Lesson 3
1. Lesson 3
Module 2: Logic and Geometry
Lesson 3: Proving Conjectures
Focus
Magicians frequently amaze their audience with their ability to guess which card a participant has picked from a deck of cards. Can magicians really read minds? Or is the guess a result of some other trick of the trade?
Perhaps the deck of cards is only made up of a few different cards like the 2 of spades and 2 of diamonds. This is called a stacked deck because it greatly decreases the number of possible cards the participant may have chosen. By asking questions like “Is your card red?” the magician can use reasoning to make conjectures and ultimately determine which card the participant is holding.
A lot of different games can be solved using logical reasoning. Logic games and number tricks are examples of games where reasoning plays an important role. Logical reasoning can be used to prove that a trick works or, in some cases, doesn’t work. It can help find a solution to puzzles or games that are not logic games.
Did You Know?
There have been hundreds of articles and books written about mathematical games. Martin Gardner (1914–2010) is one author who was extremely influential in attracting people to recreational mathematics. His column in Scientific American introduced many people to the idea that mathematics could be fun.
This lesson will help you answer the following inquiry question:
- How can logical reasoning be used to prove conjectures made about games and puzzles?
Assessment
- Lesson 3 Assignment
All assessment items you encounter need to be placed in your course folder.
Save a copy of the Lesson 3 Assignment to your course folder. You will receive more information about how to complete the assignment later in this lesson.