Find the next term in the following series.
48, 47, 50, 49, _________ ?

Options

A. 52
B. 58
C. 60
D. 57

Answer

To find the next term in the series 48, 47, 50, 49, we can analyze the pattern of the differences between the terms.

1. **Identify the first term:**
The first term is 48.

2. **Identify the second term:**
The second term is 47.
- The difference from the first term to the second term is:
\( 48 - 47 = 1 \) (This is a decrease of 1).

3. **Identify the third term:**
The third term is 50.
- The difference from the second term to the third term is:
\( 50 - 47 = 3 \) (This is an increase of 3).

4. **Identify the fourth term:**
The fourth term is 49.
- The difference from the third term to the fourth term is:
\( 50 - 49 = 1 \) (This is a decrease of 1).

5. **Establish the pattern:**
We can see a pattern emerging:
- From 48 to 47: decrease by 1
- From 47 to 50: increase by 3
- From 50 to 49: decrease by 1

Following this pattern, the next operation after 49 should be an increase of 3.

6. **Calculate the next term:**
To find the next term, we take the last term (49) and add 3:
\[ 49 + 3 = 52 \]

Therefore, the next term in the series is **52**.