Final answer:
The sequence 20, 19, 17, 14, 10 represents a pattern where each term is one less than the previous term minus an increasing integer sequence. The differences between consecutive terms are consecutive integers. The next term after 10 would be 5 by subtracting the next integer, which is 5.
Step-by-step explanation:
The pattern presented in the sequence 20, 19, 17, 14, 10 can be determined by examining the differences between consecutive terms.
- Difference between 20 and 19: 1
- Difference between 19 and 17: 2
- Difference between 17 and 14: 3
- Difference between 14 and 10: 4
We can observe that the sequence decreases by consecutive integers. Thus, the pattern seems to be that each term is one less than the previous minus an increasing integer sequence (1, 2, 3, 4, ...etc).
To find the next number in the sequence after 10, we would subtract the next integer in the series, which is 5. This gives us 10 - 5 = 5, which is likely to be the next number in this pattern.