What is the Pattern for Finding the Missing Number in a Sequence?

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Finding the missing number in a sequence can be approached through various mathematical operations, but many struggle with identifying a clear method. Initial attempts often include basic operations like addition, which may not yield results. A successful approach involves recognizing patterns in the numbers, such as grouping and multiplying sums of pairs. For example, in one case, the numbers 5 and 2 sum to 7, while 3 and 1 sum to 4, leading to the equation 4 * 7 = 28. Understanding these relationships is key to solving similar problems effectively.
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Homework Statement
what's the missing number
Relevant Equations
nothing comes to mind
I have no idea. I've tried squaring, cubing, summing numbers but can't make sense of anything. Literally no clue how to even approach this aside from randomly adding and subtracting numbers, their squares and cubes, but nothing makes sense. Any ideas?

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fresh_42 said:
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But how? And how would I even go about doing this?
 
28=4*7=(1+3)*(5+2)
 
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anuttarasammyak said:
28=4*7=(1+3)*(5+2)
How on Earth did you know to do this? Just random guessing? What all did you check prior to this?
 
joshmccraney said:
Just random guessing?
Not really. The very first thing I tried, for all of about 5 seconds, was addition, which seemed a dead end. Then I noticed that in the first problem 5 and 2 added to 7, and 3 and 1 added to 4 -- 4 * 7 = 28. The pattern was the same for the second problem.
 
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Mark44 said:
Not really. The very first thing I tried, for all of about 5 seconds, was addition, which seemed a dead end. Then I noticed that in the first problem 5 and 2 added to 7, and 3 and 1 added to 4 -- 4 * 7 = 28. The pattern was the same for the second problem.
Makes sense, thanks.
 

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