The mystery of the vanishing pattern
This is a level 2 algebra strand activity from the Figure It Out series. A PDF of the student activity is included.
About this resource
Figure It Out is a series of 80 books published between 1999 and 2009 to support teaching and learning in New Zealand classrooms.
This resource provides the teachers' notes and answers for one activity from the Figure It Out series. A printable PDF of the student activity can be downloaded from the materials that come with this resource.
Specific learning outcomes:
- Find rules for sequential patterns.
The mystery of the vanishing pattern
Achievement objectives
NA2-8: Find rules for the next member in a sequential pattern.
Required materials
- Figure It Out, Levels 2–3, Algebra, "The mystery of the vanishing pattern", page 2
- classmate
See Materials that come with this resource to download:
- The mystery of the vanishing pattern activity (.pdf)
Activity
Students can expand on the strategies used on page 1 to complete the problems given on this page. For example, pattern A can be analysed using a table:
Similarly, students can develop the following tables to help them identify the other patterns:
Activity 1
Activity 2
Answers will vary.
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