1. Lesson 3

1.5. Explore 4

Mathematics 30-3 Module 2

Module 2: Number

 

The previous problems have highlighted a number of strategies for solving puzzles:

 

Strategy

Example Problems
(from earlier in this lesson)

Draw a picture
  • Gears
  • Chickens and Pigs
  • Blocks of Wood
  • Prisoners and Hats

Create a table to organize information
  • Time to Midnight
  • Sports Kids Puzzle
  • Husbands and Wives

Logic
  • All Problems

 

Note that logical reasoning was used in all of the puzzles. The logical reasoning you used was the process of drawing conclusions based on the information given. When solving puzzles you may use a variety of strategies that use logical reasoning.

 

Following are some strategies that may be useful:

  • looking for patterns
  • guessing and checking
  • eliminating possibilities
  • working backwards
  • simplifying or rewording the original problem

In the next Self-Check you will have a chance to use logical reasoning to solve a puzzle game.

 

Self-Check 3

 

Did You Know?

This is a photo of a man playing Sudoku.

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Sudoku is a puzzle game that is popular around the world. It often appears in newspapers next to the crossword puzzle. The modern game was invented in America in 1979 under a different name, but the game was made popular in Japan in the late 1980s and renamed Sudoku. Sudoku is not a math game but a logic game. There are no calculations involved, and it could be played with letters or symbols. Playing Sudoku regularly can help boost concentration and focus. Some of the fastest times to complete Sudoku at the World Sudoku Championship are under two minutes.

Sudoku is a popular puzzle game where a player completes a given, partially completed, 9 by 9 grid by filling in the missing numbers. The 9 by 9 grid is broken into smaller 3 by 3 regions. Each row, column, and region contains nine cells each. The numbers 1 to 9 are filled in to complete the puzzle. The rules for Sudoku are as follows:

  • Each row of the 9 by 9 grid contains the numbers 1 through 9 only once.
  • Each column of the 9 by 9 grid contains the numbers 1 through 9 only once.
  • Each 3 by 3 smaller grid contains the numbers 1 through 9 only once.

     

     
    This is an illustration of a 9 by 9 Sudoku game grid .


 

internet

  1. Search the Internet for a Sudoku game (use the keywords “wolfram sudoku demo” as your search term). Open the game and set the difficulty to a low number, such as 20, and try to complete the puzzle and check your answers. Once you have solved that puzzle, increase the difficulty and try again.

     

  2. Explain and verify a strategy you used to solve the Sudoku game. Answer