Number patterns

Numbers can make patterns too.

Each step on a staircase goes up by the same amount.

Steps and stairs

Each step on a staircase goes up the same height. Number patterns go up or down by the same amount too. A list of numbers that follows a rule is a sequence.

Adding the same each time

Look at 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13. Each number is 2 more than the one before. The rule is “add 2”.

Find the missing number

10, 20, 30, ?, 50. The rule is add 10. The missing number is 40.

Going down

Patterns can go down too. 20, 18, 16, 14: the rule is take away 2. What comes after 10? It is 8.

Patterns in the calendar

Look down a column of the calendar. 7, 14, 21, 28: each date is 7 more. Every week repeats the same pattern of days.

What I learnt

I can find the rule of a number pattern.
I can find missing numbers in a sequence.