Pattern in nature

Natural patterns are visible regular forms found in the natural world. The patterns can sometimes be modeled mathematically and they include symmetries, trees, spirals, meanders, waves, foams, tessellations, cracks, and stripes.

Determining a number pattern:

• ​You must look at more than 2 numbers.

• Figure out the relationship between the numbers, and then see if that fits for the remaining numbers.

• This will be the rule your pattern follows.

• For example: 2, 4, 6, _, 10, 12 has the rule add 2. If we apply this rule, we can determine that the missing number is 8.

Sometimes there is more than one rule.

​2, 5, 4, 7, 6, 9, 8

• ​In this pattern we can determine the rule between the first 2 numbers is add 3.

• 2 +3 = 5. However, this rule does not work for the next 2 numbers.

• 5 + 3 does not equal 4. The relationship there is subtract 1.

• After 4 we have 7. This is an increase of 3 again. So, we can now determine if our rules of add 3; subtract 1 will work through the entire pattern.

Some number patterns count by 5's, 10's, or even 100's.

Examples:

• 15, 20, 25, __, 35, 40

• 60, __, 80, 90

• 437, 537, ___, 737