Professor Morris Puzzle #8

Created by Doug Williams Artwork by Rob Mullarvey A Professor Morris Puzzle is more than the problem you see. Solving the problem is the starting point for further discussion and investigation. Notes are provided to support that process. Topics Multiplication, commutative law Task Centre Connection Task 17: Truth Tiles 2 Task 19: Cookie Count Task 30: Truth Tiles Task 123: Bob's Buttons Strategy Make a model, write an equation Solution Puzzle 9 has a similar problem involving five hands, each with four fingers. Clearly the answer to each puzzle is 20. Also the pair of puzzles shows that 4 x 5 = 5 x 4. But more importantly the puzzles demonstrate the importance of context, for in these cases 4 x 5 does not mean the same as 5 x 4.

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• Can you create another story which could be represented by 4 x 5 or 5 x 4?
• Can you create another story in which 4 x 5 and 5 x 4 have the same answer, but do not mean the same thing?
• When you can reverse the numbers in an operation and still get the same answer, the operation is called Commutative. Which other operations are commutative?
• Make up a new equation. Now try to invent a story which could be represented by this equation.
• Make up a 'something' story like this: There were some dogs in the yard. Four dogs went for a walk. Three dogs were left behind. How many dogs were in the yard to start with?
• Can you write an equation that represents this story?
• Can you make a class book of these stories?