NS-021

Find the next number: 1, 3, 9, 27, 81, ?

Rule: The pattern is geometric: multiply by 3 each step.

So the next number is 243.

• Picking the first pattern you see without checking it against all rows/columns.
• Ignoring the simplest rule (counts, rotations, alternations) and jumping to a complex story.
• Not testing your rule on the middle row/column (where many puzzles “break” bad rules).