There is no NEXT number.
Suppose x was the next number.
That means 38 is less than x and there is no number between 38 and x (otherwise x would not be next.
Well, what about (38+x)/2?
It is easy to show that this is bigger than 38 and smaller than x so is between the two.
There goes the supposition that x was the next number.
So what about (38+x)/2?
The number halfway between 38 and this one will be better.
And the number halfway between 38 and the next one will be better,
etc,
etc,
etc.
The next whole number that comes after 38 is 39 :)
The next composite number after 38 is 39. It is divisible to 3 and 13 in addition to 1 and 39.
304. Each number is twice the previous number.
20
12
18
20
38, 36, 30, 28, 22
18
1833
20
It could be 62.