Question P3 Growing patterns and tables
Today’s problem — free all day, every step. Every day has one.
Farmer Aziz puts fence posts around square flower beds. Bed 1 uses 5 posts, Bed 2 uses 8 posts, and Bed 3 uses 11 posts. How many posts will Bed 6 need?
Answer
Bed 6 needs 20 posts.
Find the rule, so Figure 250 is no harder than Figure 4.
In this one. When the same amount is added each time, the table is the method — keep adding the step, bed by bed, instead of trying to draw the sixth figure.
A row of figures or a table of numbers is shown for the first few terms only, and the question asks for a term far further along, such as 'Figure 6' or 'Figure 250'.
Children extend the sequence one term at a time by drawing or counting. Finding the fixed step or relationship lets them jump straight to the term asked for.
Worked examples of all 33 patterns and skills, in a booklet you can print.