Indulge me in a little mathematical illustration. Identify the next number N in the following sequence: 2, 4, N. Could N = 6? Maybe. Or could N = 8? Possibly. Both answers could be correct, and it all depends upon the kind of pattern underlying the sequence. If the pattern is addition, then N = 6; if the pattern is multiplication, then N = 8. Here is the punchline: the number three seems to be the minimum required to establish a clear pattern.
