Study notes
Number Patterns
A number pattern (sequence) follows a rule; spotting the rule lets you find any term.
What this topic covers
- A **sequence** is a list of numbers in order: \(2, 5, 8, 11, \ldots\)
- Each number is a **term**. The rule tells you how to get the next term.
- In \(2, 5, 8, 11\) the rule is **add 3** each time (a common difference of \(3\)).
- A sequence with a constant difference is **linear**; its \(n\)th term has the form \(an + b\).
- For \(2, 5, 8, 11\) the \(n\)th term is \(3n - 1\) (check: \(n = 1 \to 2\), \(n = 2 \to 5\)).
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