Category: Fluid Reasoning
Difficulty: Hard
Result: Wrong
17. What is the missing number in the sequence shown below?
1 - 8 - 27 - ? - 125 - 216
- 36
- 45
- 46
- 64◀ Correct Answer
- 99
This question assesses your fluid reasoning and pattern recognition skills by requiring you to identify the mathematical relationship governing the sequence and apply it to find the missing number. The given sequence is:
- 1
- 8
- 27
- ?
- 125
- 216
Observing the sequence, the numbers increase rapidly, suggesting that they may be related to powers or exponents. Specifically, these numbers correspond to the cubes of consecutive positive integers. Let's verify this:
- 13 = 1 * 1 * 1 = 1
- 23 = 2 * 2 * 2 = 8
- 33 = 3 * 3 * 3 = 27
- 43 = 4 * 4 * 4 = 64
- 53 = 5 * 5 * 5 = 125
- 63 = 6 * 6 * 6 = 216
Matching these results to the sequence:
- 1 corresponds to 13 = 1
- 8 corresponds to 23 = 8
- 27 corresponds to 33 = 27
- ? corresponds to 43 = 64
- 125 corresponds to 53 = 125
- 216 corresponds to 63 = 216
Therefore, the missing number is 43 = 64.
This problem tests your ability to recognize patterns involving exponents and apply mathematical concepts to solve problems. Identifying that the sequence consists of cubes of consecutive integers demonstrates strong fluid reasoning, as it requires abstract thinking and the ability to manipulate numerical information mentally.
Similar Examples:
- A sequence of square numbers: 1, 4, 9, 16, ?, 36 (missing number is 25, since 52 = 25).
- A sequence involving factorials: 1, 2, 6, 24, ?, 720 (missing number is 120, since 5! = 120).
- A sequence of prime numbers: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, ? (missing number is 13).
These types of questions evaluate your ability to identify underlying mathematical relationships and apply them to find missing elements, which is a key aspect of fluid intelligence.
Answer: 64