MetaChat - What comes next in this sequence:

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21 March 2007

What comes next in this sequence: 8, 5, 4, 9? Why?

post by: Eideteker at: 19:01 | 16 comments

"D" for December.

posted by amro 21 March | 19:07

One. Seven. Six. Ten. Three. Two. Zero.

posted by matthewr 21 March | 19:07

They're in alphabetic order.

posted by matthewr 21 March | 19:08

Six

the second and third numbers combined are equal to the fourth number and the second number is greater than the third number.

So, if the numbers are following the sequence I think they're following . .

8, 5, 4, 9, 6, 4, 10

. . . the fifth number should be six.

posted by jason's_planet 21 March | 19:26

"Why" being the operative word.

posted by mudpuppie 21 March | 19:43

I'm going with -5.

8-5 is four and five plus four is 9. So, the pattern as I see it is:

1n, 2n, 3n, 4n

1n - 2n = 3n
2n + 3n = 4n

If I were to follow the pattern with the variables given, I would assume that the pattern might repeat and that the next number could be discerned by subtracting 4n from 3n which gives us -5.

But I suck at math and logic and I'm kind of tipsy, so...

posted by LeeJay 21 March | 20:24

I'd say matthewr's answer is pretty good.

posted by GeckoDundee 21 March | 20:31

3

8,5,4,9

ascending order every 4st, descending order ever 2nd and 3rd.

posted by edgeways 21 March | 20:48

I believe matthewr is correct. The next number in the sequence would be 1.

posted by hojoki 21 March | 20:55

The alphabetical order theory falls down in that there is more than one correct answer for "what comes next", since zero, one, two, three, six, seven, and ten all fall after nine in alphabetical order, so there is no way to tell what the next one should be.

posted by Rhomboid 21 March | 21:08

Oh, I see what you were saying now, the order as it would have been with all digits included.

posted by Rhomboid 21 March | 21:09

(Makes mental note to never employ Rhomboid as a librarian.)

posted by chrismear 21 March | 21:11

matthewr is a winnah!

posted by Eideteker 21 March | 21:13

They also count the number of letters in the months that have 30 days:

February: 8
April: 5
June: 4
September: 9

So I was going to say the answer is 8 for November.

posted by frecklefaerie 21 March | 22:24

er, Feb. doesn't have 30, but it does have less than 31.

posted by frecklefaerie 21 March | 22:25

I am prepared to passionately, inarticulately and drunkenly defend my solution. Or accept defeat...whatever.

posted by LeeJay 22 March | 00:06

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