Find the wrong term of the series : $7, 9, 17, 42, 91, 172, 293$
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Find the wrong term of the series : $7, 9, 17, 42, 91, 172, 293$
The differences are: 9-7=2, 17-9=8, 42-17=25, 91-42=49, 172-91=81, 293-172=121. The pattern of squares is 1^2, 3^2, 5^2, 7^2, 9^2, 11^2. The difference 2 is wrong; it should be 1^2=1 (making the second term 8) or the first term should be different.
The differences between consecutive terms follow the pattern of squares of prime numbers. The differences required are 2^2 = 4, 3^2 = 9, 5^2 = 25, 7^2 = 49, 11^2 = 121, and 13^2 = 169. The second term should be 7 + 4 = 11, making 9 the wrong term in the series.