Quadrants & Sectors
A frame divided into regions with independent rules per region. Multi-zone reasoning required.
Understanding this pattern
Quadrant patterns divide each frame into 2-4 sectors, each governed by its own rule. One quadrant might rotate while another accumulates. The challenge is decomposing the problem into independent sub-problems and solving each separately. These are the highest-difficulty patterns, requiring parallel tracking of multiple rules.
Example Question
Pattern Rule
Each frame contains a square divided into four quadrants, each decorated with a distinct pattern (e.g., dot, cross, stripe, empty). From frame to frame, the set of decorations rotates clockwise by one quadrant position, so no decoration ever occupies the same quadrant it held in the immediately preceding frame (anti-overlap constraint).
Explanation
Option C is correct because it is the only choice in which every decoration has advanced exactly one quadrant clockwise relative to the previous frame, satisfying the anti-overlap rule that no decoration may remain in its prior quadrant. Distractors are carefully constructed to be tempting: some options rotate counter-clockwise (plausible but wrong direction), some shift by two positions instead of one (visually close but off by one step), and others keep one quadrant decoration fixed while rotating the rest, which violates the strict full-rotation rule. Recognising the 'decorated quadrants' family means testing the entire set of four quadrant decorations as a unit rather than tracking individual elements in isolation.
How to spot it
- The frame has visible dividers creating distinct regions
- Different regions seem to follow different rules
- Changes in one region do not affect another region
Common traps
- Trying to find one global rule instead of per-region rules
- Getting overwhelmed and not systematically checking each quadrant
- Assuming all quadrants follow the same rule at different phases
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