Question

Which answer describes the pattern in this sequence? −4, −2, 0, 2, ...

1. multiply by −12,
2. add 2
3. add 12
4. divide by 2

Answer 1

Add 2

Explanation:

This sequence is an arithmetic sequence, not a geometric sequence, because it is adding/subtracting instead of multiplying/dividing.

We need to find the common difference, or the number that is added each time to get the next number in the sequence. This is fairly simple in this case. It is 2.

We know this because each number in the sequence is 2 more than the last.

`-4+2=-2`

`-2+2=0`

`0+2=2`