# Pattern recognition next shape [closed]

Is there any logic for finding the next shape in the blank?

I think it's an hard one.

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What does and does not constitute as a pattern is a matter of opinion, unless you have specific criteria for choosing the next shape, I wouldn't call it a 'solvable' problem. –  Ethan Jul 6 '13 at 7:07
@Ethan - well you can look at it as "from all the 4 options which one fit the most to the the blank". i think you can call it a problem. –  gobin Jul 6 '13 at 7:10
It's a problem, it's just not a math problem. –  Thomas Andrews Jul 6 '13 at 7:12
@ThomasAndrews - sorry for that. thought there's a math logic behind it. thanks. –  gobin Jul 6 '13 at 7:24
This question appears to be off-topic because it is chiefly opinion-based. –  awllower Jul 6 '13 at 7:56

## closed as off-topic by O.L., awllower, Andrey Rekalo, Lord_Farin, CocopuffsJul 6 '13 at 9:00

This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:

• "This question is not about mathematics, within the scope defined in the help center." – O.L., Lord_Farin, Cocopuffs
If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.

As the comments pointed out, these types of problems can be really ambiguous. Here's my guess. Note that out of the four options, the main thing that is different is the number of white shapes. So we need to come up with a rule that tells us how many white shapes should be in the last column.

Scanning along the first row, there seems to be the following rule:

If there is a white shape in the second column that is in a different position compared to a white shape in the first column, then both white shapes survive to be in the last column.

Scanning along the second row, there seems to be the following rule:

If there is a white shape in the second column that is in the same position compared to a white shape in the first column, then only one of the white shapes survive to be in the last column.

Scanning along the last row, we see that the triangle on the left is in the same position in both columns, implying that only one of them will be in the last column. Furthermore, we see that the triangle on the right is in a different position in both columns, implying that both of them will be in the last column.

Thus, my guess is that the answer is the leftmost option labelled $(4)$, since it has $1+2=3$ white triangles.

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that's a nice observation –  gobin Jul 6 '13 at 7:44
Another route to (4): In each column, the number of white symbols on the bottom row is the sum of the number from the first two rows. –  Blue Jul 6 '13 at 8:35