Mathweave
Menu
Lessons How it works Pricing AboutSign inStart your free trialFree trial

Primary 6 · Patterns · Question type 11.2

P6 Patterns: Repeating Patterns and Leftovers

Mark where the shapes begin again, count the whole repeating units, then read any leftover from the start of the unit.

Try the question yourself, or watch the lesson first.

Primary 6, on the MOE Primary Mathematics syllabus.

In the Patterns chapter2 question types · see the chapter

The lesson · 3 minutes 34 seconds

How do you solve repeating pattern questions with leftovers in P6?

Watch: a row of 90 shapes, 4 circles then 3 squares, all the way along

Another worked example

A worked example

A row of 90 shapes is printed on a border strip. The shapes repeat in the same order all the way along: 4 circles, then 3 squares, then 4 circles, then 3 squares, and so on. How many squares are in the row?

The working · Seven lines

The step-by-step working

Written out in full, the way it should appear on paper.

  1. 1 unit = 4 circles + 3 squares = 7
  2. 90 ÷ 7 = 12 units, 6 left over
  3. 12 units = 12 × 7 = 84 shapes
  4. 13th unit: 6 of 7 shapes, not whole
  5. 6 left over: 4 circles, 2 squares
  6. squares in 12 units = 12 × 3 = 36
  7. squares in all = 36 + 2 = 38

The answer is 38.

Practise · Modelled on top school exam questions

Try a different question

Try it yourself first. Open the solution when you want to see the steps. No sign-up is needed. These questions are written by Mathweave, not copied from school papers.

Try it yourself

Count the square tiles

Use the complete repeating unit to count the tiles.

A path is 30 m long and 25 cm wide. It is paved with a pattern that repeats along its length: two square tiles of side 25 cm, then one rectangular tile measuring 20 cm by 25 cm. Only complete repeats are laid, and any length left at the end is left bare. How many square tiles are used?

Show the step-by-step solution
  1. length of the path = 30 × 100 = 3000 cm
  2. one repeat = 25 + 25 + 20 = 70 cm
  3. 43 repeats = 43 × 70 = 3010 cm, which is longer than the path
  4. 42 repeats = 42 × 70 = 2940 cm
  5. length left = 3000 - 2940 = 60
  6. 60 cm is less than one repeat, so no more tiles are laid
  7. square tiles = 42 × 2 = 84

Ans: 84

Keep practising

The practice plan adds more questions and saved progress.

See practice plans See how practice works

Choose your next step

Choose a method you want to practise again from the chapter page.

← Back to the chapter: three questions and all the lessons