Introducing Arithmetic Sequences

<p>In this video we aim to solidify young people's ability to add a sequence of digits, by concentrating on the special, but important class of arithmetic sequences. These begin with a start number, say 3 and have a common difference, say 4, giving the arithmetic sequence 3,7,11,15,19,23,.... These kinds of sequences are great practice to get pupils to work on their techniques systematically: they don't have to worry about reading the next number, as they are always adding the same number, practicing their wrapping around 10/20/30 etc skills along the way, and very possibly arriving at some substantial totals! This activity promotes a rich and deep appreciation for the number system expressed in our base 10 framework. They learn about the patterns that numbers form. And as a bonus we can get them to contemplate some interesting puzzles too!</p>