The sequence provided is: 61, 54, 47, 40.

To find the pattern, let's examine the difference between consecutive terms:

1. $54 - 61 = -7$
2. $47 - 54 = -7$
3. $40 - 47 = -7$

The difference between each consecutive term is $-7$. This indicates that the pattern is an arithmetic sequence where each term is 7 less than the previous term.

Next number:
To find the next number in the sequence, subtract 7 from the last number, 40:

$40 - 7 = 33$

So, the next number in the sequence is 33.

Would you like more details or have any questions about the pattern?

---

Here are five related questions to expand on this topic:

1. What is the general formula for the $n$th term in this arithmetic sequence?
2. How can you determine the common difference in any arithmetic sequence?
3. Can you find the sum of the first 10 terms in this sequence?
4. How would the sequence change if the difference was instead $-5$?
5. What happens to the sequence if you add a constant to each term?

Tip: When identifying a pattern, always check the differences between terms first; this helps determine if the sequence is arithmetic, geometric, or something else.