Oct 15, 2008

Problem #4

The Penny Problem

If you had 9 pennies that fit on a 3x3 grid, and they were positioned so all the pennies were face down except the one in the middle. Could you end up with all the pennies facing the same direction if you could only flip all the pennies in each row or column?

Problem # 3

The Locker Problem

There are 150 lockers numbered 1 to 150, all shut and unlocked. The school has 150 students. Suppose the first student goes along and opens every locker (starting at locker number 1). The second student shuts every second locker. The third student then changes the state of every third locker beginning with locker number 3 (If the locker is shut the student opens it, if the locker is open the student would shut it). The fourth student changes the state of every fourth locker beginning with locker number 4. Imagine that this pattern continues until every student (1-150) have followed this pattern. At the end, how many lockers will be open? Explain your thinking.

Sep 17, 2008

Estimation

Visit this site, play the simulation, and answer the question below.

http://phet.colorado.edu/new/simulations/sims.php?sim=Estimation


Why is estimation a math skill?