Course 1, lesson 2 of 100, Ages 3+
Spot the pattern
What comes next?
Like I’m 5
A pattern is something that repeats, like the stripes on a zebra. AI is really, really good at spotting patterns.
The big idea
A pattern is something that repeats in a way you can predict: red, blue, red, blue. You can guess what comes next because you've spotted the rule.
AI is a champion pattern-spotter. It looks at thousands of examples and notices what repeats, like which sounds make the word 'hello' or which shapes make a cat.
Examples
- Songs: A chorus repeats, so you can sing along because you know what comes next.
- Days of the week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: the same order every week.
- Your phone keyboard: It learned that 'good' is often followed by 'morning', so it suggests it.
Check your understanding
- Red, blue, red, blue, red… what comes next?
- Options: Blue; Red; Green.
Answer: Blue. The pattern goes red then blue, again and again, so blue comes next. - Red, blue, red, blue, red. What comes next?
- Options: Blue; Green; Yellow.
Answer: Blue. The pattern repeats red then blue, so blue comes next.
Remember
AI learns by finding patterns that repeat.
Talk about it
Can you find a pattern in this room?
Go deeper
Spotting patterns is the heart of machine learning, and a key early maths skill. Say each pattern out loud together: circle, triangle, circle…