Sandy Wood
Brain Game: Twice None
by Sandy Wood - January 7, 2010 - 7:30 AM

bloghead_braingames.jpg

Today’s Brain Game asks a single question: What’s the next number in the following sequence?

1, 1, 2, 1, 2, 2, 3, ?

Here is the SOLUTION.
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Comments (6)

  1. Ooh! That was a good one. I instinctively knew it was going to be a one, even though I had no idea where I knew the pattern from.

    posted by Leigh on 1-7-2010 at 8:08 am

  2. I would never have guessed this! Maybe other simpleminded folks got this answer instead:

    Divide the set of numbers into sets of four

    (1, 1, 2, 1) (2, 2, 3, x)

    Add one to each of the numbers in the first unit, the second unit becomes (2, 2, 3, 2), so my answer would be 2. The next four numbers in the sequence would be (4, 4, 3, 4)…

    posted by Michelle on 1-7-2010 at 12:27 pm

  3. Yeah, I’m pretty much with Michelle here. I don’t think I ever would have gotten it.

    Also, I came up with 2, but by dividing the set into pairs rather than quartets:
    (1,1), (2,1), (2,2), (3,2)

    With each odd jump, you increment the first number. With each even jump, you increment the second number. I’ve run across this kind of “stepping up the ladder” sequence before, but I’m damned if I can remember where.

    posted by Lugh on 1-7-2010 at 12:53 pm

  4. I’ve got an idea for a couple of Brain Games. Who do I contact, and how?

    -”BB”-

    posted by Bicycle Bill on 1-7-2010 at 2:41 pm

  5. Actually, I came to the solution b/c I thought I saw a pattern.

    Given it was 1,1,2,1,2,3, I thought it was just counting up in segments. Like [1], [1,2], [1,2,3]… etc

    posted by leo on 1-8-2010 at 9:23 am

  6. Oh wow. I now see I had the pattern wrong. Ha. I shouldn’t do these before I drink coffee.

    posted by leo on 1-8-2010 at 9:28 am

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