Math Forum: Ask Dr. Math FAQ: Doubling Pennies
To begin, let''s look at what happens in the first five days and see if we can find a pattern. Day Pennies Given Total Pennies 1 1 1 2 1 x 2 = 2 1+2 = 3 3 2 x 2 = 4 1+2+4 = 7 4 4 x 2 = 8 1+2+4+8 = 15 5 8 x 2 = 16 1+2+4+8+16 = 31