Number Patterns
UK Primary (3-6)
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Review of whole number patterns

One of the amazing things about mathematics is that you can find examples of mathematical patterns in nature. Whether it's the number of petals in different layers on a flower, the number of ridges on the leaves of a fern plant, or even the sizes of sections in a swirl-shaped shell, patterns are everywhere you look! Try to spot as many as you can the next time you go out for a walk!

sequence is a series of numbers that have an order and have a specific pattern in the order. Getting from one number to the next can be thought of as a step, and the simplest pattern is where we add or subtract the same amount in each step. Let's take a look at the examples below:

This is an increasing sequence, where we add $2$2 at every step

This is a decreasing sequence, where we subtract $3$3 at every step

To find the next number that follows in a sequence, it's as simple as finding the pattern and applying to the last number. For example, the next number in the decreasing sequence would be $5-3=2$53=2.


Worked Examples

Question 1

Find the next number in the sequence:

  1. $7$7, $9$9, $11$11, $13$13, $\editable{}$


Question 2

Find the next number in the sequence:

  1. $-50$50 $-45$45 $-40$40 $-35$35 $\editable{}$


Question 3

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