Tools of Geometry Exam
Geometry A [CR] (Acc. Ed.) (Gockley) 23-24

2. The next number in the sequence -5, -2, 4, 13 is 25. Is this conjecture true or false?

A. True
B. False
C. Not enough information is provided



Answer :

Sure, let's analyze the given sequence: \(-5, -2, 4, 13\).

First, we calculate the differences between consecutive terms:
[tex]\[ -2 - (-5) = 3 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ 4 - (-2) = 6 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ 13 - 4 = 9 \][/tex]

These differences form the sequence: \(3, 6, 9\).

Next, we observe the pattern in these differences. Here, each term is increasing by 3:
[tex]\[ 6 - 3 = 3 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ 9 - 6 = 3 \][/tex]

Given this consistent increase, the next difference after 9 would logically be:
[tex]\[ 9 + 3 = 12 \][/tex]

To find the next term in the original sequence, we add this next difference to the last term of the sequence:
[tex]\[ 13 + 12 = 25 \][/tex]

So, the next number in the sequence is indeed [tex]\(25\)[/tex]. Therefore, the conjecture is [tex]\( \boxed{\text{True}} \)[/tex].