The number pattern below is based on a rule. Each number is somehow related to some numbers next to it. For instance, 25 and 9 could have used subtraction to come up with 16. The same simple rule is used for the entire pattern. Find the rule and solve for x.

  63   9  38  33  32  12  
88  25  16  18  15   x   5

More than one solution may be possible, but after inspection I have only found one:

[1.]
  a₁    a₂    a₃    a₄    a₅    a₆
b₁    b₂    b₃    b₄    b₅    b₆    b₇

The next number on the bottom row is the sum of the digits of the two numbers to its left (orthoganal and diagonal) i.e., 25 = 8+8 + 6+3. Following this pattern would give x to be 11 --- (11 = 1+5 + 3+2 & 5 = 1+1 + 1+2).

Edited on October 18, 2007, 9:39 am

Posted by Dej Mar on 2007-10-18 02:16:24