Look at the sequence of numbers on one column of the Ishango bone: 11, 13, 17, 19. What do these numbers have in common? List the next three numbers that fit this pattern.
(i) The numbers 11, 13, 17, and 19 have in common the fact that they are all prime numbers. Specifically, they represent the prime numbers between 10 and 20. A prime number is a natural number greater than 1 that is divisible only by 1 and itself, having no other factors.
(ii) Following this pattern of prime numbers, the next three numbers that fit the sequence are 23, 29, and 31. Since the sequence progresses through prime numbers in ascending order, these are the immediate prime numbers that follow 19 in the number system.
Explanation
The context explicitly identifies the sequence 11, 13, 17, 19 as the prime numbers between 10 and 20. To find the next three numbers, students must apply the mathematical concept of prime numbers to find the next three primes after 19, which are 23, 29, and 31.
Solution Steps
Step 1: Identify the common property of 11, 13, 17, 19 as prime numbers between 10 and 20.
Step 2: Apply the pattern of prime numbers to find the next three numbers after 19, which are 23, 29, and 31.