1. Let's analyze the series: 2, 7, 14, 23, 34, 47, 62, ___? \n 2. First, find the differences between consecutive terms: \n $7 - 2 = 5$, \n $14 - 7 = 7$, \n $23 - 14 = 9$, \n $34 - 23 = 11$, \n $47 - 34 = 13$, \n $62 - 47 = 15$. \n 3. The differences are 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, which increase by 2 each time. This suggests the difference sequence is arithmetic with common difference 2. \n 4. To find the next difference, add 2 to the last difference: \n $15 + 2 = 17$. \n 5. Add this to the last term in the original series to find the next term: \n $62 + 17 = 79$. \n 6. Therefore, the next number in the series is \n $$79$$.