# What number follows the sequence?

I was taking a job application exam online and encountered a pattern I couldn't solve.

? 26, 13.2, 3.6, 2, 1.2, ?

What number comes next? Answer choices were:

• 7.2
• 5.4
• 6.4
• 6.8
• 7
• 6.6

I guessed 6.6 due to the pattern right of the decimal, but I couldn't see any trend left of the decimal.

What number comes next?

6.8

Reason

You start with 1.2 which is the least number and continue like this: $$(1.2*2)-0.4=2, (2*2)-0.4=3.6, (3.6*2)-0.4=6.8, (6.8*2)-0.4=13.2, (13.2*2)-0.4=26$$

• good finding, but in your case I would expect the " ?" between 13.2 and 3.6 and not at the end. – ThomasL Feb 13 at 19:26
• It might just be a "find the most fitting number"- question, disguised as a traditional number sequence – Prim3numbah Feb 13 at 21:57

My reasoning is based on the following subtractions and additions.

26-13.2=12.8              3.6+2+1.2+6=12.8

26-13.2-3.6=9.2           2+1.2+6=9.2

26-13.2-3.6-2=7.2         1.2+6=7.2

26-13.2-3.6-2-1.2=6         =6

26-13.2-3.6-2-1.2-6=0       =0
• That seems rather plausible. Nice find. Unfortunately I can't confirm the correct answer, but I appreciate the replies in this thread and will help me to think about it going forward. – Blaise Feb 14 at 13:28
• I don't see what is special here. It seems like you could produce the first line using any sequence of numbers (replacing 6 by the appropriate choice) After the first line, all you are doing is subtracting the same number from both equations. – hexomino Feb 15 at 14:22
• I had to work with the given numbers. – Vassilis Parassidis Feb 15 at 17:54

Maybe this pattern is too weird to be the actual answer, nevertheless it's a pattern.