Question 16
Choose three consecutive numbers, square the middle one, and subtract the product of the other two. Repeat the same with other sets of numbers. What pattern do you notice? How do we write this as an algebraic equation? Expand both sides of the equation to check that it is a true identity.
We will explore a pattern with consecutive numbers and prove it using algebra.
Step 1 — Exploring the Pattern
Let us choose three consecutive numbers. We will square the middle number. Then we subtract the product of the other two numbers.
Let's try with the numbers 1, 2, 3: Square the middle number: Product of the other two numbers: Subtract the product from the square:
Let's try with the numbers 4, 5, 6: Square the middle number: Product of the other two numbers: Subtract the product from the square:
Let's try with the numbers 10, 11, 12: Square the middle number: Product of the other two numbers: Subtract the product from the square:

Step 2 — Noticing the Pattern
We observe a consistent result from our calculations. Each time, the final answer is 1.
Step 3 — Writing the Algebraic Equation
Let be the middle number. The number before is . The number after is . We square the middle number: . We find the product of the other two numbers: . We subtract the product from the square of the middle number. This expression equals the pattern we found.
The algebraic equation is:
Step 4 — Expanding to Check Identity
We will expand both sides of the equation. This checks if it is a true identity. An identity means both sides are always equal.
Let us expand the Left Hand Side (LHS): We use the algebraic identity . Here, and . So, . Now we distribute the negative sign.
The Right Hand Side (RHS) of the equation is:
Since the LHS equals the RHS, the equation is a true identity.
Answer
(i) The pattern we notice is that the result is always 1. (ii) The algebraic equation is . (iii) Expanding the left side gives . The right side is also . Since , the equation is a true identity.
More questions in FIO
Observe the multiplication grid below. Each number inside the grid is formed by multiplying two numbers. If the middle number of a frame is given by the expression , as shown in the figure, write the expressions for the other numbers in the grid.
Expand the following products.
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
Find 3 examples where the product of two numbers remains unchanged when one of them is increased by 2 and the other is decreased by 4.
Expand:
(i)
(ii)
Expand:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
Do you see a pattern? What would be the next identity in the pattern that you see? Can you check it by expanding?
Which is greater: or ? Justify your answer.
Express 100 as the difference of two squares.
Find , , , , and using the identities you have learnt so far.
Do Patterns 1 and 2 hold only for counting numbers? Do they hold for negative integers as well? What about fractions? Justify your answer.
Compute these products using the suggested identity.
(i) using Identity 1A for
(ii) using Identity 1C for
(iii) using Identity 1B for
(iv) using Identity 1C for
Use either a suitable identity or the distributive property to find each of the following products.
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
For each statement identify the appropriate algebraic expression(s).
(i) Two more than a square number.
(ii) The sum of the squares of two consecutive numbers
Consider any 2 by 2 square of numbers in a calendar, as shown in the figure.
Find products of numbers lying along each diagonal — , . Do this for the other 2 by 2 squares. What do you observe about the diagonal products? Explain why this happens.
Hint: Label the numbers in each 2 by 2 square as shown in the diagram.
Verify which of the following statements are true.
(i) is always 2.
(ii) is a multiple of 4.
(iii) Squares of even numbers are multiples of 4, and squares of odd numbers are 1 more than multiples of 8.
(iv) is 5 less than a square number.
A number leaves a remainder of 3 when divided by 7, and another number leaves a remainder of 5 when divided by 7. What is the remainder when their sum, difference, and product are divided by 7?
Choose three consecutive numbers, square the middle one, and subtract the product of the other two. Repeat the same with other sets of numbers. What pattern do you notice? How do we write this as an algebraic equation? Expand both sides of the equation to check that it is a true identity.
What is the algebraic expression describing the following steps—add any two numbers. Multiply this by half of the sum of the two numbers? Prove that this result will be half of the square of the sum of the two numbers.
Which is larger? Find out without fully computing the product.
(i) or
(ii) or
A tiny park is coming up in Dhauli. The plan is shown in the figure. The two square plots, each of area sq. ft., will have a green cover. All the remaining area is a walking path ft. wide that needs to be tiled. Write an expression for the area that needs to be tiled.
For each pattern shown below,
(i) Draw the next figure in the sequence. (ii) How many basic units are there in Step 10? (iii) Write an expression to describe the number of basic units in Step y.