Lesson 1

Discover

 

Take a minute and think back to the last time you played rock, paper, scissors against one of your friends. Did you win? lose? draw? What strategy did you use? There are many ways that you can win at rock, paper, and scissors, but is there a strategy that works all the time?

 

Strategies for solving a puzzle or winning a game can be quite different. One strategy is not necessarily better than another. Each strategy has its own strengths and weaknesses, and some are more appropriate in certain situations while others are not. In fact, participants may change their strategy several times throughout a game based on their own performance or an opponent’s performance.

 

Imagine a chess match where one opponent’s moves might change from defensive to offensive in order to win or a curling game where a rock is sacrificed to set a guard to save or gain a point. These are strategies designed to help someone win a game.

 

Try This 1

 

Logic puzzles can be very challenging. Reading each word carefully is the key to solving the puzzle. Use a variety of problem-solving techniques that you have learned from past courses to help you solve the Sport Kids Puzzle.

 

Sport Kids Puzzle

 

The young girls in this puzzle are Diane, Jackie, and Sarah. The young boys are Chuck and Harry.

 

From the clues provided, determine what

• sport each young person plays: baseball, basketball, soccer, swimming, volleyball
• town they are from: Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Sherwood Park, St. Albert
• their father does for a living: baker, carpenter, mechanic, real-estate agent, teacher

Clue 1: The soccer player’s father is a real-estate agent. The mechanic is the father of neither Harry nor the baseball player.

 

Clue 2: The teacher’s daughter from Red Deer is neither Jackie nor the swimmer.

 

Clue 3: Diane is playing division 1 volleyball. Sarah’s father is not the mechanic.

Clue 4: The basketball player lives in St. Albert.

Clue 5: Chuck's father is a baker who neither lives nor works in Sherwood Park.

Clue 6: Sarah, who lives in Calgary, is not a baseball player.

Clue 7: Harry has no interest in swimming or basketball.

 

Clue 8: The retired carpenter and his daughter drove to Edmonton, where one of the other players lives, for a competition.

 

Clue 9: Chuck was scheduled to play an away game in Red Deer, but the game was rained out.

 

Clue 10: Sarah is the only athlete that does not compete as part of a team.

Save your responses in your course folder.

 

Share 1

 

Compare your strategy for solving the Sport Kids Puzzle with another student or group. Discuss with your teacher how you will connect with other students for Share activities in this course. This may be done in person or virtually. For instance, you may want to post your response to the discussion board or have a video conference with another student. For more information on Share discussions, refer to the Course Introduction.

 

In your discussion, answer the following questions:

• What were the similarities and differences between the strategies used?
• Were all the strategies successful?
• Is there more than one possible solution? If so, what is it?

If required, place a summary of your discussion in your course folder.

 

In the Sport Kids Puzzle, a different strategy may have been used by you and your partner. The success of a strategy in this case is based on guessing what sport each child played, what town they are from, and what their father does for a living. To learn more, open the piece titled Sport Kids Puzzle Solution.