Mr.P’s Parent Maths Problem of the Week

Hello parents.

I hope you enjoyed last week’s Parent Maths Problem? Last week’s problem is known as a ‘Matchstick Pattern’, which essentially is a ‘sequences and series’ question. The trick to these types of questions is to spot the general pattern and then apply it to work out the question. The general pattern for last week’s problem was ‘pattern number x2 +1’. 

So pattern 25 would be 25×2+1, which equals 51 matches. Well done if you got that!

Solutions will be published in the following week’s edition of the Barrow Hills Bulletin.

Problem 2: 16 January 2026
What’s the missing number in the image below?