Question 1180709
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The other tutor is in fact right -- ANY next number will make a valid sequence.<br>
So this problem is a puzzle rather than a math problem that can be solved.<br>
However, you can get some good mental exercise by looking for patterns in the given numbers that suggest what A GOOD GUESS FOR THE NEXT NUMBER is.<br>
One pattern that should be easy to see is that 234 is 6 less than 240 and then 72 is 6 less than 78.<br>
So now look for a relationship between 234 and 78; it turns out that 78 is 234 divided by 3.<br>
So PERHAPS the given numbers follow the pattern "subtract 6; divide by 3; repeat".<br>
So a good guess for the next number is 72/3 = 24.<br>
But it is very possible that a very different pattern can be deduced from the given numbers that leads to a very different next number....<br>
So whenever you see a problem like this, take a little time (if you want to) to try to GUESS a logical next number; but realize it is never possible to know if any answer you come up with is "right".<br>
And the corollary to that is that nobody can tell you that any answer you come up with is wrong....<br>