March 2026 Problem of the Month

The A.A.R.P. magazine (for retired people) publishes a page of Brain Games each month to keep senior citizens thinking.

See if you are smarter than a Senior Citizen and solve the following problem from the January 2026 issue.

What's Next?
120,   60,   40,   30,   24,   ___

There's a pattern to how each number, after the first term in the series, is derived from the number preceding it.
Following the pattern, what number comes after 24?

Solution to the Problem:

Here is the solution:

The answer is 20.

60 is 1/2 of 120
40 is 2/3 of 60
30 is 3/4 of 40
24 is 4/5 of 30
20 is 5/6 of 24

Dr. Hari Kishan looked at it in a different way:
The given numbers can be obtained by dividing 120 by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 as follows:
120=120÷1,
60=120÷2,
40=120÷3,
30=120÷4,
24=120÷5.
The next number will be 120÷6=20.