Mr. P’s Parent Maths Problem of the Week

Last Week’s Problem:

Determine the missing number at the top of the staircase.

Solution:

With problems like this, the key is to identify the pattern that links each number to the next. At first glance, it appears that the numbers are simply being doubled, since 7 × 2 = 14. However, doubling 14 does not produce 42. Instead, 14 × 3 = 42, suggesting that the multiplication factor increases by 1 each time.

Following this pattern, the next step is 42 × 4 = 168. The missing number is therefore 168 × 5 = 840.

So, the answer is 840.

Problem for Week 2 Term 3

The following question has been taken from the Junior Maths Challenge 2014: