I hesitated to add this because it’s poorly worded, ambiguous and the answer could be almost anything. I prefer teasers with a single answer, but there you go.
If you came up with a different answer and can explain how you did it, don’t think you’re wrong. It’s probably just as valid. Feel free to share yours in the comments.
My answer for the first number is 2.
Here’s how I got it.
The generic rule for a number in the sequence is: 2^(n – 1) + 1, where n is the position in the sequence.
Note: The teaser doesn’t specify the position of 17. In this case, it’s fifth.
Position 1: (so n = 1) is 2^(1 – 1) + 1 = 2
Position 2: 2^(2 – 1) + 1 = 3
Position 3: 2^(3 – 1) + 1 = 5
Position 4: 2^(4 – 1) + 1 = 9
Position 5: 2^(5 – 1) + 1 = 17
For the curious, the next 5 numbers of the sequence would be:
What three or four-letter word belongs between the word on the left and the word on the right so that the first and second, and second and third words form a compound word or phrase?
For example: FOOT _ _ _ _ PARK would be BALL, or FOOTBALL and BALL PARK.
1. FALL _ _ _ CROP 2. KNEE _ _ _ SIZE 3. BOARD _ _ _ _ WAY
What is the highest product that can be generated by multiplying two numbers while only using each digit once (1 through 9)? For example, 12345678 * 9 = 111,111,102