Activities
Make Your Own Number Patterns
Pick a starting number and a rule — let the sequence run wild.
Pick a starting number and a rule. Apply it again and again. A pattern unfolds — sometimes simple, sometimes wild.
Try this
8
the sequence so far, starting 1, 1, … = 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21
More patterns to grow
- Start 1, add 2 each time → 1, 3, 5, 7… (odd numbers).
- Start 1, double each time → 1, 2, 4, 8, 16… (powers of 2).
- Triangular: add one more each step → 1, 3, 6, 10, 15…
- Fibonacci: each term is the sum of the previous two → 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8…
Your turn
The pattern is 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, … What's the rule, and what comes next?
Fibonacci numbers show up in pinecones, sunflower seed spirals and pineapple skin — nature reuses this rule constantly.
Classic patterns to try
- Start 1, add 2 each time → 1, 3, 5, 7… (odd numbers)
- Start 1, double each time → 1, 2, 4, 8, 16… (powers of 2)
- Start 1, add the previous → 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8… (Fibonacci)
- Triangular: 1, 3, 6, 10, 15 — add one more each step
The Fibonacci sequence shows up in pinecones, sunflower seed spirals and pineapple skin. Nature loves this rule.