Specify a series of digits and/or letters for the first term.
Generate this many look and say numbers.
Split terms by this symbol. (\n for newline)
The Look-and-Say Sequence: A Simple Guide
The Look-and-Say sequence is a famous math puzzle where each new number is created by simply describing the previous number out loud. It is often called the “Morris Number Sequence.”
How to Create the Sequence
Think of this tool as a “translator” that turns digits into a description. To find the next number, you look at the current one, group identical numbers that are touching each other, and then say how many there are of that number. It is much easier than traditional math because there is no addition or multiplication involved—just counting!
For example, if you start with the number 1:
- Step 1: You see “one 1.” Write that down as 11.
- Step 2: Now you see “two 1s.” Write that as 21.
- Step 3: Now you see “one 2, then one 1.” Write that as 1211.
- Step 4: Now you see “one 1, then one 2, then two 1s.” Write that as 111221.
Why is this Interesting?
While it starts out simple, this sequence grows incredibly fast. In fact, each step is usually about 30% longer than the one before it. Mathematicians love it because, no matter what number you start with (except for 22), the strings of numbers eventually follow a very specific pattern. This pattern is related to “Conway’s Constant,” a special number discovered by the famous mathematician John Conway. It is also a great way to understand how computers compress data, as it uses the same logic as “Run-Length Encoding” to turn long strings of data into shorter descriptions.