CHAPTER 3

PROBLEM SOLVING AND REASONING

I think, therefore I am. A simple statement from René Descartes, yep the same one responsible for the
Cartesian plane, that many believe to be the essence of what is it to be human. Although humans also move by
instinct, most of our decisions when facing problems are guided by reasoning, whether flawed or perfect. Even
with the most basic problems, such as “I am hungry, what do I eat?” still requires us to think.

But what does it really mean by thinking? According to neuroscientists thinking is a conscious process of
using one's mind to consider or reason about something. There are many types of thinking but problem solving
and reasoning are two key types.

In this chapter we are going to discuss the basics of problem solving and reasoning, specifically for
mathematical problems.

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BSU-CAS-MPS-LEARNING MODULE 1 -1st Semester AY 2021-2022

 Lesson 3.1
TYPES OF REASONING

Objectives
At the end of the lesson, students are expected to be able to
1. Identify if an argument is inductive or deductive in nature. Apply inductive and deductive
reasoning to solve problems.

Reasoning, according to Oxford dictionary, is the action of thinking about something in a logical and
sensible way. As we can infer from the definition the so-called “gut-feeling” and “women’s intuition” are basically
not included in reasoning. Reasoning is generally classified into two types, inductive and deductive, where the
difference is on how the conclusion is obtained.

Deductive Reasoning

This type of reasoning starts with some general ideas, called premises, then applying it to a specific
situation. Deductive reasoning is also used in the scientific method to test hypotheses and theories. Scientists
and researchers predict the consequences of the theory assuming that the theory in itself is correct.

Deductive reasoning follows steps. Given a major (first) premise and a minor (second or succeeding if
there are more) premise, the last statement is the inference or conclusion. Assuming that both major and minor
premises are true then it is guaranteed that the conclusion is true. If the premises are true and the inference is
true then the reasoning is valid, otherwise it is invalid.

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 To further understand deductive reasoning, here is a classic example.

Example 3.1.1

Consider the following statements.

1. All catholic priests are men.

2. Padre Damaso is a catholic priest.
3. Therefore, Padre Damaso is a Man.

The first statement is true and so is the second statement leading to an unavoidable conclusion. If a group
possesses a certain property (in this case the group being catholic priests and the property being a man) and an
individual (Padre Damaso) is a member of the group, then the individual must possess that property.

Inductive Reasoning

This type of reasoning uses specific examples to arrive at a conclusion. Here, the conclusion serves as the
generalization of the observed pattern exhibited by a group of individual samples. Unlike deductive reasoning,
inductive reasoning does not follow a standard format. If deductive reasoning is used to prove a conclusion,
inductive reasoning is used to predict a conclusion. It does not create a definite conclusion but tries to provide
a probable one.

Example 3.2.2

Modifying the previous example,

1. Jessie is not using his bike.

2. It is raining.
3. Therefore, Jessie won’t use his bike because it is raining.

In summary,

1. Deduction gets you to a definite conclusion – if and only if all your premises are correct.
2. Deduction is from theory to experiment to validation of the theory while Induction is from observation
to generalization to theory.
3. Deduction is better in scientific/controlled settings as the facts to structure the argument are easier
to find than in the real world. On the other hand, induction is better in the real world as most often
than not we deal with incomplete information and induction gives us a most probable answer.
4. Both types of reasoning can be used to solve a single problem, however, one must not argue with the
force of deduction while actually using induction.

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 INDUCTIVE REASONING DEDUCTIVE REASONING
Uses patterns to arrive at a conclusion Uses facts, rules, definitions, or properties
to arrive at a conclusion
From a number of observations, a general From a general premise, specific results are
conclusion is drawn predicted
Induction reasons from evidence about some Is using what you know to be true in
members of a class in order to form a general to decide what must be true in a
conclusion about all members of a class specific case

A conclusion derived through inductive

reasoning is called a hypothesis and is always
less certain than the evidence itself.In other
words, the conclusion is probable.
By taking into account both general Deductive reasoning is built on creating to
examples and your understanding of how overall statements whose logical
the world works, inductive reasoning allows relationship should lead to a third
you to conclude that something is likely to statement that is undeniably certain as
be true. your conclusion.

Begins with experience or number of

observations
An assumption is made that a pattern or Begins with statements,laws,or rules
trend will continue .The result is a thatbae considered true
conjecture
Used to make educated guesses based from The result is a conclusion reached from
observations and patterns previously known facts. Conclusion is true
when all previous statements is true

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Practice Exercises

A. Determine if the following arguments are inductive or deductive.

1. All squares are rectangles and all rectangles have four sides, thus all squares have four sides.
2. Every time you eat nuts your throat swells. This is similar to people having allergic reaction to nuts.
You must be allergic to nuts.
3. Bantay is a dog and all dogs have a keen sense of smell, therefore Bantay has a keen sense of smell.
4. All cars in this town are right-hand drives. It can be safe to say that all cars in this region are right-
hand drives.

B. Provide the conclusion for the following arguments

1. The last few Marvel Cinematic Universe movies have been successful.
Black Panther 2 is an MCU movie.
Therefore, __________________________.
2. My neighbor’s cat hisses at me always.
At the pet store, all the cats hiss at me.
Therefore, __________________________.
3. All numbers ending in 0 or 5 are divisible by 5.
35 ends in 5.
Therefore, __________________________.
4. The left-handed people I know are silent.
Therefore, __________________________.

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 Exercise 3.1
Types of Reasoning

Name:___________________________ Score:_______
Course and Year:__________________ Date:________

A. Identify whether the given argument is inductive or deductive.

Answer
1. All birds have beaks. All chickens are birds. Therefore,
chickens have beaks.
2. Yennefer always leaves for school at 6:30 a.m. Yennefer is
always on time. Yennefer assumes that if she leaves at 6:30
a.m. for school today, then she will be on time.
3. Bobby is showing a big diamond ring to his friend Larry.
Bobby has told Larry that he is planning to marry Jenny. Bob
must be surprising Jenny with the diamond ring tonight.
4. All noble gases are stable. Hydrogen is a noble gas, so
hydrogen is stable.
5. All horses have manes. The Stallion is a horse; therefore,
Stallions have manes.

B. Provide the conclusion for the following arguments.

1. The first lipstick I pulled from my bag is red. The second lipstick I pulled from my
bag is red.
Therefore, _____________________________.
2. Tagpi is a stray dog. Tagpi is happy.
Therefore, _____________________________.
3. All typhoons come from the east. A typhoon is approaching.
Therefore, _____________________________.
4. Cabbages are plants, and all plants perform photosynthesis.
Therefore, _____________________________.
5. A rectangle is a quadrilateral with two pairs of parallel sides and whose interior
angles are right. A square is a quadrilateral that has two pairs of parallel sides and
whose interior angles are right.
Therefore, _____________________________.

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C. Use inductive or deductive reasoning to solve the following problems.

1. You died and you are at a fork in the road. You meet 2 guardians, one of them
always lies and one always tells the truth, of which you do not know who is who.
Of the two paths, one leads to heaven and one leads to hell. You are allowed to
both guardians one question only. What would you ask to get them lead you to
heaven?
2. You are playing Russian roulette with a six shooter revolver. You put in one bullet
and fired at the captive but no bullet comes out. You give him the choice to
either spin the chamber again or immediately fire a second round. What should
your captive choose to increase his chances of survival?
3. Three people are lined up behind each other, from shortest to tallest. They are
shown five hats, three blues and two red. The people are blindfolded and were
placed on their heads. The two extra hats were kept and the blindfolds were
removed. All of them were asked if they knew what hat they were wearing,
starting from the tallest. The tallest and the middle person both answered that he
knows. How did he know and what color is the hat he is wearing?
4. What comes next in the sequence? 2, 8, 4, 10, 6, __

5. What comes next in the sequence?

(8 X 8) + 7 =88
(87 X 8) + 6 =888
(876 X 8) + 5 =8888
(87654 X 8) + 3=888888

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 Lesson 3.2
POLYA’S PROBLEM SOLVING FRAMEWORK

Objectives
At the end of the lesson, students are expected to be able to
1. Identify the stages of Polya’s problem-solving framework;
2. Use Polya’s problem solving framework to solve worded problems.

Whether we like it or not, problem solving is involved in our daily lives, whether you are a farmer, a
housewife, a teacher, a rocket scientist or any fancy profession. Contrary to popular belief that a person simply
can or can’t do problem solving, it can actually be learned.

Polya’s Four-Stage Problem Solving

George Polya in 1947 wrote numerous mathematical papers and three books in problem solving. In his
books he stated four stages:
1. Understanding the problem
2. Making a plan
3. Carrying out the plan
4. Looking back

However, it is important to note that Polya’s stages are flexible and not to be taken literally in linear order.
To Polya, problem solving was a major theme of doing mathematics and “teaching students to think” was of
primary importance. “How to think” is a theme that underlies much of genuine inquiry and problem solving in
mathematics.

A framework is needed that emphasizes the dynamic and cyclic nature of genuine problem solving. A
student may begin with a problem and engage in thought and activity to understand it. The student attempts to
make a plan and in the process may discover a need to understand the problem better. When a plan has been
made, the student may not be able to carry it out thus a new plan may be needed. A plan may have been carried
out and was able to produce an answer however it may not answer the original problem, thus a student may
start again at understanding the problem or there may have been an error in carrying out the plan.

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 The following framework is useful for illustrating the dynamic, cyclic interpretation of Polya’s Stages.

Any of the arrows indicate the current activity of the student in the process of solving a mathematics
problem.

Understanding the Problem. Sometimes the problem lies in how a problem is understood. If you are
unclear on what to solve, then most likely you would get an incorrect answer. In order to understand the problem,
one must read the problem carefully. A lot of students jump the gun trying to solve the problem before even
reading through the problem. After reading the problem, write down what is asked then identify all the
components and data involved (given). Assign your variables.

Making a Plan. Think of ways on how you will solve the problem. Was there a similar problem you have
solved before? Is it possible to use the solution before? Is there a theorem you can use? Are there patterns?
These are some guide questions that may help you solve the problem. You may also start by drawing a diagram,
making a chart, use trial and error, work backwards, use a formula and be ingenious.

Carrying Out the Plan. Basically solve the problem based on your plan.

Looking Back. See if your answer really answers the “What is asked” part. It is important to look back as
you may have an impossible answer, i.e. a son who is older than his father.

Problem Posing

Problem posing or problem formulation is another aspect of problem solving that is seldom included in
textbooks. Polya did not talk specifically about problem posing, but the spirit and format is included in his
illustration of looking back. Problem posing is basically extending the problem with a series of “what-if”
questions.
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Examples 3.2.1

Thrice the sum of a number and 5 is 4 times that number. Find the number.
Step 1: Understand the Problem
Since we are looking for a number, we
Let x = a number

Step 2: Making a Plan

In this case we are going to set up an equation. Take note that the presence of the verb “is” means
it is an equation.
Sum of a number and 5 x+5
Thrice the sum of a number and 5 3(x+5)
4 times that number 4x
Thrice the sum of a number and 5 is 4 times that 3(x+5) = 4x
number

Step 3: Carrying Out the Plan

Solve the equation using algebra.
3(x+5) = 4x Given equation
3x + 15 = 4x Distributive Property
3x + 15 – 3x = 4x – 3x Get all x terms on one side of the equation
15 = x Combine similar terms

In this case since the coefficient of x is one, we end the solution as we already have the answer.

Step 4: Looking Back

15 + 5 is 20 multiplied by 3 results to 60 which is the same as 4 times 15.

Examples 3.2.2

A bus and a car leave the same place and traveled in opposite directions. If the car is traveling at 65 km/h
and the bus is traveling at 55 km/h, in how many hours will they be 240 kilometers apart?

Step 1: Understand the Problem

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 The problem is a distance-rate-time type, where in this case the unknown is time. There is no
mention of whether the car or the bus took off first, thus we assume that they left at the same time.
We set up a distance-rate-time (drt) table based on the given.

Let t be the time required for both vehicles to be 240 km apart.

Rate Time Distance
Car 65 t
Bus 55 t

Step 2: Making a Plan

Since the vehicles are travelling opposite each other, d(car) + d(bus) = 240 km. Do take note that
rate = distance/time thus distance = rate*time.
Rate Time Distance
Car 65 km/h t 65t km/h
Bus 55 km/h t 55t km/h

Step 3: Carrying Out the Plan

d(car) + d(bus) = 240 km Given Equation
65t km/h + 55t km/h = 240 km Substituting given
120t
120 t kmkm/h=
/ h 240
240km
km Combining similar terms

120 km / h 120 km / h Dividing both sides of the equation by
coefficient of t
t = 2 hours Final Answer

Step 4: Looking Back

The distance travelled by the car = 65 km/h (2 h) = 130 km while the distance travelled by the bus
= 55 km/h (2 h) = 110 km which totals to 240 km, as stated in the problem.

Examples 3.2.3

Suppose Johnny can do a paint job in 12 hours while Mikey can do the same job in 9 hours. If they work
together, how long will it take them to finish the job?

Step 1: Understand the Problem 1 1 1

 
This is a typical work problem. Work problems typically follow the format a b x . In this case

we let 1 1

J 12 = amount of work Johnny can do in 1 hour

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 1 1

M 9 = amount of work Mikey can do in 1 hour
1
x = amount of work when both work together

Step 2: Making a Plan

Since both of 1them would work at the same time we are going to add their individual work times

then equate it to x .

Step 3: Carrying Out

1 the
1 Plan
1
 
12 9 x Working equation
3 4 1
 
36 36 x Applying LCD
7 1

36 x Combining like fractions
 7  1
36 x    36 x   Eliminate the denominators by multiplying
 36   x
both sides of the equation with the product
of the denominators
77xx = 36
36
 Divide both sides of the equation by the
7 7
36 coefficient of x
x hours  5.1429 hours
7 Final Answer

Step 4: Looking Back

The answer makes sense as it should take a shorter time to finish the job if both of them work at
the same time than if they do it individually.

Examples 3.2.4

In a dance competition, all contestants were dancing at once. After 3 minutes, half are eliminated. After
another 5 minutes, half of the remaining were eliminated. At the 15-minute mark, another half were eliminated.
At the 20th minute, another half were eliminated. In the last 3 minutes one was eliminated and the remaining one
was the winner. How many dancers were there at the beginning?

Step 1: Understanding the Problem

The problem requires us to identify how many dancers were there at the beginning, with the clues
as during specific times half are eliminated.
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 Step 2: Making a Plan
Working backwards would be a great strategy to use in this type of problem. With working
backwards, all operations are reversed, division becomes multiplication and subtraction becomes
addition.

Step 3: Carrying out the Plan

Number of Dancers Time
1 Time end
1+1 = 2 Last 3 minutes
2*2 = 4 20th minute
4*2 = 8 15th minute
8*2 = 16 8th minute
16*2 = 32 3 minutes
32 Start
Therefore, there were 32 dancers at the start of the competition.

Step 4: Looking Back

If we try to work forwards from 32,
Time Number of Dancers
Start 32
After 3 minutes 32/2 = 16
After another 5 minutes 16/2 = 8
15 minute mark 8/2 = 4
20th minute 4/2 = 2
Last 3 minutes 2–1=1
Time end 1

Can you solve the problem using another strategy?

Practice Exercises

1. Every person at a party with 30 participants said “hello” to each of the other people at the party exactly
once. How many “hellos” were said?
2. Suppose John has 8 shirts and 4 pairs of pants. How many different outfits can John make by combining
one shirt and one pair of pants?
3. Arranging bowling pins in a triangular pattern with 1 pin in the first row, 2 in the second, 3 in the third,
and so on.
a. How many pins would be in the fourth row? Tenth row? Nth row?
b. How many pins would it take to complete 5 rows? 10 rows? N rows?

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4. Kimmy and Jane bought the same item. Kimmy bought it for 20% less than the list price. Jane said if she
paid 25% more, she would have paid the list price. Who paid less?
5. Al and Irene both work at night shifts. Al has every sixth night off and Irene has every fifth night off. If
they both have tonight as night off, how many nights before they are both off at the same time again?

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 Exercise 3.2
Polya’s Problem Solving Framework

Name:___________________________ Score:_______
Course and Year:__________________ Date:________

A. Use Polya’s problem-solving strategy to solve the following problems.

1. How many different rectangles with an area of twelve square units can be formed using unit squares?

2. If 8 workers can finish a job in 6 hours, how many workers will it take to finish the same job in 4 hours?

3. You add x ml of a 25% alcohol solution to a 200 ml of a 10% alcohol solution to obtain another solution.
Find the amount of alcohol in the final solution in terms of x. Find the ratio, in terms of x, of the alcohol in
the final solution to the total amount of the solution. What do you think will happen if x is very large? Find x
so that the final solution has a percentage of 15%.

4. A 657 km, 6-hour flight was travelled at 2 speeds. For the first part of the trip, the average speed was 100
km/h. Then tailwind picked up and the speed increased to an average of 112 km/h. How long did the plane
fly at each speed?

5. "Here lies Diophantus," the wonder behold...

Through art algebraic, the stone tells how old:
"God gave him his boyhood one-sixth of his life,
One-twelfth more as youth while whiskers grew rife;
And then yet one-seventh ere marriage begun;
In five years there came a bouncing new son.
Alas, this dear child of master and sage,
Attained only half of his father’s full age.
When chill fate took him — an event full of tears —
Heartbroken, his father lived just four more years."
How long did Diophantus live?

6. Alice, Ben and Carl collect stamps. They exchange stamps among themselves according to the following
scheme: Alice gives Ben as many stamps as Ben has and Carl as many as Carl has. After that, Ben gives Alice
and Carl as many stamps as each of them has, and then Carl gives Alice and Ben as many stamps as each
has. If each finally has 64 stamps, with how many stamps does Alice start?

7. Solve the following cryptarithms. In each problem, letters represent a single digit only.
a. (HE)2 = SHE
b. WRONG + WRONG = RIGHT
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8. How many squares of all sizes are there in an 8x8 chessboard?

9. In order to encourage his son in the study of algebra, a father promised the son P8 for every problem
solved correctly and to fine him P5 for each incorrect solution. After 26 problems neither owed anything to
each other. How many problems did the boy solve correctly?

10. Find three solids and their measurements whose surface area is 60 square units.

11. If a pup is worth a pooch and a mutt, and a pup and a pooch are worth one bird dog, and 2 bird dogs are
worth three mutts, how many pooches is a pup worth?

12. If it is now 10:45 am, what time will it be in 143,999,999,995 minutes from now?

13. Mang Ruben has only an 11 liter can and a 5 liter can. How can he measure out exactly 7 liters of water?

14. An egg vendor broke all the eggs that he was delivering to a local store. He could not remember how many
eggs there were in all. However, he did remember that when he tried to pack them into packages of 2, 3, 4,
5, and 6 he had one left over each time. When he packed them into packages of 7, he had none left over.
What is the smallest number of eggs he could have had in the shipment?

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 Lesson 3.3
PROBLEM SOLVING WITH PATTERNS

Objectives
At the end of the lesson, students are expected to be able to
1. Solve problems by identifying patterns and extending those patterns to answer questions about
different scenarios.

Patterns are things that repeat in a logical way, like vertical stripes on a sweater. They can be numbers,
images or shapes. Patterns help us make predictions based on certain data using logical connections and
reasoning skills (not on hokum like palm readers and horoscope writers).

Mathematics is often regarded as the science of patterns. In solving a complex problem, it is advisable to
work on simpler versions of the problem and observe what happens in a few specific cases to look for patterns
that will help solve the original problem. A lot of principles in algebra and geometry rose from generalizations
of patterns in numbers and shapes.

Examples 3.3.1

Mary and her mother are out planting seeds. For every three seeds that Mary plants, her mom plants 8.
How many seeds in total are planted by the time her mom plants 72 seeds?

We first create a table referring to the number of seeds planted by both Mary and her mom.
Mary 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27
Mother 8 16 24 32 40 48 56 64 72

Based on the table we can see that by the time Mary’s mother planted 72 seeds, Mary was able to plant
27 thus we can say that 99 seeds have been planted.

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Example 3.3.2

Find the sum of the first 100 even numbers.

Using patterns to solve this problem we start with the first few even numbers.
Numbers Sum
2 2
2, 4 6
2, 4, 6 12
2, 4, 6, 8 20
2, 4, 6, 8, 10 30

We can rewrite the numbers in the sum column as a product of 2 numbers.

Numbers Sum Factors
2 2 1*2
2, 4 6 2*3
2, 4, 6 12 3*4
2, 4, 6, 8 20 4*5
2, 4, 6, 8, 10 30 5*6

We can observe that the factors can be expressed as n(n+1) where n refers to the number of digits used.
So to find the sum of the first 100 even numbers it would simply be 100(100 + 1) = 100(101) = 10100. Can we
do the same for the sum of the first 100 odd numbers?

Example 3.3.3

Given below is a multiplication pattern. Use the given pattern to answer the succeeding problems.
a. b. c. d.
30 50 18 14 12 108 45
60 10 6 4 7 16 2 9 2
15 5 3 11 3

Let us answer letter b. First we observe the pattern on a. We can see that the numbers on the first row
and first column are products of the numbers on the remaining cells, i.e. the number on cell ((row)1, (column)1)
is a product of cell (2,2) and cell (3,3) and on cell (1, 2) it is a product of cell (2,2) and cell (3,2). Using the same
pattern, the 3x3 box on b would be:

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BSU-CAS-MPS-LEARNING MODULE 1 -1st Semester AY 2021-2022

 12 44 21
28 4 7
33 11 3
Now you can do the rest.

Practice Exercises

1. Follow the instructions stated and create a generalization based on the patter given. Choose any number.
Multiply that number by 6. Add 12 to the result. Take half. Subtract by 6. Divide by 3. What would be the
final number?
2. A person is working on a fitness program. His goal is to jog 30 laps in an oval but he cannot do it
immediately. He starts with 3 laps and plans an increment of 3 laps every 3 days. How long will it take
him to be able to do 30 laps in one go?
3. What are the next 3 pentagonal numbers?

4. Given the figure below complete the table.

Number of White Circles Number of Shaded Circle

1 4
2 6
3 8
4
5
16
18
50
50
100
100
N
N

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BSU-CAS-MPS-LEARNING MODULE 1 -1st Semester AY 2021-2022

 Exercise 3.3
Problem Solving with Patterns

Name:___________________________ Score:_______
Course and Year:__________________ Date:________
A. Solve the following by investigating the patterns within. PARA SA LAHAT

1. Supposed a pinball is dropped from A, how many paths are there from A to E?
2. A group of businessmen were at a meeting. Supposed each of them handed a business car to each other
businessman present.

a. If there were 16 businessmen present, how many cards were given?

b. If 600 cards were exchanged, how many businessmen were present?
c. Is it possible that only 500 cards are exchanged given the scenario?

3. Each hexagon below is surrounded by 12 dots.

a. Find the number of dots if there are 6 hexagons in the first column.

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BSU-CAS-MPS-LEARNING MODULE 1 -1st Semester AY 2021-2022

 b. How many hexagons in total if there are 229 dots?

4. Ken decides that he needs to reduce his weight. He decides to run 10 minutes a day for 5 times in a week.
Each week he increases his time by 2 minutes.

a. How many minutes will he be running per day on the 8 th week?

b. How many minutes will he run total on the 10th week?
c. How many minutes per day will he run on the 7th week?

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BSU-CAS-MPS-LEARNING MODULE 1 -1st Semester AY 2021-2022

 Lesson 3.4
RECREATIONAL PROBLEMS USING MATHEMATICS

Objectives
At the end of the lesson, students are expected to be able to
1. Solve recreational problems mathematically.

Recreational problems in mathematics are entertaining and challenging problems. The main criteria for
these problems are:
1. Attention grabbing: either because of their aesthetics appeal or because they are interestingly
strange.
2. Readily explored with minimal technical content: you don’t need high end mathematical knowledge
and you may answer it using brute force.
3. A student can generate conjectures and new questions easily.

As such this genre of mathematics include mathematical games, logic puzzles and other puzzles that
require deductive reasoning. Classic examples of recreational problems include the handshake problem,
tangrams, Sudoku and the bridge crossing problem. As these types of problems often attract non-
mathematicians it may inspire their further study of mathematics.

Examples 3.4.1

Palindromic numbers. These are symmetrical numbers or numbers when reversed are still read the same
like 16461, 121, and 1234321 and so on. The date February 2, 2020 when written in digits form a palindrome
(02/02/2020). Can you think of other palindromic dates? And when will the next one be?

Examples 3.4.2

Magic Square. It is a square which is divided into smaller squares and contains distinct integers. The catch
however is the sum of the digits in all rows, columns and diagonals are the same, in this case the sum is 15.
2 7 6
9 5 1
4 3 8

Examples 3.4.3

A frog is at the bottom of a 30 foot well. It tries to escape by jumping. Every time it leaps, it can cover 3
feet but slides down by 2 feet. How many leaps will it take to escape the well?

The frog can jump 3 feet buts slides by 2 feet, so we can say that for every jump the distance covered is
1 foot. Since the height is 30 feet, you might say that it takes 30 jumps but that thinking would be wrong. By the

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BSU-CAS-MPS-LEARNING MODULE 1 -1st Semester AY 2021-2022

27th jump, the frog would have covered 27 feet and on the 28th jump the frog would have covered 30 feet which
is the height of the well. So, it only takes 28 jumps.

Practice Exercises

1. “How many children do you have, and what are their ages?” asks the census taker. The mother answers, “I
have three children. The product of their ages is 36, and the sum of their ages is the same as my house
number.” The census taker looks at the house number, thinks for a moment, and responds, “I’m sorry, but
I need more information.” “My oldest child likes chocolate ice cream,” says the mother. “Thank you,” replies
the census taker. “I have all the information I require.” How old are the children?
2. A farmer had a pen made of 50 hurdles, capable of holding 100 sheep only; supposing he wanted to make
it sufficiently large to hold double that number, what would be the least amount of hurdles that he would
have to add?
3. A man buys a horse for 150000Php. Sells the horse for 160000Php. Rebuys the horse for 170000Php. Sells
the horse for 180000Php. How much did he gain in the end?
4. Three merchants saw dropped on the way a purse containing money. One said to the others, “If I secure
this purse, I shall become twice as rich as both of you with your moneys on hand.” Then the second said,
“I shall become three times as rich.” Then the other said, “I shall become five times as rich.” What is the
value of the money in the purse, as also the money on hand with each of the three merchants?

5. Solve the given Sudoku Puzzle 6. Solve the given Ken-ken Puzzle

Exercise 3.4

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BSU-CAS-MPS-LEARNING MODULE 1 -1st Semester AY 2021-2022

 Recreational Problems Using Mathematics

Name:___________________________ Score:_______
Course and Year:__________________ Date:________

A. Solve the following problems.

1. Three men want to buy an animal together. If the first says to the second and third, “If one takes half of
what you have and adds it to what I have, I will have the price of the animal,” and if the second says to the
first and the third, “If one takes a third of what you have and adds it to what I have, I will have the price of
the animal,” and if the third says to the first and the second, “If one takes a fourth of what you have and
adds it to what I have, I will have the price of the animal,” how much does each have?

PARA SA LAHAT:

Solve the Ken-ken puzzle Solve the given Sudoku puzzle

2. Messrs. Panadero, Farmer, Minero, Bangkero, and Kusinero are seated around in a circular table playing
poker. Each gentleman is the namesake of the profession of one of the others. The farmer is seated two
places to the left of Mr. Kusinero. The panadero is seated two places to the right of Mr. Panadero. The
minero is seated to the left of Mr. Minero. Mr. Farmer is to the right of the Bangkero. Who is the farmer?

3. Three siblings, John, Bruce, and Eric, truthfully reported their grades to their parents as follows:

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 John: If I passed math, then so did Bruce. I passed English if and only if Eric did.
Bruce: If I passed math, then so did John. John did not pass history.
Eric: Either John passed history or I did not pass it. If Bruce did not pass English, neither did John.
If each of the three passed at least one subject and each subject was passed by at least one of the three,
and if Eric did not pass the same number of subjects as either of his siblings, which subject did they each
pass?

4. A magician asked someone to volunteer from the audience then instructed the audience to do the
following instructions.
Pick a number and don’t tell me what it is. Add 15 to it. Multiply your answer by 3. Subtract 9. Divide by
3. Subtract 8. Now tell me your answer.
The volunteer replied 32. The magician immediately knew the number. What was the number? How did
the magician know the answer immediately?

5. Given 3 liter jug and a 5 liter jug, with no markings, is it possible to get exactly 1 liter of water when
drawing out from a well? If so, how? If not, why not? What if the jugs were 4-liter and 6 liters, is it still
possible to draw out 1 liter?

6. Identify the value of each letter in the given Cryptarithmetic problem. (X is not a letter but the operation
symbol for multiplication)
ABC
X BC
EDC
__FEB__
CDAC
7. Three missionaries were conducting three cannibals to the mission school. On the way they had to pass a
bridge. The problem is the bridge cannot be crossed by more than two people at a time. In addition, the
cannibals cannot yet be trusted, thus the missionaries must take care that they are not outnumbered on
either side of the bridge. How should they cross the bridge?

8. The tower of Hanoi problem is considered as a classic recreational mathematical problem. It has 3 pegs
with rings on one peg. The rings are of diminishing sizes with the largest at the bottom and the smallest
at the top. The objective is to transfer all rings from one peg to another under the following circumstances.

a. Only one ring may be moved at a time; thus a move consists of taking the upper most ring from one
post and placing it on the next post.
b. At no time shall a larger ring be on top of a smaller ring.
c. What is the smallest number of moves to transfer 7 rings? What if there are n rings?

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BSU-CAS-MPS-LEARNING MODULE 1 -1st Semester AY 2021-2022