The next number in the series is 6.
To understand how we arrived at this conclusion, let’s take a closer look at the pattern in the series:
- The first three numbers are 1, 12, 1. The first and last are the same, and the middle number is significantly larger.
- Next, we see 6, which is half of 12. The following 1 marks a return to the initial value.
- Then, we move to 3. Here we can see that 6 is halved to give us the next significant value, which is 3.
- Next is 2, which seems to indicate a division by 1.5 or a decrease.
- Finally, we see a return to 3, which is a part of the earlier sequence.
Continuing this pattern, we see that each segment seems to alternate between a higher number and a lower sequence. As such, following 3, the next logical number to continue the pattern is 6.