The given sequence is 6, 8, 12, 42, 160, ? and we are required to find the next number in the sequence. Let's analyze the given sequence to identify the pattern and find the missing number.

Pattern Analysis:
- Looking at the sequence, we can see that each number is obtained by multiplying the previous number by a certain factor and then adding a constant term.
- To find this factor and constant term, let's calculate the differences between consecutive terms in the sequence.

Differences between Consecutive Terms:
- The difference between the second and first terms is 8 - 6 = 2.
- The difference between the third and second terms is 12 - 8 = 4.
- The difference between the fourth and third terms is 42 - 12 = 30.
- The difference between the fifth and fourth terms is 160 - 42 = 118.

Pattern for Differences:
- The differences between consecutive terms are not constant, indicating that the pattern is more complex.
- However, let's calculate the differences between these differences to see if there is a consistent pattern.

Differences between Differences:
- The difference between the second and first differences is 4 - 2 = 2.
- The difference between the third and second differences is 30 - 4 = 26.
- The difference between the fourth and third differences is 118 - 30 = 88.

Pattern for Differences of Differences:
- The differences between differences are not constant either, indicating a more complex pattern.

Alternative Approach:
- Since the differences between consecutive terms and differences of differences do not reveal a clear pattern, let's try an alternative approach.
- We can try to find a pattern for the ratios of consecutive terms in the sequence.

Ratios between Consecutive Terms:
- The ratio between the second and first terms is 8/6 = 4/3.
- The ratio between the third and second terms is 12/8 = 3/2.
- The ratio between the fourth and third terms is 42/12 = 7/2.
- The ratio between the fifth and fourth terms is 160/42 = 80/21.

Pattern for Ratios:
- Looking at the ratios, we can observe that the denominators are increasing by a factor of 1 each time, while the numerators are increasing by a different factor each time.
- Let's calculate the differences between the numerators to see if there is a consistent pattern.

Differences between Numerators:
- The difference between the second and first numerators is (4 - 3) = 1.
- The difference between the third and second numerators is (3 - 7) = -4.
- The difference between the fourth and third numerators is (7 - 80) = -73.

Pattern for Differences between Numerators:
- The differences between numerators are not constant, indicating a more complex pattern.

Conclusion:
- After analyzing the given sequence using different approaches, it appears that there is no clear and consistent pattern that can be used to determine the next number.
- Therefore, it is likely that the missing number does not follow a simple mathematical pattern and may require additional information or context to determine.
- Without