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Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:08 pm
by jdrobbo
Thought this one was quite tricky for a Y4 question when I spoke to my colleague this morning.

Anyway, back to teaching my Y6s. Enjoy your afternoon.



5, 6, 14, 24, ___, ___

Reason: ______________________________________

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:11 pm
by DCWat
Is the answer Jose Mourinho?

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:14 pm
by StuffyClaret
23, 42?

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:15 pm
by bobinho
If it is DC you’re asking the wrong question...

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:16 pm
by claretburns
32 & 33?

You start with 5 & 6 then 14 (1+4 = 5), 24 (2+4 = 6), 32 (3+2 = 5), 33 (3+3 = 6).

Probably completely wrong.

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:16 pm
by Rodleydave
5 add 6 add 14 = 25
25 minus 1 = 24
So next one is 6 + 14+ 24 minus 1 =

Whether that is the bang on right way I have no idea but I used to be intelligent. Now I'm not so sure.

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:20 pm
by BleedingClaret
jdrobbo wrote:
Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:08 pm
Thought this one was quite tricky for a Y4 question when I spoke to my colleague this morning.

Anyway, back to teaching my Y6s. Enjoy your afternoon.



5, 6, 14, 24, 46, 84

Reason: ______________________________________

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:21 pm
by Dyched
I’ve for 37 and 65.

Reason

Number of offsides between Chris Wood goals in the past 24 months.

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:22 pm
by jdrobbo
DCWat wrote:
Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:11 pm
Is the answer Jose Mourinho?
There's always one...

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:23 pm
by jdrobbo
Dyched wrote:
Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:21 pm
I’ve for 37 and 65.

Reason

Number of offsides between Chris Wood goals in the past 24 months.
...ahem, there are always two...

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:23 pm
by claretonthecoast1882
43 and 80

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:26 pm
by jdrobbo
See there's a few people shying out of providing an explanation.

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:28 pm
by BleedingClaret
claretonthecoast1882 wrote:
Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:23 pm
43 and 80
If 43 wouldn’t it then be 73

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:32 pm
by BleedingClaret
43 73

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:32 pm
by Silkyskills1
jdrobbo wrote:
Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:08 pm
Thought this one was quite tricky for a Y4 question when I spoke to my colleague this morning.

Anyway, back to teaching my Y6s. Enjoy your afternoon.



5, 6, 14, 24, ___, ___

Reason: ______________________________________
46 and 88

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:39 pm
by beddie
We've got 43 73

5+6+3=14
14+6+4=24
24+14+5=43
43+24+6=73

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:52 pm
by leelad
I will go for 7 & 8.
1 + 4 = 5.
2 + 4 = 6.
Next 2 numbers after 7 & 8 would be 25 & 35.

Probably way off the mark with this one. Homeschooling my 9 year old daughter this week and her maths sequence work has been counting in 25s and in 1000s, nowhere near as difficult as this one. A good question though!

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 3:05 pm
by claretonthecoast1882
jdrobbo wrote:
Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:26 pm
See there's a few people shying out of providing an explanation.
Apologies jd only half read the post and didn't take in the reason bit

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 3:07 pm
by Firthy
leelad wrote:
Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:52 pm
I will go for 7 & 8.
1 + 4 = 5.
2 + 4 = 6.
Next 2 numbers after 7 & 8 would be 25 & 35.

Probably way off the mark with this one. Homeschooling my 9 year old daughter this week and her maths sequence work has been counting in 25s and in 1000s, nowhere near as difficult as this one. A good question though!
Could just as easy be 7 & 8 and then 16 and 26

5+6+3=14
14+6+4=24
24+14+5=43
43+24+6=73

Like beddie this is what I came up with but even that's a bit of a stretch.

Would love to know the answer.

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 3:08 pm
by claretonthecoast1882
BleedingClaret wrote:
Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:28 pm
If 43 wouldn’t it then be 73

My answer will be wrong but I went for

Adding the first 3 numbers then -1 5+6+14 = 25 then -1 = 24

6+14+24 = 44 - 1 = 43

14+24+43 = 81 - 1 = 80

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 3:08 pm
by Whitgord
I’ll go with Beddie’s answer and reason.

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 3:19 pm
by 2 Bee Holed
I am also getting next 2 numbers to be 43 and 73


You add the last two terms together (as in a Fibonacci sequence) then add the term number.

so 5 + 6 and you are after the 3rd number so its 5+6+3
then 6+14 +4 = 24
so 14+24+5 =43
24+43 +6 = 73

Though this is tadge hard for year 4!!!!!!

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 3:46 pm
by Dante.El.Chunk
2 Bee Holed wrote:
Fri Jan 29, 2021 3:19 pm
I am also getting next 2 numbers to be 43 and 73


You add the last two terms together (as in a Fibonacci sequence) then add the term number.

so 5 + 6 and you are after the 3rd number so its 5+6+3
then 6+14 +4 = 24
so 14+24+5 =43
24+43 +6 = 73

Though this is tadge hard for year 4!!!!!!
for me this is the most likely answer, however my solution is equally tough for a year four, and also different

the two numbers I got are 50 and 96.

alternating rule, double the previous number minus 4, then on the next number double it plus 2

5x2=10 -4 = 6
6x2=12 +2 = 14
14x2=28 -4 = 24
24x2= 48 +2 = 50
50x2= 100 -4 = 96

Robbo, just out of interest, if the maths added up, but wasn't the answer you were looking for, would you give the mark?

EDIT because if it isn't either of these two answers, but they are both reasonable explanations, then surely it is down to the question writer to ensure there is only one correct answer?

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 3:56 pm
by wilks_bfc
Will somebody tell me the answer so I know who’s reply I can copy

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 4:24 pm
by Firthy
wilks_bfc wrote:
Fri Jan 29, 2021 3:56 pm
Will somebody tell me the answer so I know who’s reply I can copy
Wrong thread Wilks. You need the Spot the Ball thread :o :lol:

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 4:30 pm
by Funkydrummer
43 and 73 for me too.

5+6+3= 14
6+14+4 = 24
14+24+5 = 43
24+43+6 = 73

However, it does seem a bit convoluted for that age group tbh.

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 4:48 pm
by Hipper
wilks_bfc wrote:
Fri Jan 29, 2021 3:56 pm
Will somebody tell me the answer so I know who’s reply I can copy
claretburns wrote:
Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:16 pm
32 & 33?

You start with 5 & 6 then 14 (1+4 = 5), 24 (2+4 = 6), 32 (3+2 = 5), 33 (3+3 = 6).

Probably completely wrong.
This is an (surely the) answer.

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 4:59 pm
by jdrobbo
Dante.El.Chunk wrote:
Fri Jan 29, 2021 3:46 pm
for me this is the most likely answer, however my solution is equally tough for a year four, and also different

the two numbers I got are 50 and 96.

alternating rule, double the previous number minus 4, then on the next number double it plus 2

5x2=10 -4 = 6
6x2=12 +2 = 14
14x2=28 -4 = 24
24x2= 48 +2 = 50
50x2= 100 -4 = 96

Robbo, just out of interest, if the maths added up, but wasn't the answer you were looking for, would you give the mark?

EDIT because if it isn't either of these two answers, but they are both reasonable explanations, then surely it is down to the question writer to ensure there is only one correct answer?


We were having this discussion. If there's more than one possible sequence, then of course, as long as the maths 'added up' then yes, the mark would be given.

I was discussing this with the Year Five teacher at my work...her daughter is in Year 4 and this was the question given to her in today's work on sequencing. We both agreed that whilst it provides good stretch, it is convoluted and wasn't completely in-line with what should have been taught. However, it has clearly generated a good discussion amongst both children and adults, which is a good thing.

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 5:01 pm
by jdrobbo
43 and 73 were the official answers.

Well done to those who have proven themselves to be good enough for Year Four maths! :-)

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 6:01 pm
by evensteadiereddie
I'm glad I taught English ! :oops:

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 6:01 pm
by Hipper
jdrobbo wrote:
Fri Jan 29, 2021 5:01 pm
43 and 73 were the official answers.

Well done to those who have proven themselves to be good enough for Year Four maths! :-)
jdrobbo wrote:
Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:26 pm
See there's a few people shying out of providing an explanation.
beddie wrote:
Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:39 pm
We've got 43 73

5+6+3=14
14+6+4=24
24+14+5=43
43+24+6=73
What I don't get with this answer (43, 73) is how in the sequence, which seems to go up with each number (as opposed to pairs of numbers like the answer below), do you get from 5 to 6 (0 + 5 + 2 = 7)?
claretburns wrote:
Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:16 pm
32 & 33?

You start with 5 & 6 then 14 (1+4 = 5), 24 (2+4 = 6), 32 (3+2 = 5), 33 (3+3 = 6).

Probably completely wrong.
I Iike this answer better unless there is something you haven't told us?

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 6:11 pm
by 2 Bee Holed
jdrobbo wrote:
Fri Jan 29, 2021 5:01 pm
43 and 73 were the official answers.

Well done to those who have proven themselves to be good enough for Year Four maths! :-)
Having taught top set yr11 for many years, I can say with certainty that that would have taxed all but 10 pupils I have ever taught.
Never mind year 4. :D

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 6:16 pm
by AfloatinClaret
I'm with Hipper, I don't see how that sequencing works with the initial numbers given.

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 6:35 pm
by Awayfromburnley
5, 6, 14, 24, ___, ___

5*5 =25
6*6=36
14*14=196
24*24= 576

576-196-36-25=319

319 (total) /6 (frequency)

=53.16

Reason: 53.16 is a double-coated electrode combining the running characteristics of a rutile electrode. Sir.

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 6:35 pm
by jdrobbo
As I said earlier, that was the official answer given, but like you, I also am in favour of 32 and 33. We didn’t set the question at our school, it was given to the daughter of our year five teacher, who thought it an inappropriate question for an eight-year-old.

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 6:50 pm
by Ashingtonclaret46
Hipper » Fri Jan 29, 2021 6:01 pm

jdrobbo wrote: ↑
Fri Jan 29, 2021 5:01 pm
43 and 73 were the official answers.

Well done to those who have proven themselves to be good enough for Year Four maths! :-)

jdrobbo wrote: ↑
Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:26 pm
See there's a few people shying out of providing an explanation.

beddie wrote: ↑
Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:39 pm
We've got 43 73

5+6+3=14
14+6+4=24
24+14+5=43
43+24+6=73

What I don't get with this answer (43, 73) is how in the sequence, which seems to go up with each number (as opposed to pairs of numbers like the answer below), do you get from 5 to 6 (0 + 5 + 2 = 7)?

claretburns wrote: ↑
Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:16 pm
32 & 33?

You start with 5 & 6 then 14 (1+4 = 5), 24 (2+4 = 6), 32 (3+2 = 5), 33 (3+3 = 6).

Probably completely wrong.

I Iike this answer better unless there is something you haven't told us?
The 43 , 73 answer was what I worked out from the numbers given. There is no 0 given, therefore, the first number is 5 and then it is a case of working out the relationship to the other numbers given. In that answer you can see that the number added each time does go up in sequence to give the result.
The other answer is also quite logical if you consider that the sequence is 5,6,5,6 etc., however, what would come next in the sequence after 33?

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 7:48 pm
by BleedingClaret
jdrobbo wrote:
Fri Jan 29, 2021 5:01 pm
43 and 73 were the official answers.

Well done to those who have proven themselves to be good enough for Year Four maths! :-)
I got it right first post 14
surely you can't mark me down for no working out if it's right!

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 7:49 pm
by ClaretTony
2 Bee Holed wrote:
Fri Jan 29, 2021 6:11 pm
Having taught top set yr11 for many years, I can say with certainty that that would have taxed all but 10 pupils I have ever taught.
Never mind year 4. :D
I’m a mathematician and didn’t get it, let alone year 4.

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 10:54 pm
by timshorts
The number before 5 would be - 1, and before that the whole thing gets wildly erratic. Plotting this and you'd get something like a cat being sick.
6+14+4=24
5+6+3=14
-1+5+2=6
5-1+1=5
-6+5+0=-1
12-6-1=5
-16+12-2=-6
31-16-3=12
-43+31-4=-16

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 11:03 pm
by beeholeclaret
Very tricky and there will be an algebraic formula somewhere.

5 to 6 is a jump of +1
6 to 14 is a jump of +8
14 to 24 is a jump of +10
24 to 43 is a jump of +19
43 to 73 is a jump of +30



Each step in the sequence is the previous two increases +1 added to the last number.



If that sequence continues the next 2 numbers will be 123 , 204

As the old saying goes - "put that in your pipe and smoke it".

Happy headaches everyone!

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2021 12:07 am
by andyh
As a maths teacher i despair at questions like that. The sequence is obscure and not long enough to be deduced with any certainty. Just a very poor question more at home on tiktok than in a classroom.

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2021 12:21 am
by CrosspoolClarets
I work with stats for a living, advising governments (among others), for my sins.

I also have a child in Y4 who I am helping give a maths lesson to every morning.

On this one - I hadn’t the foggiest. Not sure if that says more about me or the question. I have no idea how any 8 or 9 year old could get that correct, and if they did, I’m not sure what it tells us. Probably that they’re a bit weird, but we need a few like that to be our master scientists of the future.

Our school do “emerging”, “expected” and “greater depth” questions each lesson - some of the latter are so abstract I get quite bemused. My kiddie just goes into a trance when it gets hard in a silly way and blanks the whole lesson - the teacher doing it on Zoom of course is totally unaware, no fault of their own. Luckily we don’t have a handful of kids so can keep an eye on things. Spent today debating whether “chunking” is a relevant technique to learn for division given the meltdown it caused. Year 4 teachers - respect, it’s a tough job :D

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2021 12:42 am
by jdrobbo
andyh wrote:
Sat Jan 30, 2021 12:07 am
As a maths teacher i despair at questions like that. The sequence is obscure and not long enough to be deduced with any certainty. Just a very poor question more at home on tiktok than in a classroom.
You and me both! A poor question, but glad it’s created so much of a discussion on here.

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2021 12:45 am
by jdrobbo
CrosspoolClarets wrote:
Sat Jan 30, 2021 12:21 am
I work with stats for a living, advising governments (among others), for my sins.

I also have a child in Y4 who I am helping give a maths lesson to every morning.

On this one - I hadn’t the foggiest. Not sure if that says more about me or the question. I have no idea how any 8 or 9 year old could get that correct, and if they did, I’m not sure what it tells us. Probably that they’re a bit weird, but we need a few like that to be our master scientists of the future.

Our school do “emerging”, “expected” and “greater depth” questions each lesson - some of the latter are so abstract I get quite bemused. My kiddie just goes into a trance when it gets hard in a silly way and blanks the whole lesson - the teacher doing it on Zoom of course is totally unaware, no fault of their own. Luckily we don’t have a handful of kids so can keep an eye on things. Spent today debating whether “chunking” is a relevant technique to learn for division given the meltdown it caused. Year 4 teachers - respect, it’s a tough job :D

It’s interesting is chunking: it is is taught at our school, along with standard long division. In the last four years I’ve had 121 chn in my year six class and I know for certain that only seven of them have chosen chunking over long division.

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2021 8:03 am
by timshorts
OK, can anyone solve this one? I thought for a minute that it was the solution to the original but then found it was one out.
5, 6, 14, 23, 40, _, _

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2021 8:43 am
by BleedingClaret
66, 109

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2021 9:01 am
by BleedingClaret
jdrobbo wrote:
Sat Jan 30, 2021 12:42 am
You and me both! A poor question, but glad it’s created so much of a discussion on here.
I feel neglected
I want a gold star

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2021 9:05 am
by BleedingClaret
evensteadiereddie wrote:
Fri Jan 29, 2021 6:01 pm
I'm glad I taught English ! :oops:
Aah see that punctuation stuff does my head in

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2021 9:08 am
by jackmiggins
Not quite sure what this is supposed to test, as it’s clearly non-progressive. Answer is 32, 33 - but it ends there! Can only think the compiler had a rough day?

Re: Number sequence - for Year Four children (8 and 9yrs)

Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2021 9:12 am
by huw.Y.WattfromWare
BleedingClaret wrote:
Sat Jan 30, 2021 9:01 am
I feel neglected
I want a gold star
You should be made to sit in the corner for attention seeking. No gold stars and you are not getting in our gang.