Exploring Patterns

What is a pattern
• Mathematics is sometimes called the "Science
of Pattern", in the sense of rules that can be
applied wherever needed. For example, any
sequence of numbers that may be modeled by
a mathematical function can be considered
a pattern. Mathematics can be taught as a
collection of patterns.
 What is a sequence
• A sequence, in mathematics, is a string of
objects, like numbers, that follow a particular
pattern. The individual elements in a sequence
are called terms. Some of the simplest
sequences can be found in multiplication
tables:
 Examples
• 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, …
Pattern: “add 3 to the previous number to get the next number”
• 0, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, …
Pattern: “add 12 to the previous number to get the next number”
• Of course we can come up with much more complicated sequences:
• 10,–2 8,×2 16,–2 14,×2 28,–2 26,×2 52, …
Pattern: “alternatingly subtract 2 and multiply by 2 to get the next
number”
• 0,+2 2,+4 6,+6 12,+8 20,+10 30,+12 42, …
Pattern: “add increasing even numbers to get the next number”
 Types of pattern
• Recursive Patterns and Formulas. For most students, it
• is easier to see the patterns from one step to the next. In
• Figure 14.12(a), the number in each step can be determined
• from the previous step by adding successive even numbers.
• The description that tells how a pattern changes from step
• to step is known as a recursive pattern (Bezuszka & Kenney,
• 2008; Blanton, 2008).
• The recursive pattern can also be observed in the physical
• pattern and in the table. In Figure 14.12(b), notice that
• in each step, the previous step has been outlined. That lets
• you examine the amount added and see how it creates the
• pattern of adding on even numbers.
• growing patterns. With these patterns, students
not only
• extend or identify the core but also look for a
generalization
• or an algebraic relationship that will tell them
what
• the pattern will be at any point along the way
(e.g., the
• nth term).
• Identifying and Extending Repeating Patterns. An
important
• concept in working with repeating patterns is for
• students to identify the core of the pattern (Warren &
• Cooper,
• 2008). The core of a repeating pattern is the string
• of elements that repeats. It is important to use
knowledge
• of the core to extend the pattern.
• Explicit Formulas. To find the table entry for the hundredth
• step, the only way a recursive formula can help is to
• find all of the prior 99 entries in the table. If a formula can
• be discovered that connects the number of the step to the
• number of objects at that step, any table entry can be
determined
• without building or calculating all of the previous
• entries. A rule that determines the number of elements in a
• step from the step number is called the explicit formula.