Progression facts for kids

Progression means moving forward or developing step by step. It's like a journey where you go from one point to the next in a clear order. This idea shows up in many different areas, from numbers and music to how things change over time.

Progression in Math

In mathematics, a progression is a special kind of sequence of numbers. Each number in the sequence follows a specific rule.

Arithmetic Progression

An Arithmetic progression is a list of numbers where the difference between any two numbers next to each other is always the same. This constant difference is called the common difference. For example, in the sequence 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, the common difference is 2. You just keep adding 2 to get the next number.

Geometric Progression

A Geometric progression is a list of numbers where each number after the first is found by multiplying the previous one by a fixed, non-zero number. This number is called the common ratio. For example, in the sequence 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, the common ratio is 2. You multiply by 2 to get the next number.

Progression in Music

In music, progression refers to how sounds and harmonies move from one to another.

Chord Progression

A Chord progression is a series of musical chords played in a specific order. These progressions create the harmonic backbone of a song. They help give a song its mood, whether it's happy, sad, or exciting. Many popular songs use similar chord progressions. For example, a very common chord progression is C-G-Am-F. This means you play a C major chord, then a G major chord, then an A minor chord, and finally an F major chord.

Types of Chord Progressions

• Backdoor progression: This is a special way of moving to the "home" chord (the tonic) from a chord that is a half-step below it. It adds a unique flavor to the music.
• Omnibus progression: This is a complex chord progression that moves through many different chords, often using chromatic (half-step) movements. It creates a rich and flowing sound.
• Ragtime progression: This is a specific chord progression often found in ragtime music. It helps give ragtime its bouncy and energetic feel.

Progression in Other Fields

The idea of progression also appears in other areas of life and study.

Age Progression

Age progression is the process of showing how a person's face might change over time as they get older. This is often used in forensic science to create images of missing people as they would look years later. It helps in finding people who have been missing for a long time.

Color Progression

Color progression refers to how colors change or blend from one to another. Think of a rainbow, where colors smoothly transition from red to orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Artists and designers use color progression to create visual effects and moods.

Semantic Progression

Semantic progression is about how the meaning of words changes over time. Words can gain new meanings, lose old ones, or shift their meaning entirely. For example, the word "nice" used to mean "silly" or "ignorant" hundreds of years ago, but now it means "pleasant" or "kind." This shows how language is always evolving.

See also

In Spanish: Progresión para niños