journal features

sequence 8, 13, 19, 26

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

Toronto, 2019.10.16

Today The Boy brought home math homework that was in our opinion way above the grade six level - to provide a formula that can explain the sequence 8, 13, 19, 26.

1	8
2	13
3	19
4	26

There was a set of drawings with dots connected by lines that showed the pattern developing. We had to work out the value in the next series and in the tenth. Just adding the numbers in the table it wasn't too hard to come up with an answer.

But then they wanted us to come up with the formula, and it was damn tricky. With the assistance of a spreadsheet I eventually worked it out, as follows:

((n+1)*4)+((n-1)*((n-1)+1))/2

I don't know if this is really a math problem for grade six kids, or whether this was the teacher's way of checking to see which parents are paying attention. To try to learn something of the theory behind what I'd done, I looked up the number sequence on the 'tubes and got this video which just confused the hell out of me. I guess math teaching has evolved a bit since the early 80's.

rand()m quote

One day you will take a fork in the road, and you're going to have to make a decision about which direction you want to go. If you go one way, you can be somebody. You will have to make compromises and you will have to turn your back on your friends. But you will be a member of the club and you will get promoted and get good assignments. Or you can go the other way and you can do something [...] for yourself. If you decide to do something, you may not get promoted and get good assignments and you certainly will not be a favorite of your superiors. But you won't have to compromise yourself. To be somebody or to do something. In life there is often a roll call. That's when you have to make a decision. To be or to do.

—John Boyd, US Air Force