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Consecutive Numbers For Math Investigation

This document discusses investigating which numbers can be written as the sum of consecutive whole numbers. It can be done by looking at numbers from 1 to 50 and finding patterns in the sums. Certain types of numbers, like triangular numbers, can always be written as the sum of consecutive numbers. Columns of tiles can be used to illustrate sums of consecutive numbers, where removing a triangular number staircase leaves a rectangle related to the first number in the sum.

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RD Bonifacio
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430 views

Consecutive Numbers For Math Investigation

This document discusses investigating which numbers can be written as the sum of consecutive whole numbers. It can be done by looking at numbers from 1 to 50 and finding patterns in the sums. Certain types of numbers, like triangular numbers, can always be written as the sum of consecutive numbers. Columns of tiles can be used to illustrate sums of consecutive numbers, where removing a triangular number staircase leaves a rectangle related to the first number in the sum.

Uploaded by

RD Bonifacio
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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MATHINVESTIGATION2.

1
CONSECUTIVENUMBERSontheMathInvestigatordeterminestheways,ifany,that
anumbercanbewrittenasthesumoftwoormorenonzeroconsecutivewholenumbers.
Thenumber18canbewrittenasthesumofnonzeroconsecutivewholenumbersintwo
ways:

3+4+5+6and5+6+7

Consecutivenumberscanbeillustratedbycolumnsoftilesasshownhere.

StartingPointsforInvestigations
1.Investigatethenumbersfrom1to50todeterminewhichnumberscanorcannotbe
writtenasthesumofconsecutivewholenumbers.Youmaywishtoprintthesumsfrom
thecomputertolookforpatterns.Basedonyourobservations,formconjecturesabout
whichnumberscanbewrittenasthesumofnonzeroconsecutivenumbers.
2.Whattypesofnumberscanalwaysbewrittenasthesumoftwononzeroconsecutive
wholenumbers?Threenonzeroconsecutivewholenumbers?Fournonzeroconsecutive
wholenumbers?etc..Writeconjecturesaboutthetypesofnumbersthatcanbewrittenas

thesumsofnonzeroconsecutivewholenumbersandtestyourconjecturesforsome
numbersgreaterthan50.
3.Thesumsofnonzeroconsecutivewholenumberscanbeillustratedbycolumnsoftiles,
witheachcolumnincreasingbyonetile.Thetilesfor9+10+11+12+13isshown
below.Noticethatthereisa1to5staircase(triangularnumber)atthetopofthecolumn.
Ifthisstaircaseisremoved,arectangleremainswhoseheightplusoneisthefirstnumber,9,
ofthesumofconsecutivenumbers.Formsomesketchesofothercolumnsoftilesand
investigatewaystousetriangularnumberstodetermineifanygivennumbercanbewritten
asasumofnonzeroconsecutivenumbers.

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