Question

5, 10, 17, 26, ?, 50 — Find the missing number.

• A. 31
• B. 37
• C. 39
• D. 41 \bigskip

Hint:

Always look at the difference between terms to spot a simple arithmetic or quadratic pattern.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Find the pattern in the differences between terms. \[ 10 - 5 = 5,\quad 17 - 10 = 7,\quad 26 - 17 = 9 \] So the differences are increasing by 2: \(5, 7, 9, 11, 13\) Step 2: Continue the pattern. \[ 26 + 11 = 37,\quad 37 + 13 = 50 \] Missing number is: \(37\) \bigskip