Patterns and Algebra

Look for a Pattern

Mathematical patterns can be found everywhere – in nature, numbers
and in shapes. Looking for a pattern is a strategy that you can use to
solve problems. When a pattern is established, it is easy to predict what
comes next. The most common way to check if there is a pattern is to:
• Find the difference between two consecutive numbers.
• Decide whether the numbers have been multiplied or divided by any
given number.
• Find out if they are rising or falling numbers that increase or decrease
following a regular order.
• Formulate a rule to determine the missing terms.
Example 2: Find the missing numbers in the given order: 5, 8, 11, 14,
17, ___, ___, ... and formulate a rule.

an = a1 + (n-1)d

a1= the nᵗʰ term in the sequence

d = the common difference between terms
Determine if the sequence is arithmetic. If it is, find the
common difference.
1. 7,15,23, 31,39…

2. 12,19,26,33…

3. 23,34,45,56,67…

4. 15, 28, 41, 54, 67…

Given the first term and common difference. Look for 23th
term.

a1 = 12 d= 20
Given the first term and common difference. Look for 26th
term.

a1 = 16 d= 5
Given the first term and common difference. Look for 41st
term.

a1 = 16 d= 5
Given the first term and common difference. Look for 51th
term.

a1 = 9 d= 10
Given the first term and common difference. Look for 31th
term.

a1 = 9 d= 12
Example 1: Find the missing numbers in the given order: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, ___, ___, ... and
formulate a
rule.

As observed, the numbers that followed after the first are

obtained by consistently multiplying the
previous number by 2.
 Example : Find the missing numbers in the given pattern: 5, 6, 10,
12, 15, 18, ___, ___, ... and
formulate a rule.

As observed, the alternate numbers 5, 10, 15, are obtained by consistently adding
the previous number by 5; and the alternate numbers 6, 12, 18, are obtained by
consistently adding the previous number by 6.
Example : Find the missing numbers in the given pattern: 7, 3, 14,
6, 21, 9, ___, ___, ... and
formulate a rule.
 Guess and Check
Guess and Check is a strategy that can be used to solve mathematical problems by
guessing the answer and then checking that the guess fits the conditions of the
problem. If the guess does not fit, then guessing will be continued until the correct
answer is obtained. The process might sound long, but often, it leads to patterns that
can be used to make better guesses along the way.

The structure of the strategy:

• Form an educated guess.
• Check your solution to see if it works and solves the problem.
• If not, revise your guess based on whether it is too high or too low.
Sittie takes a ribbon that is 48 inches long and cuts it in two pieces.
One piece is three
times as long as the other. How long is each piece?

We need to find two numbers that add up to 48. One number is three times the other number.
 There are 15 goats and chickens in a farm. There are 42
legs altogether. How many goats are there?
No. of goats No. of goats’ No. of No. of chickens’ Total no. of
legs chickens legs legs

Hint: Start with the middle number as your first guess.

 Arthur has 40 healthy chickens and cows in the farm. There
are a total of 112 legs. How many chickens are there? How
many cows are there?
No. of cows No. of cows’ No. of No. of chickens’ Total no. of
legs chickens legs legs

Hint: Start with the middle number as your first guess.

Work Backward

• The “Work Backward” method works well for problems where there is
a series of operations done on an unknown number and only the
result is given. To use this method, start with the result and apply the
operations in reverse order until the unknown number is found.
1. Find the value of B
2. Find the value of B

x8 -3 x 10 - 30
20
2. Find the value of B

÷3 x7 -15 ÷3
2
2. Find the value of B

x7 +10 ÷8 x5
15
2. Feola spent P60 on a storybook. She used half of the remaining money to buy 6 apples.
She was left with P50 after buying a hair clip that cost P20. How much did Feola have at
first?
3. A number is first subtracted by 8. The difference is then
multiplied by 8. The product is then
divided by 8. The final result is still 8. What is the number?
Anne has a certain amount of money in her bank account on Friday
morning. During the day she writes a check for Php 24.50, makes an
ATM withdrawal of Php 80 and deposits a check for Php 235. At the
end of the day she sees that her balance is Php 451.25. How much
money did she have in the bank at the beginning of the day?