Study the series given below and locate the number that is missing:
5, 10, 17, 26, ______
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → 37
The differences between the terms are 5, 7, 9, the odd numbers in order, so the next difference is 11 and the missing number is \(26+11=37\).
The same series can be read as \(n^2+1\) for \(n=2, 3, 4, \ldots\):
\(2^2+1=5\), \(3^2+1=10\), \(4^2+1=17\), \(5^2+1=26\)
Next term: \(6^2+1=37\)