1, 4, 9, 16, 25 What is the next number? What is the 50th term? We see that 1^2 = 1, 2^2 = 4, 3^2 = 9, 4^2 = 16, 5^2 = 25 We build a formula for the nth term: f(n) = n^2 The next number means n = 6th term: f(6) = 6^2 = 36 The 50th term means n = 50: f(50) = 50^2 = 2500
