Grade: 7

Subject: Maths My Cyberwall

Unit: Patterns and Functions

Numeric and Geometric Patterns

Geometric Patterns
Geometric patterns are number patterns represented
diagrammatically. The diagrammatic representation
reveals the structure of the number pattern.

We can follow the same rules for number patterns to

investigate and extend geometric patterns.

A rule can always be found in every pattern to show how the next item in the pattern is found. The
relationship that exists between the items in the geometric pattern gives us the rule.

Example

Look at the pattern below. How many matchsticks will be used to build the 10th hexagon?

So, for the 2nd hexagon, you have 2 x 6 matchsticks, for the 3rd hexagon, you have 3 x 6 matchsticks.
Hence the 10th hexagon you will have 10 x 6 matchsticks. The rule: add one matchstick per side,
there are 6 sides, so add on 6 matchsticks per hexagon as you proceed from a given hexagon to the
next one.

Remember, representing the number patterns in tables make it easier to describe the general rule for
the pattern.

So, using a table to record the number of matches for each hexagon.

Rule: T = 6n
By using the table we can look at the number pattern related to the number of matchsticks used for
each new hexagon.

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