1. Lesson 3

1.4. Discover

Mathematics 20-1 Module 1

Module 1: Sequences and Series

 

Discover
 
Try This 1

 

Look at the photos showing different human pyramids.

 

This shows a photo collage of four different human pyramids. Each pyramid is composed of a different number of people. Pyramid A has three people on the bottom, two in the middle, and one on top. Pyramid B has two people on each of the first two rows, and one person on the third row. Pyramid C has four people in the first row, three in the second row, and one person on top. Pyramid D has four people on the bottom, three people in the second row, two people in the third row, and one person on top.

A: Comstock/Thinkstock, B: Photodisc/Thinkstock, C: Photodisc/Thinkstock, D: Photodisc/Thinkstock

  1. Which two pyramids have people arranged by row in a way that can be described by an arithmetic sequence?

  2. How many people would it take to create a 100-level pyramid?
Share 1

 

With a classmate or group, tackle these tasks.

  1. Share and compare the different strategies used to find the number of people in a 100-level pyramid. What are the benefits and drawbacks of each strategy?

  2. Develop a method to determine the number of people it would take to build an n-level pyramid, where n is the number of levels in the pyramid.

course folder Save the strategy your group develops in your course folder. You will use your notes later in the lesson.