Study guide: Repeat, Repair and Decode Patterns
Expand repeat groups, check their scope and translate ordered symbol messages.
Ideas to explain in your own words
- Use a repeat instruction to make the same sequence several times.
- Distinguish repetitions from actions within a repetition.
- Repair a repeat instruction whose group does not match a target pattern.
- Translate symbols with a supplied code key and preserve their order.
Watch your reasoning
- The sequence has six drawings: star, circle, star, circle, star, circle. Every second drawing is a circle, including the sixth.
- Each of the 3 repetitions includes all 3 drawings, so there are 3 × 3 = 9 drawing actions.
- Repeating the two-action group three times makes all six target actions in order. The other instructions omit or regroup actions.
- B maps to triangle and A maps to circle. Applying the key in order gives triangle, circle, triangle.
A worked review example
Expand a Repeating Pattern: Repeating triangle, square twice gives triangle, square, triangle, square. The repeat applies to both shapes, not only to the square. Count the Whole Repeated Group: The expanded sequence is circle, square, triangle | circle, square, triangle. There are 2 groups × 3 drawings = 6 drawings; positions 3 and 6 are triangles. Fix What the Repeat Includes: Draft output: square, square, dot, length 3. Repaired output: square, dot | square, dot, length 4. Moving the dot into the group changes both order and count. Use a Small Symbol Code: A B B A decodes to circle, triangle, triangle, circle. Encoding that shape sequence returns A B B A, so both the symbols and their order are preserved.
Make a practice plan
- Try the supplied lesson problems without looking at the answers.
- Compare your method with the worked examples and explain any correction.
- Use the new review cases, then complete the transfer task on paper or in your own document.