Patterns

A pattern is a regular, predictable arrangement of numbers, shapes, or objects, often described by a rule or formula. In algebra, patterns are often represented as sequences, where each term can be found by applying a rule to the previous term(s).

Important properties

• Patterns can be arithmetic (adding the same number each time), geometric (multiplying by the same number), or follow other rules.

• Patterns can be described using variables and expressions, such as $a_n = 3n + 2$ for the sequence 5, 8, 11, 14, ...

• Recognizing patterns helps in problem solving and predicting future terms.