Number Pattern Game
Spot the rule and name the next number.
About What Feels Right?
What Feels Right? shows a row of four to six numbers that follow a rule, and a box for the next one. You type your answer and lock it in. An exact answer scores 100, and a close answer still earns points, so a partly right idea about the rule is rewarded.
The rules grow with the level. On level 1 you will only find numbers that go up or down by a fixed step, like 7, 12, 17, 22. Later come doubling and tripling, alternating steps such as plus 7 and minus 3, square numbers and steps that grow by one each time. On the highest levels there are Fibonacci-like sequences, where each number is the sum of the two before it, and cube numbers.
How to play
- Look at the differences between neighbours. Are they equal, do they grow or do they alternate?
- If the numbers grow very fast, check whether they double, triple or are squares.
- Type your answer in the box and press Lock in or the Enter key.
- After the answer, the rule behind the sequence is shown in a short note.
A row of numbers follows a rule. Type the number that comes next. An exact answer scores 100, a close one still earns points.
How scoring works
An exact answer scores 100. A wrong answer is scored by its relative distance to the right one: it earns up to 85 points when it is very close, and the score falls to 0 at a distance of 40 percent of the right number on level 1 and 20 percent on level 10. Answers that are off by only one or two are therefore worth about 70 to 80 points when the numbers are in the tens.
The sequences show 4 numbers on level 1 to 3, 5 numbers up to level 7 and 6 numbers above that. The time limit is 18 seconds on level 1 and 13 seconds on level 10. If time runs out while a number is typed, it still counts, but at half value.
What it trains
The game trains inductive reasoning, the process of inferring a general rule from a few examples. It is an everyday skill of recognizing regularities: in schedules, in prices, in growth, in the notes of a melody.
It also builds fluency with the number families that come back in school and work: multiples, squares, powers of two and sequences with growing steps.
Tips for a higher score
- Write the differences between neighbours in your head. If they are equal, the rule is addition; if the differences are growing by one, it is a triangular pattern.
- Look at the ratios if the sequence grows fast. Constant ratios are doubling or tripling.
- Check for alternation. When the differences go plus, minus, plus, minus, there are two rules interleaved.
- Know your squares up to 12 squared and a few cubes: 1, 8, 27, 64, 125, 216.
- If you cannot find the rule, estimate the next number from the trend. A close number still scores.
The idea behind it
Finding the next number in a series is one of the oldest ways of testing reasoning, and similar series problems have been part of many psychological test batteries. Research on how people find rules shows that most start by looking at differences, and only try ratios when that fails.
The sequences in the game come from well-known families. The Fibonacci numbers are named after Leonardo of Pisa, who described them in 1202 as a model of rabbit breeding. Triangular numbers, formed by adding 1, 2, 3 and so on, were already studied by the Pythagoreans, who arranged pebbles in triangles.
Frequently asked questions
Why do close answers earn points?
The game rewards partial understanding. If you grasp the shape of the sequence but make a small slip, you still get credit.
Can the answer be a decimal?
No. All sequences use whole numbers, and the answer box accepts numbers up to nine characters.
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Free, no account. Your best scores are saved on your device.