What will come in place of question mark (? ) in the following number series ?
`656" "432 " "320" "264" "236" " ?`

Options

A. 222
B. 229
C. 232
D. 223

Answer

To find the missing number in the series `656, 432, 320, 264, 236, ?`, we will analyze the differences between consecutive numbers.

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Calculate the difference between the first two numbers:**
\[ 656 - 432 = 224 \]

2. **Calculate the difference between the second and third numbers:**
\[ 432 - 320 = 112 \]

3. **Calculate the difference between the third and fourth numbers:**
\[ 320 - 264 = 56 \]

4. **Calculate the difference between the fourth and fifth numbers:**
\[ 264 - 236 = 28 \]

5. **Now, let's summarize the differences we found:**
- First difference: 224
- Second difference: 112
- Third difference: 56
- Fourth difference: 28

6. **Observe the pattern in the differences:**
- The differences are halving each time:
- \(224 \div 2 = 112\)
- \(112 \div 2 = 56\)
- \(56 \div 2 = 28\)

7. **Continuing this pattern, the next difference should be:**
\[ 28 \div 2 = 14 \]

8. **Now, subtract this difference from the last number in the series:**
\[ 236 - 14 = 222 \]

Thus, the missing number in the series is **222**.