Scribd
Upload
239 views2 pages

Discovery Projects 17 - Finding Patterns

The document discusses finding patterns in sequences by constructing difference tables. It explains that for polynomial sequences, the highest-order difference will eventually become constant. As an example, it shows the triangular number sequence Tn is given by the polynomial function Tn = 1/2n^2 + 1/2n, and the second difference sequence is constant at 1. Students are assigned exercises to construct difference tables for various number sequences and use the tables to find more terms or identify the polynomial function generating the sequence.

Uploaded by

sergio farfan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
239 views2 pages

Discovery Projects 17 - Finding Patterns

The document discusses finding patterns in sequences by constructing difference tables. It explains that for polynomial sequences, the highest-order difference will eventually become constant. As an example, it shows the triangular number sequence Tn is given by the polynomial function Tn = 1/2n^2 + 1/2n, and the second difference sequence is constant at 1. Students are assigned exercises to construct difference tables for various number sequences and use the tables to find more terms or identify the polynomial function generating the sequence.

Uploaded by

sergio farfan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

15/10/2017 Discovery Projects 17: Finding Patterns

DISCOVERY PROJECT
Finding Patterns
The ancient Greeks studied triangular numbers, square numbers, pentagonal numbers, and other polygonal
numbers, like those shown in the figure.

To find a pattern for such numbers, we construct a first difference sequence by taking differences of successive
terms; we repeat the process to get a second difference sequence, third difference sequence, and so on. For
the sequence of triangular numbers Tn we get the following difference table:

We stop at the second difference sequence because it's a constant sequence.


Assuming that this sequence will continue to have constant value 1, we can work backward from the bottom row to
find more terms of the first difference sequence, and from these, more triangular numbers.
http://www.stewartmath.com/dp_fops_samples/dp17.html 1/2
15/10/2017 Discovery Projects 17: Finding Patterns

If a sequence is given by a polynomial function and if we calculate the first differences, the second
differences, the third differences, and so on, then eventually we get a constant sequence. For example, the
triangular numbers are given by the polynomial Tn = 12 n2 + 12 n (see the margin note on the next page); the
second difference sequence is the constant sequence 1, 1, 1, . . .

The formula for the nth triangular number can be found using the formula for the sum of the first n whole numbers.
From the definition of Tn we have

Tn = 1 + 2 + ...+ n

n(n+1)
=
2

1 2 1
= n + n
2 2

1. Construct a difference table for the square numbers and the pentagonal numbers. Use your table to find the
tenth pentagonal number.

2. From the patterns you've observed so far, what do you think the second difference would be for the hexagonal
numbers? Use this, together with the fact that the first two hexagonal numbers are 1 and 6, to find the first
eight hexagonal numbers.

3. Construct difference tables for Cn = n


3
. Which difference sequence is constant? Do the same for Fn 4
= n .

4. Make up a polynomial of degree 5 and construct a difference table. Which difference sequence is constant?

5. The first few terms of a polynomial sequence are 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 31, 57, . . . Construct a difference table and
use it to find four more terms of this sequence.

http://www.stewartmath.com/dp_fops_samples/dp17.html 2/2

You might also like