Chapter 1
Chapter 1
1
Draw a Diagram
Diagrams are often the key to getting started on a problem.
They can clarify relationships that appear complicated when
written. Electrical engineers draw diagrams of circuit boards
to help them visualize the relationships among a computer’s
electrical components.
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Andrew and his friends have formed a fantasy basketball league in which each
team will play three games against each of the other teams. There are seven
teams: the (Texas A&M) Aggies, the (Purdue) Boilermakers, the (Alabama)
Crimson Tide, the (Oregon) Ducks, the (Boston College) Eagles, the (Air
Force) Falcons, and the (Florida) Gators. How many games will be played in
all? Do this problem before reading on.
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C E
D
C
E
D
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A B C D E F G
MODEL TRAIN
Esther’s model train is set up on a circular track. Six telephone poles are spaced
evenly around the track. The engine of Esther’s train takes 10 seconds to go
from the first pole to the third pole. How long would it take the engine to go
all the way around the track? Solve the problem before reading on.
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If you read the problem quickly and solved it in your head, you
might think the answer is 20 seconds. After all, the problem states that
the engine can go from the first pole to the third pole in 10 seconds,
which is three poles out of six and apparently halfway around the
track. So it would take the engine 2 times 10, or 20 seconds, to go all
the way around the track. But this answer is wrong. The correct answer
becomes apparent when you look at a diagram.
Rena’s diagram is shown at
right. Rena explained that the
train goes one-third of the way
around the track in 10 seconds,
not halfway around the track. 1.
So the train goes around the
entire track in 3 times
10 seconds, or 30 seconds.
Phong drew the same diagram, 10 SECS.
but he interpreted it differently.
He explained that if it takes
10 seconds to go from the first pole to the third pole, then it takes
5 seconds to go from the first pole to the second pole. So it takes
5 seconds to go from pole to pole. There are six poles, so it takes the
train 30 seconds to go all the way around the track.
Pete interpreted the problem as Phong did, but he didn’t draw a
diagram. Thus, he neglected the fact that the train must return from
the sixth pole to the first pole in order to travel all the way around
the track. Therefore, he got the incorrect answer 25 seconds.
The diagram helped Rena and Phong solve the Model Train problem.
If you used a diagram to solve the problem, you probably got the
correct solution. If you were able to get the correct solution without
drawing a diagram, think back on your process. You probably
visualized the train track in your mind, so even though you didn’t
actually draw a diagram, you could “see” a picture.
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Do you get the picture? Do you see why diagrams are important?
Research shows that most good problem solvers draw diagrams
for almost every problem they solve. Don’t resist drawing a diagram
because you think that you can’t draw, or that smart people use
only equations to solve problems, or whatever. Just draw it!
Curly used a shovel to dig his own swimming pool. He figured he needed
a pool because digging it was hard work and he could use it to cool off after
working on it all day. He also planned to build a rectangular concrete deck
around the pool that would be 6 feet wide at all points. The pool is rectangular
and measures 14 feet by 40 feet. What is the area of the deck? As usual,
solve this problem before continuing.
Jeff drew the diagram below to show the correct dimensions of the
deck and pool, which together are 12 feet longer and 12 feet wider
than the pool alone.
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Rajesh used the same diagram, but he solved the problem by first
computing the area of the deck along the sides of the pool, then adding
in the corners of the deck.
May’s diagram shows the corners attached to the length of the deck.
52 ft x 6 ft = 312 sq ft
312 sq ft x 2 = 624 sq ft for extended lengths
14 ft x 6 ft = 84 sq ft
84 sq ft x 2 = 168 sq ft for widths
Total = 624 sq ft + 168 sq ft = 792 sq ft
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Herb solved this problem by first computing the area of the pool
and the deck together, then subtracting the area of the pool, leaving the
area of the deck.
FARMER BEN
Farmer Ben has only ducks and cows. He can’t remember how many of
each he has, but he doesn’t need to remember because he knows he has
22 animals and that 22 is also his age. He also knows that the animals have
a total of 56 legs, because 56 is also his father’s age. Assuming that each
animal has all legs intact and no extra limbs, how many of each animal does
Farmer Ben have? Do this problem, and then read on.
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much of an artist, so you just have to believe that these are ducks.)
“I gave each animal two legs because ducks have two legs.”
“Then I converted the ducks into cows by drawing extra legs. The
ducks alone had 44 of the 56 legs initially, so I drew 12 more legs, or
six pairs, on 6 ducks to turn them into cows. So there are 6 cows and
16 ducks.”
Of course, Farmer Ben might have a problem when his father turns
57 next year.
Draw a Diagram
Any idea that can be represented with a picture can be communicated
more effectively with that picture. By making visible what a person
is thinking, a diagram becomes a problem-solving strategy. A diagram
clarifies ideas and communicates those ideas to anyone who looks
at it. Diagrams are used in many jobs, especially those that require a
planning stage. Occupational diagrams include blueprints, project flow
charts, and concept maps, to name a few. Diagrams are often necessary
to show position, directions, or complicated multidimensional
If you can visualize relationships, because pictures communicate these ideas more easily
it, draw a diagram. and more clearly than words.
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Problem Set A
You must draw a diagram to solve each problem.
1. WO R M J O U R N E Y
2. U P S A N D D OW N S O F S H O P P I N G
3. F O L L OW T H E B O U N C I N G B A L L
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4. FLOOR TILES
5. S TO N E N E C K L A C E
Arvilla laid out the stones for a necklace in a big circle, with each stone
spaced an equal distance from its neighbors. She then counted the
stones in order around the circle. Unfortunately, before she finished
counting she lost track of where she had started, but she realized
that she could figure out how many stones were in the circle after she
noticed that the sixth stone was directly opposite the seventeenth
stone. How many stones are in the necklace?
6. DA N G E R O U S M A N E U V E R S
Arachnid to Lupine?
7. R AC E
Becky, Ruby, Isabel, Lani, Alma, and Sabrina ran an 800-meter race.
Alma beat Isabel by 7 meters. Sabrina beat Becky by 12 meters.
Alma finished 5 meters ahead of Lani but 3 meters behind Sabrina.
Ruby finished halfway between the first and last women. In what
order did the women finish? What were the distances between them?
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8. A W H O L E L OT TA S H A K I N ’ G O I N ’ O N !
If six people met at a party and all shook hands with one another, how
many handshakes would be exchanged?
9. H AY W I R E
Amy is just learning how to rock climb. Her instructor takes her to
a 26-foot climbing wall for her first time. She climbs 5 feet in 2 minutes
but then slips back 2 feet in 10 seconds. This pattern (up 5 feet, down
2 feet) continues until she reaches the top. How long will it take her
to reach the very top of the wall?
1This problem was written by Jen Adorjan, a student at Sierra College in Rocklin,
California.
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11. C I R C U L A R TA B L E
12. T H E H U N G RY B O O K WO R M
13. B U S I N G TA B L E S 2
Brian buses tables at a local café. To bus a table, he must clear the dirty
dishes and reset the table for the next set of customers. One night he
noticed that for every three-fifths of a table that he bused, another
table of customers would get up and leave. He also noticed that right
after he finished busing a table, a new table of customers would come
into the restaurant. However, once every table was empty (no diners
were left in the restaurant), nobody else came into the restaurant.
Suppose there were six tables with customers and one unbused
table. How many new tables of customers would come in before
the restaurant was empty? After the last table of customers had left,
how many tables were unbused?
14. W R I T E YO U R OW N P R O B L E M
2This problem was written by Brian Strand, a student at Sierra College in Rocklin,
California.
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C L A S S I C P RO B L E M S
15. THE WEIGHT OF A BRICK
Adapted from Mathematical Puzzles of Sam Loyd, vol. 2, edited by Martin Gardner.
16. T H E M OTO R C Y C L I S T A N D T H E H O R S E M A N
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