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Solutions — Full Answer Key
MathematicsYear 8 · 8.6 Patterns
Solutions · Full Answer Key
Pack A answers · Pack B answers · Problem-solving worked solutions
Pack A — Answers
Bronze
1.17, 20; rule: add 3 each time
2.41
3.(a) 13 (b) Add 3 each time
4.16
5.5, 7
6.7, 9, 11
7.Add 3 each pattern. (.)
8.
9.Yes — .
10.No — (not a whole number).
Silver
11.
12.98
13.
14. (or )
15.
16.(a) (b) (c)
17.
18.21 and 28
19.
20.;
Gold
21.(a) 50 (b) 17 tables
22.
23.(a) (b) pattern 25
24.;
25.(a) (b) 33 squares; 0 left
26.
27.
28.
29.120
30.0, 2, 20, 90
Platinum
31.(a) . (b) Odd numbers 3, 5, 7, … (c) .
32.;
33.;
34.1683
35.(a) (b) . Wait recompute → . So , .
36.(a) , (b) — never (no whole-number solution)
37.
38.(a) 3, 6, 12, 24, 48 (b) (c) 1536
39.(a) (b) (c)
40.(a) 1, 6, 15 (b) Second differences = 4 (c) No ()
Pack B — Answers
Bronze
1.27, 33; rule: add 6 each time
2.38
3.(a) 17 (b) Add 4 each time
4.16
5.5, 8
6.2, 5, 8
7.Add 4. (.)
8.
9.Yes — .
10.Yes — .
Silver
11.
12.5
13.
14.
15.
16.(a) (b) (c)
17.Same.
18.36 and 45
19.Same.
20.
Gold
21.(a) 38 (b) 13 tables
22.
23.(a) (b) pattern 49
24.;
25.(a) Same (b) 26 squares, 1 stick left
26.
27.
28.
29.168
30.Same.
Platinum
31.(a) . (b) 7, 19, 37, … (c) .
32.;
33.Same.
34.1050
35.(a) (b)
36.(a) , (b) —
37.Same.
38.(a) 2, 6, 18, 54, 162 (b) (c) 39366
39.Same.
40.(a) 4, 14, 30 (b) Second diff = 6 (c) Test directly
Problem-solving — Worked Solutions
1Problem 1
Answer
(a) 1→8, 2→14, 3→20, 4→26 (b) (c) 50 people (d) Extending by +6 gives 8, 14, 20, 26, 32, 38, 44, 50 — matches.
Full working
(a) Each new table loses one end seat (becomes inner join) but gains 6 side seats — net +6. Values: 1 → 8, 2 → 14, 3 → 20, 4 → 26.
(b) Common difference 6, first term 8: . Check : ✓.
(c) .
(d) Adding 6 each time: 8, 14, 20, 26, 32, 38, 44, 50 ✓.
Justification: 2 end seats + 6n side seats = .
(b) Common difference 6, first term 8: . Check : ✓.
(c) .
(d) Adding 6 each time: 8, 14, 20, 26, 32, 38, 44, 50 ✓.
Justification: 2 end seats + 6n side seats = .
2Problem 2
Answer
(a) (b) Part One: ✓; Part Two: (c) , not 40
Full working
(a) Each table has side seats on each of 2 sides → total side seats. Only first & last tables have end seats → . So .
(b) Part One : ✓. Part Two : .
(c) . Mr. Packer is **wrong** — 46 people, not 40.
(b) Part One : ✓. Part Two : .
(c) . Mr. Packer is **wrong** — 46 people, not 40.
3Problem 3
Answer
(a) 4 (b) 5 (c) (d)
Full working
(a) From term 4 to term 10 is 6 steps with a change of 24. Common difference = .
(b) .
(c) .
(d) .
(b) .
(c) .
(d) .
4Problem 4
Answer
(a) (b) Differences 3, 5, 7 — odd numbers (c) (d)
Full working
(a) .
(b) Differences 3, 5, 7 — consecutive odd numbers.
(c) .
(d) ✓.
(b) Differences 3, 5, 7 — consecutive odd numbers.
(c) .
(d) ✓.
5Problem 5
Answer
(a) (b) 31, 32, 33 (c) Sum (d) No — sum , divisible by 2 not 4
Full working
(a) .
(b) . Integers: 31, 32, 33.
(c) Sum — always a multiple of 3, in fact middle integer.
(d) Sum of 4 consecutive integers . Since is odd, this is , divisible by 2 but **not by 4**.
(b) . Integers: 31, 32, 33.
(c) Sum — always a multiple of 3, in fact middle integer.
(d) Sum of 4 consecutive integers . Since is odd, this is , divisible by 2 but **not by 4**.
6Problem 6
Answer
(a) (b) 40 triangles (c) 0 sticks left over (uses all 81)
Full working
(a) Common difference 2, → .
(b) Solve . Make 40 triangles, using sticks.
(c) Zero sticks left over.
(b) Solve . Make 40 triangles, using sticks.
(c) Zero sticks left over.
7Problem 7
Answer
(a) 1, 3, 6, 10, 15 (b) (c) (d) See working
Full working
(a) Cumulative sums: 1, 3, 6, 10, 15.
(b) .
(c) .
(d) Pair: , , etc — each pair sums to . There are pairs (when even). Sum . (For odd , the same identity holds via the algebraic argument.)
(b) .
(c) .
(d) Pair: , , etc — each pair sums to . There are pairs (when even). Sum . (For odd , the same identity holds via the algebraic argument.)
8Problem 8
Answer
(a) 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55 (b) (c) Ratios ≈ 1.6, 1.618, 1.618 — approaching the golden ratio
Full working
(a) Each term is the sum of the two before: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55.
(b) .
(c) . . . As , the ratio approaches the **golden ratio** .
(b) .
(c) . . . As , the ratio approaches the **golden ratio** .
9Problem 9
Answer
(a) 55 (b) 185 (c) ✓
Full working
(a) . .
(b) Last term 32, . : . .
(c) ✓.
(b) Last term 32, . : . .
(c) ✓.
10Problem 10
Answer
(a) (b) Let , then , so (c) Partial sums: 0.9, 0.99, 0.999, … → 1
Full working
(a) ; ; .
(b) . . Subtract: , . ∎
(c) Partial sums: Each partial sum gets closer to 1 (difference: ). The limit is exactly 1, formalising the algebra of part (b).
(b) . . Subtract: , . ∎
(c) Partial sums: Each partial sum gets closer to 1 (difference: ). The limit is exactly 1, formalising the algebra of part (b).
11Problem 11
Answer
(a) 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 (b) (c) 1024 (d) 4096
Full working
(a) .
(b) Geometric, .
(c) .
(d) layers.
(b) Geometric, .
(c) .
(d) layers.
12Problem 12
Answer
(a) 56, 72 (b) First diffs 4, 6, 8, 10, 12; second diffs 2 (constant) → quadratic (c) , , etc. (d) 420
Full working
(a) Differences: 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16. So next two: ; .
(b) First differences increase by 2 → second difference = 2 (constant). So the sequence is quadratic, with , i.e. .
(c) . ✓.
(d) .
(b) First differences increase by 2 → second difference = 2 (constant). So the sequence is quadratic, with , i.e. .
(c) . ✓.
(d) .
