In "A Pattern of Numbers" you were asked to find the relationship between numbers appearing in a pattern. This puzzle uses a similar, yet different, criterion.
Can you discover the relationship between the numbers and figure out what number belongs at the X in this pattern? The same rule applies to each set of numbers in the pattern.

  34  32  36  46  64  75  50  35  34
16  18  14  22   X  40  35  15  20  12

(In reply to answer by K Sengupta)

Any given number in the bottom row (except 16) is the result of adding the product of the digits of the number to the immediate left and the product of the digits of the number located diagonally left in the top row.

For example, the number to the immediate left of 14 and the number located diagonally left to 14 in the top row are respectively 18 and 32. Adding the product of the digits of 18 and 32, we obtain: 1*8 + 3*2 = 14.

Accordingly, X will be obtained by adding the product of the digits of 22 and 46. Thus, X = 2*2 + 4*6 = 28. This checks out since 2*8 + 6*4 = 40.

Consequently, the required missing number is 28.

Posted by K Sengupta on 2008-07-11 15:55:53