Complete the series.2, 6, 12, 20, 30, 42, ___

The given series follows a pattern where consecutive numbers are represented as $n\times (n+1)$:$1\times 2=2$$2\times 3=6$$3\times 4=12$$4\times 5=20$$5\times 6=30$$6\times 7=42$ Following this pattern, the next term will be $7\times 8=56$.Alternatively, looking at the differences between consecutive terms: 4, 6, 8, 10, 12. The next difference is 14. $42+14=56$.