# Finish The Pattern

Please note I realize there could be many "correct answers" but I'm looking for a specific one.

1, 3, 5, 4, 2, 7, 6, 8, 9, 3, 4, 5, 8, 2, 9, 3, 5, 2, 42, 35, 42, 52, 55, 52, 109, 85, 120, ?, ?, ?

Hint:

It has to do with multiplying, each "part" being multiplied, is multiplied by the part before it.

Hint2:

Split it up into 9s.

Hint3:

After splitting it up into 9s, split it up Again into 3s

Hint4: (ONLY USE THIS IF YOU HAVE TO)

Think matrices.

• I used the hint, but still did not find the logic. – Rafe Oct 19 '14 at 16:34
• @Rafe Keep looking! – warspyking Oct 19 '14 at 16:49
• I give up! It is hard to realize how 42 is the next number after ...,3,5,2. and I found 3,5,4,2,...,35,42,... . That was interesting :) – Rafe Oct 19 '14 at 17:00
• @Rafe It is pretty complicated perhaps I'll add another hint? – warspyking Oct 19 '14 at 18:14
• How should the multiplying work, if 109 is a prime number? – print x div 0 Oct 20 '14 at 9:51

I think the missing 3 numbers are: 879, 750, 934.

I had to use all of the hints!

The answer can be derived by taking each group of 9 to represent a 3x3 matrix, then multiplying it with the preceding group of 9. There are 3 given, and the 3rd has been derived from the first 2. So let's take the 2nd and the 3rd:

3, 4, 5,
8, 2, 9,
3, 5, 2
X
42, 35, 42,
52, 55, 52,
109, 85, 120
=
879, 750, 934
1421, 1155, 1520
604, 550, 626

• I'd have to check the calculations to see if it's right, but how you got it is exactly correct! +1 for providing the whole next matrix, not just 3 numbers. – warspyking Oct 20 '14 at 18:00
• @warspyking Thanks :) I left another comment in the main question too. I think it's good – d'alar'cop Oct 20 '14 at 18:01