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Chapter 1

The document discusses using diagrams to solve problems. It provides the example of a student, Rita, solving a problem about a fantasy basketball league using teams. Rita drew a diagram showing the 7 teams arranged in a circle. She then drew lines between each team to represent the games that would be played between each pair of teams. This allowed her to visualize and solve how many total games would be played in the league using the diagrammatic approach.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
2K views16 pages

Chapter 1

The document discusses using diagrams to solve problems. It provides the example of a student, Rita, solving a problem about a fantasy basketball league using teams. Rita drew a diagram showing the 7 teams arranged in a circle. She then drew lines between each team to represent the games that would be played between each pair of teams. This allowed her to visualize and solve how many total games would be played in the league using the diagrammatic approach.

Uploaded by

cribd
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 16

2722_KC_Johnson_Ch01 9/22/03 10:57 AM Page 9

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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Y ou’ve probably heard the old saying “One picture is worth a


thousand words.” Most people nod in agreement when this
statement is made, without realizing just how powerful a picture,
or a diagram, can be. (Note that words in bold type are terms that are
defined in this book’s glossary.) A diagram has many advantages over
verbal communication. For example, a diagram can show positional
relationships far more easily and clearly than a verbal description can.
To attempt to clarify ideas in their own minds, some people talk to
themselves or to others about those ideas. Similarly, a diagram can help
clarify ideas and solve problems that lend themselves to visual
representations.
One of the best examples of a diagram in the professional world is
a blueprint. An architect’s blueprint expresses ideas concisely in a
visual form that leaves little to interpretation. Words are added only
to indicate details that are not visually evident. A blueprint illustrates
one of the strengths of diagrams: the ability to present the “whole
picture” immediately.
Problem solving often revolves around how information is organized.
When you draw a diagram, you organize information spatially, which
then allows the visual part of your brain to become more involved in
the problem-solving process. In this chapter you will learn how you
can use diagrams to clarify ideas and solve a variety of problems. You’ll
improve your diagramming abilities, and you’ll discover that a diagram
can help you understand and correctly interpret the information
contained in a problem. You’ll also see the value of using diagrams
as a problem-solving strategy.
Solve this problem by drawing a diagram.

VIRTUAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE

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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As you read in the Introduction, you’ll see many different problems


as you work through this book. The problems are indicated by an icon
of an attentive dog. To get the maximum benefit from the book, solve
each of the problems before reading on. You gain a lot by solving
problems, even if your answers are incorrect. The process you use to
solve each problem is what you should concentrate on.
You could use many different diagrams to solve the Virtual
Basketball League problem, but you could also solve this problem in
ways that do not involve diagrams. As you also read in the Introduction,
throughout this book you will see some of the same problems in
different chapters and solve them with different strategies. You will
become a better problem solver in two ways: by solving many different
problems and by solving the same problem in many different ways. In
this chapter, the solutions involve diagrams. If you solved the Virtual
Basketball League problem without using a diagram, try solving it
again with a diagram before reading on.
What comes next is a solution process that is attributed to a student.
The people mentioned in this book are real students who took a
problem-solving class at either Sierra College in Rocklin, California, or
at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, California. In those
classes, the students presented their solutions on the board to their
classmates. Ted Herr and Ken Johnson, two of the authors of this book,
taught these classes. Our students presented their solutions because we
felt that the other students in class would benefit greatly from seeing
many different approaches to the same problem. We didn’t judge each
student’s solution in any way. Rather, we asked each member of the
class to examine each solution that was presented and decide which
approach or approaches were valid or, perhaps, better. The purpose
behind shifting this responsibility from the instructor to the students
is to give the students practice in evaluating problem solving.
We have tried to re-create the same learning atmosphere in this
book. Sometimes you’ll see several different approaches to a problem
in this book, but for the most part those approaches and the resulting
solutions won’t be judged. You are encouraged to evaluate the quality
of the approaches. You may have been led to believe that there is
always one right way—and many wrong ways—to solve problems.
This notion couldn’t be further from the truth. There are many right
ways to solve problems, and you are encouraged to solve the problems
in this book more than once, using different methods.

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Here’s how Rita solved the Virtual A G


Basketball League problem: She drew
a diagram that showed the letters B F
representing each team arranged in
a circle.
C E
D

She then drew a line from A to B to A G


represent the games played between the
Aggies and the Boilermakers. Then she B F
drew a line from A to C to represent the
games played between the Aggies and
the Crimson Tide. C E
D

She finished representing the Aggies’ A G


games by drawing lines from A to D,
E, F, and G. B F

C E
D

Next she drew the lines for the A G


Boilermakers. She’d already drawn a line
from A to B to represent the games the B F
Boilermakers played against the Aggies, so
the first line she drew for the Boilermakers
was from B to C. C E
D

She continued drawing lines to represent A


the games that the Boilermakers played G
against each other team.
B F

C
E
D

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From C she drew lines only to D, E, F, A G


and G because the lines from C to A and
from C to B had already been drawn. She B F
continued in this way, completing her
diagram by drawing the lines needed to
represent the games played by the rest of C E
the teams in the league. Note that when
D
she finally got to the Gators, she did not
need to draw any more lines because the games the Gators played
against each other team had already been represented with a line.
She then counted the lines she’d drawn. There were 21. She
multiplied 21 by 3 (remember that each line represented three games)
and came up with an answer of 63 games. Finally, Rita made sure that
she’d answered the question asked. The question was “How many
games will be played in all?” Her answer, “Sixty-three games will be
played,” accurately answers the question.
Mirka solved this problem with the diagram below. She also used
the letters A, B, C, D, E, F, and G to represent the teams. She arranged
the letters in a row and, as Rita did, she drew lines from team to team
to represent games played. She started by drawing lines from A to
the other letters, then from B to the other letters, and so on. She drew
21 lines, multiplied 21 by 3, and got an answer of 63 games.

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!

THE POOL DECK

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.

The diagram helps show the difficult parts of the problem.


However, Jeff solved the problem incorrectly by finding the outside
perimeter of the pool and the deck together, then multiplying the
perimeter by the width of the deck.

52 feet + 26 feet + 52 feet + 26 feet = 156 feet


156 feet x 6 feet = 936 square feet

His approach is incorrect because it counts each corner twice.

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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.

Two lengths: 40 ft x 6 ft x 2 = 480 sq ft


Two widths: 14 ft x 6 ft x 2 = 168 sq ft
Four corners: 6 ft x 6 ft x 4 = 144 sq ft
Total 792 sq ft

May’s diagram shows the corners attached to the length of the deck.

She calculated the area as follows:

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.

Area of entire figure = 52 ft x 26 ft = 1352 sq ft


Area of pool alone = 40 ft x 14 ft = 560 sq ft
Area of deck = 1352 ft – 560 ft = 792 sq ft

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.

Trent drew the following diagram:

He then explained his thinking: “These 22 circles represent the


22 animals. First, I made all of the animals into ducks.” (Trent is not

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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

A worm is at the bottom of a


12-foot wall. Every day the
worm crawls up 3 feet, but at
night it slips down 2 feet.
How many days does it take
the worm to get to the top of
the wall?

2. U P S A N D D OW N S O F S H O P P I N G

Roberto is shopping in a large department store with many floors. He


enters the store on the middle floor from a skyway and immediately
goes to the credit department. After making sure his credit is good, he
goes up three floors to the housewares department. Then he goes down
five floors to the children’s department. Then he goes up six floors to
the TV department. Finally, he goes down ten floors to the main entrance
of the store, which is on the first floor, and leaves to go to another store
down the street. How many floors does the department store have?

3. F O L L OW T H E B O U N C I N G B A L L

A ball rebounds one-half the height from which it is dropped. The


ball is dropped from a height of 160 feet and keeps on bouncing. What
is the total vertical distance the ball will travel from the moment it is
dropped to the moment it hits the floor for the fifth time?

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4. FLOOR TILES

How many 9-inch-square floor tiles are needed to cover a rectangular


floor that measures 12 feet by 15 feet?

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

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, the army set up training camps


named Arachnid, Feline, Canine, Lupine, Bovine, and Thirty-Nine.
Several camps are connected by roads:
Arachnid is 15 miles from Canine, Bovine is 12 miles from Lupine,
Feline is 6 miles from Thirty-Nine, Lupine is 3 miles from Canine,
Bovine is 9 miles from Thirty-Nine, Bovine is 7 miles from Canine,
Thirty-Nine is 1 mile from Arachnid, and Feline is 11 miles from Lupine.
No other pairs of training camps are connected by roads.
Answer each of the following questions (in each answer, indicate
both the mileage and the route): What is the shortest route from

Feline to Bovine? Canine to Thirty-Nine?

Lupine to Thirty-Nine? Lupine to Bovine?

Canine to Feline? Arachnid to Feline?

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

A telephone system in a major manufacturing company has gone


haywire. The system will complete certain calls only over certain
sets of wires. So, to get a message to someone, an employee of the
company first has to call another employee to start a message on a
route to the person the call is for. As far as the company can determine,
these are the connections:
Cherlondia can call Al and Shirley (this means that Cherlondia can call
them, but neither Al nor Shirley can call Cherlondia). Al can call Max.
Wolfgang can call Darlene, and Darlene can call Wolfgang back.
Sylvia can call Dalamatia and Henry. Max can get calls only from Al.
Carla can call Sylvia and Cherlondia. Shirley can call Darlene.
Max can call Henry. Darlene can call Sylvia. Henry can call Carla.
Cherlondia can call Dalamatia.
How would you route a message from

Cherlondia to Darlene? Shirley to Henry?

Carla to Max? Max to Dalamatia?

Sylvia to Wolfgang? Cherlondia to Sylvia?

Henry to Wolfgang? Dalamatia to Henry?

10. ROCK CLIMBING1

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

In Amanda and Emily’s apartment, a round table is shoved into the


corner of the room. The table touches the two walls at points that are
17 inches apart. How far is the center of the table from the corner?

12. T H E H U N G RY B O O K WO R M

Following is an expansion of a well-known problem:


The four volumes of The World of Mathematics by James R. Newman
are sitting side by side on a bookshelf, in order, with volume 1 on the
left. A bookworm tunnels through the front cover of volume 1 all the
way through the back cover of volume 4. Each book has a front cover
and a back cover that each measure 1⁄ 16 inch. The pages of each book
measure 11⁄ 8 inches. How far does the bookworm tunnel?

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

In each chapter you’ll be given the opportunity to write your own


problem that can be solved by using the strategy you studied in that
chapter. The book will give you suggestions for how to go about
writing these problems. Each time you write your own problem, solve
it yourself to be sure that it’s solvable. Then give it to another student
to solve and, as needed, to help you with the problem’s wording.

2This problem was written by Brian Strand, a student at Sierra College in Rocklin,
California.

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Create your own Draw a Diagram problem. Model it after either


this chapter’s Worm Journey problem or Ups and Downs of Shopping
problem.

C L A S S I C P RO B L E M S
15. THE WEIGHT OF A BRICK

If a brick balances with three-quarters of a brick and three-quarters of a


pound, then how much does the brick weigh?

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

A motorcyclist was sent by the post office to meet a plane at the


airport. The plane landed ahead of schedule, and its mail was taken
toward the post office by horse. After half an hour, the horseman met
the motorcyclist on the road and gave him the mail. The motorcyclist
returned to the post office 20 minutes before he was expected. How
many minutes early did the plane land?

Adapted from The Moscow Puzzles by Boris Kordemsky.

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