sequence?

Notice that the first figure in the sequence is a single circle. The second figure has two circles. The third
figure has four circles. What must be next? The answer is D. can you tell why?
 Notice that the second figure is just a double of the first figure, so it has two circles. The third figure is the
double of the second figure, thus it has four circles. The fourth figure must be the double of the third figure and so it
should have eight circles.

Example 3

Which figure can be used to continue the series?

In this sequence, look at the movement of the arrows inside the triangles. The arrow stars from a vertex and
arrowhead points towards the opposite side. So, the missing figure should be B.

Example 4

If the word MODERN can be encrypted as OQFGTP, how can you code the word WORLD?

A. YQSNF C. YQUNF
B. YQTNF D. YQPNF

The correct answer is B. Each letter in the original word MODERN is forwarded two places (+2) in the
alphabetical order to the encrypted word.

Example 5

In a certain code language, the word PATTERNS can be written TRTRTRTR, how would you write
ALGEBRA in the same code language?

A. RGGRRRG C. GRRGGR
B. GRGRGRG D. RRGGRR

The answer is B. Each letter in the third, sixth, ninth, etc. (multiples of 3) positions is reported according to the
length of the given word.

Example 6

Which figure is next in the sequence?

Notice that box 3 has 3 circles which is the sum of the number of circles in box 1 and box 2. Then, the number of
circles in box 4 is the sum of the number of circles in box 1, box 2, and box 3. Hence, the next box must contain 12
circles, which is the sum of the number of circles in box 1, box 2, box 3, and box 4.

Example 7

What figure should come next in this sequence?

In this sequence, notice the movement of the triangle. It is turning 45 degrees each time. Hence, the correct figure is
B.

Example 8

What figure should come next in this sequence?

In this sequence, the next figure should be B. can you tell why? Notice the movement of the arrow inside the
pentagon.
Example 9

What figure should be next in this sequence?

Can you tell the pattern in this sequence? The correct answer is A. Why?

Example 10

Can you tell the pattern in this sequence? What is the correct answer?

Example 13

What should be the number in the blank? 100, 98, 96, 94, ___

In this simple series, the difference between two consecutive numbers is constant. There are difference of (-
2) between each number. The missing number in this case is 92.

Example 14

Find the next number in the sequence: 12, 13, 15, 18, 22, ___

This is a more complex series. If you look at the given numbers, you will notice that the differences
between the numbers are not constant. They are dynamic, but there is still a clear logical rule. The rule for this series
is: Add 1 to the first number, then add 2 to the resulting number, then add 3 to the resulting number, then add 4, and
so on. In this case, the missing number is 27.

Example 15
 Find the next two numbers in the sequence: 5, 6, 10, 19, 35, ___, ____

The difference between 5 and 6 is 1. The difference between 6 and 10 is 4, the difference between 10 and
19 is 9 and the difference between 19 and 35 is 16. These differences are squares of 1, 2, 3, and 4. So, the difference
between 35 and the next number should be the square of 5, which is 25. Hence, the missing is 60, and the last
number must be 96.

Example 16
Find the next two numbers in the number sequence: 7, 20, 47, 94, 167, ___, ___

If you get the difference, you will get 13, 27, 47, and 73, which do not tell you anything.
They are not squares nor cubes of small numbers. Now, let us look the cubes of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
13 = 1, 23 = 8, 33 = 27, 43 = 64, and 53 = 125. If you subtract the given numbers in the pattern and the cubes. You get

7 20 47 94 167

These differences are simply the product of (2 × 3) = 6, (3 × 4) = 12, (4 × 5) = 20, (5 × 6) =

30 and (6 × 7) = 42. Adding these products to the cubes: 13 + (2 × 3) = 7; 23 + (3 × 4) = 20; 33 + (4 × 5) = 47; 43 + (5
× 6) = 94; 53 + (6 × 7) = 167. So, the next number in the pattern must be 63 + (7 × 8) = 216 + 56 = 272.

Example 17

Find the next number in the sequence: 1, 4, 2, 8, 6, 24, 22, ___

Noting the difference between two consecutive numbers in the sequence, you will get 3,
-2, 6, -2, 18, and -2. There is a common difference of -2. If you multiply the first, third. Fifth, and seventh numbers
by 4, you will get the next number: 1 × 4 = 4, 2 × 4 = 8, 6 × 4 = 24. Hence. The next number must be 22 × 4 = 88.

Example 18

Find the next number in the sequence: 1, 4, 11, 29, 76, 199, ___

This is an example of a number pattern where the logic can be found after some fixed terms. The
differences (3, 7, 18, 47, and 123) do not give you any pattern at all. But you can rewrite the differences as: 7 = 2 ×
4 -1, 18 = 2 × 11 - 4, 47 = 2 × 29 -11, 123 = 2 × 76 - 29. From this pattern, the third term in the pattern is two times
the second term minus the first term; the fourth term is two times the third term minus the second term; the fifth
term

is three times the fourth term minus the third term, and so on. Hence, the next term must be 2 × 199 - 76 = 322. The
first two terms are fixed.

Example 19

Find the next two terms in the number sequence: 11, 23, 48, 99, ___, ___
 Finding the differences, you will get

23 - 11 = 12 and simple 11 + 1
48 -23 + 25, or 23 + 2
99 - 48 = 51, or 48 +3

From these, know that the first term is fixed at 11. The second term is the sum of twice the first term plus 1.
The third term is the sum of twice the second term plus two. The fourth number is the sum of twice the third number
plus four. Therefore, the nth term can be calculated as two times the previous term plus n - 1. Hence, the fifth term
in the pattern must be 2 × 99 + 4 = 202 and the sixth term must be 2 × 202 + 5 = 409.

Example 20

Find the missing number in the sequence: 6, 13, 27, 55, 111, ___

The differences between two consecutive numbers will not show ant pattern. But notice that the second
number is two times the first number plus one, third number is the two times the second number plus 1, the fourth
number is two times the third number plus 1, and the fifth number is two times the fourth number plus 1. Hence, the
next number must be 2 × 111 + 1 = 223.