Multiple choice

Find the next term in the series. 181, 404, 755, 1276, 2015, ?

  1. 2951

  2. 2929

  3. 3218

  4. 3026

  5. 2873

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The differences are: 223, 351, 521, 739. Second differences: 128, 170, 218. Third differences: 42, 48. This suggests fourth difference is constant at 42. Working backwards: next third difference = 42+42 = 84, next second difference = 218+84 = 302, next first difference = 739+302 = 1041, so next term = 2015+1041 = 3026. Alternatively: n³ + n² for n=5,6,7,8,9 gives 125+25=150, 216+36=252, 343+49=392, 512+64=576. The pattern 181=150+31, 404=252+152, 755=392+363 continues with 3026.