Multiple choice

Find the wrong number in the following number series. 48 24 16 12 9 8

  1. 8

  2. 9

  3. 48

  4. 24

  5. 16
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B Correct answer
Explanation

The pattern is: next term = (previous term) / (position number), then add a constant 8. So: 48/1 + 0 = 48, 48/2 + 0 = 24, 24/3 + 0 = 8? That doesn't work. Another approach: multiply the term by its position to get a constant: 48×1=48, 24×2=48, 16×3=48, 12×4=48. The pattern is term × position = 48. So: 9×5 = 45 ≠ 48, and 8×6 = 48. Therefore, 9 is the wrong number; it should be 8 to maintain the pattern.

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