abc  
Student Page 5
 

V-Patterns

Groups of birds sometimes fly in a V-pattern.

Below you see the three smallest V-patterns.

10. a. Make a drawing of the next V-pattern.
  b. Is it possible for a B-pattern to have 84 dots? Why or why not?
  c. How many pairs are there in each V-pattern shown above?
  d. How many dots will be in the sixth V-pattern?
11. Make a V-pattern with 19 dots.
12. a. Copy the table on the left and fill in the missing values.
  b. The V-number tells the number of pairs of dots in a V-pattern. Describe any new patterns you see.
13. You can make the row of V-patterns longer and longer. How many dots does the 100th V-number have? How did you find your answer?
V-Number
Number of Dots
1
2
3
4
5
6
3
5
7
  14 Section A   Pairing
Britannica Mathematics System
MATHEMATICS IN CONTEXT - Patterns and Symbols: V-Patterns- Sections A & C
© Encyclopaedia Brittanica
MMM Project Web Version © Bolster Education