Grade 8 – Unit 01

Number Patterns

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 Introduction
• Series of numbers written in an order by using a rule starting from a
certain number is called number pattern.

• The numbers in the given series is called terms of the number

pattern.

• Each number pattern terms are separated by comma.

• An important fact that can be learnt from this is that there can be
more than one number pattern having the same first few terms.

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 Finite and Infinite Patterns
• If a number pattern contains selected or limited number of terms,
then it is called finite number pattern.

• If a number pattern contains continuous or limitless number of

terms, then it is called infinite number pattern.

• Infinite number patterns denoted with three dots (…) at the end of
each pattern.
Ex: Finite number pattern – 1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15
Infinite Number pattern – 1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15,… (Three dots denoted
there are more numbers ahead)

R Chrysanthus Perera | Med, PGDIT, BAPSY, HDIT, DCETT, DELM, DHRM, DMATH | +94 (0)77 644 4946
 Example
Answer the following questions using the pattern 1,3,5,7,9,…
i) First term = 1
ii) Second Term = 3
iii) Fourth Term = 7

Answer the following questions using the pattern 1,3,6,10 15,…

i) First term = 1
ii) Second Term = 3
iii) Fourth Term = 10

R Chrysanthus Perera | Med, PGDIT, BAPSY, HDIT, DCETT, DELM, DHRM, DMATH | +94 (0)77 644 4946
 The general term of a pattern
• Construct an algebraic expression to define a number pattern is
called General term of the number pattern.

• In other words, the nth Term of a number pattern expressed as an

algebraic expression.

• The general term is different according to the given number

sequence.

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 Multiples of numbers
• If a number that multiplying with consecutive numbers from 1 it is
called multiples of numbers.
Ex:
2 x 1 = 2, 2 x 2 = 4, 2 x 3 = 6, 2 x 4 = 8,……, 2 x n = ?
3 x 1 = 3, 3 x 2 = 6, 3 x 3 = 9, 3 x 4 = 12,……, 3 x n = ?
5 x 1 = 5, 5 x 2 = 10, 5 x 3 = 15, 5 x 4 = 20,……, 5 x n = ?
8 x 1 = 8, 8 x 2 = 16, 8 x 3 = 24, 8 x 4 = 32,……, 8 x n = ?

R Chrysanthus Perera | Med, PGDIT, BAPSY, HDIT, DCETT, DELM, DHRM, DMATH | +94 (0)77 644 4946
Therefore, the general term of these number patterns can be defined
as

𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒎 𝒏𝒕𝒉 𝑻𝒆𝒓𝒎 = 𝒎𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒊𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒓 × 𝒏

• In this pattern 𝒏 means the term which is in the pattern.

• To find the nth value, you must substitute the given term value to the
general term.

R Chrysanthus Perera | Med, PGDIT, BAPSY, HDIT, DCETT, DELM, DHRM, DMATH | +94 (0)77 644 4946
 The general term of Even numbers
• Even numbers can be written as,
2, 4, 6, 8, 10…

• Even numbers are same as the multiples of two number pattern.

Therefore, the general term of even number pattern is,

𝑻𝒏 = 𝟐𝒏

R Chrysanthus Perera | Med, PGDIT, BAPSY, HDIT, DCETT, DELM, DHRM, DMATH | +94 (0)77 644 4946
 The general term of Odd numbers
• Odd numbers can be written as,
1,3,5,7,9,…

• Odd numbers are appeared as 1 value less than the even number.
Therefore, the general term of the odd number pattern is,

𝑻𝒏 = 𝟐𝒏 − 𝟏

R Chrysanthus Perera | Med, PGDIT, BAPSY, HDIT, DCETT, DELM, DHRM, DMATH | +94 (0)77 644 4946
 The general term of Square numbers
• Square numbers can be written as by multiply the value itself;
therefore, the pattern will be,

𝟏 × 𝟏 = 1, 𝟐 × 𝟐 = 4, 𝟑 × 𝟑 = 9, 𝟒 × 𝟒 = 16, 𝟓 × 𝟓 = 25, … … , 𝑛 × 𝑛

• Square numbers are appeared as multiply by itself. Therefore, the

general term of the square number pattern is,

𝑻𝒏 = 𝒏 × 𝒏 = 𝒏𝟐

R Chrysanthus Perera | Med, PGDIT, BAPSY, HDIT, DCETT, DELM, DHRM, DMATH | +94 (0)77 644 4946
 The general term of Triangular numbers
• Triangular numbers can be written as by adding consecutive values
from 1 to the given term,

Term Formation Value

1 1 1
2 1+2 3
3 1+2+3 6
4 1+2+3+4 10
n 1+2+3+4+…+n ?

• Triangular numbers can be written as a triangular formation.

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 1 2 3 4
Term

No of Circles 2 6 12 20

Formation 1×2 2×3 3×4 4×5

Actual Value 1×2 2×3 3×4 4×5

2 2 2 2
1 × (1 + 1) 2 × (2 + 1) 3 × (3 + 1) 4 × (4 + 1)
2 2 2 2

R Chrysanthus Perera | Med, PGDIT, BAPSY, HDIT, DCETT, DELM, DHRM, DMATH | +94 (0)77 644 4946
Therefore, by observing the formation of the sequence, we can
create the following table

Term Formation Therefore, The general

term of the triangular
1 1 × (1 + 1)
number sequence is,
2
2 2 × (2 + 1) 𝒏 × (𝒏 + 𝟏)
2 𝑻𝒏 =
𝟐
3 3 × (3 + 1)
2
4 4 × (4 + 1)
2
n 𝑛 × (𝑛 + 1)
2

R Chrysanthus Perera | Med, PGDIT, BAPSY, HDIT, DCETT, DELM, DHRM, DMATH | +94 (0)77 644 4946
 Example
In the number pattern 11, 22, 33, 44, … of the multiples of 11 starting
from 11 and written in ascending order,
(i) what is the general term? (ii) what is the 9th term?
(iii) which term is 121?

In this example multiples of 11 given therefore,

i) General Term 𝑇𝑛 = 11𝑛
ii) 9th Term means the value of n=9, therefore 𝑇𝑛 = 11𝑛 = 11 × 9 = 99
iii) Which term is 121 means 𝑇𝑛 = 121. Therefore, substitute 121 to the
equation and find the value of n
11𝑛 121
11𝑛 = 𝑇𝑛 ⇒ 11𝑛 = 121 ⇒ = ⇒ 𝑛 = 11
11 11
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 Example
What is the nth term (general term) of the pattern of the even
numbers greater than 1 but less than 200 written in ascending order?
The smallest value of n is 1. What is its largest value?

Less than 200 means you can’t get 200 as the result. Therefore, the
largest even number less than 200 is 198.
The general term of even numbers is 2𝑛. Therefore,
2𝑛 = 𝑇𝑛
2𝑛 = 198
2𝑛 198
=
2 2
𝒏 = 𝟗𝟗
R Chrysanthus Perera | Med, PGDIT, BAPSY, HDIT, DCETT, DELM, DHRM, DMATH | +94 (0)77 644 4946
 Example
What is the 10th term of the triangular number pattern starting from 1
and written in ascending order?

𝑛(𝑛+1)
The general term of the triangular number is . The 10th term
2
means 𝑛 = 10. Therefore,
𝑛(𝑛 + 1)
𝑇𝑛 =
2
10(10 + 1)
𝑇10 =
2
𝑇10 = 5 × 11
𝑻𝟏𝟎 = 𝟓𝟓

R Chrysanthus Perera | Med, PGDIT, BAPSY, HDIT, DCETT, DELM, DHRM, DMATH | +94 (0)77 644 4946
 Example
“The sum of the 14th and 15th terms of the triangular number pattern
starting from 1 is a square number”. Show that this statement is true
and find which term it is of the square number pattern.
14th Triangular No 15
14(14 + 1) 14 × 15 𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = 14 + 16
𝑇𝑛 = = 2
2 2 15
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = 30
15th Triangular No 2
15(15 + 1) 15 × 16 𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = 15 × 15
𝑇𝑛 = =
2 2
Then sum of 14th and 15th
Therefore, sum of 14th and 15th
Triangular numbers
14 × 15 15 × 16 triangular number is a 15th Square
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = + number.
2 2
R Chrysanthus Perera | Med, PGDIT, BAPSY, HDIT, DCETT, DELM, DHRM, DMATH | +94 (0)77 644 4946