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Lesson eLearning

Find the next number in the pattern 1, 4, 9, 16, __?

medium 2 marks Class 4 · Mathematics · Play with Patterns

Answer

25

The correct answer is 25 — Thus the missing number is $25$ .

Step-by-step solution

Observe that each term is a perfect square: $1^{2} = 1$ , $2^{2} = 4$ , $3^{2} = 9$ , $4^{2} = 16$ .
The next square is $5^{2} = 25$ .
Thus the missing number is $25$ .

Common mistake: Adding a fixed difference instead of recognizing squares

Concept tested: Square number pattern

Published 1 October 2026 · How this solution was prepared and checked

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