Shape Cycling
Shapes progress through a defined sequence: triangle → square → pentagon → circle, then repeat.
Understanding this pattern
Shape cycling substitutes one geometric shape for the next in a predefined sequence. A triangle becomes a square, then a pentagon, then resets to a triangle. The cycle length (3, 4, or 5 shapes) determines the periodicity. Often combined with a movement or colour rule, making the shape change easy to miss.
Example Question
Pattern Rule
Each panel has two fixed symbol positions: upper-right and lower-left. At both positions, the symbol advances one step through the same five-state cycle: filled circle → outline circle → filled square → outline diamond → four-point star → filled circle. Thus, after panel 5, the upper-right star becomes a filled circle, while the lower-left filled square becomes an outline diamond. The diagonal divider and all positions remain unchanged.
Explanation
Option C is correct. A repeats panel 5: upper-right star and lower-left filled square. B has the correct upper-right filled circle but the lower-left symbol remains a filled square. C has the required upper-right filled circle and lower-left outline diamond. D shows upper-right outline diamond and lower-left filled circle, matching panel 4 rather than the next state. E has the correct lower-left outline diamond but incorrectly retains an upper-right star.
How to spot it
- A shape changes form but stays in roughly the same position
- The number of sides increases (or decreases) systematically
- After N frames, the same shape reappears (cycle detection)
Common traps
- Missing the cycle reset — predicting the next shape instead of the first
- Confusing shape cycle with size change (shapes morph vs grow)
- Not noticing that the cycle combines with a separate position rule
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