Problem 1

The houses on Main Street are numbered consecutively from 1 to 150. How many house numbers contain at least one digit 7?

Strategy A 1. Understanding the problem (read and explore)

How many numbers from 1 to 150 that contain digit 7? Keywords: digit 7, from 1 to 150. 2. Devising a plan (planning a solution; draw a table) To make the work easy, we could draw a table. Each of table columns should contains number 1 to 10 until number 150. 3. Carry out the plan

1 11 21 31 41 51 61 71 81 91 101 111 121 131 141

2 12 22 32 42 52 62 72 82 92 102 112 122 132 142

3 13 23 33 43 53 63 73 83 93 103 113 123 133 143

4 14 24 34 44 54 64 74 84 94 104 114 124 134 144

5 15 25 35 45 55 65 75 85 95 105 115 125 135 145

6 16 26 36 46 56 66 76 86 96 106 116 126 136 146

7 17 27 37 47 57 67 77 87 97 107 117 127 137 147

8 18 28 38 48 58 68 78 88 98 108 118 128 138 148

9 19 29 39 49 59 69 79 89 99 109 119 129 139 149

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150

From the above diagram, we can see that the numbers of digit 7 are 24. 4. Looking back / check your answer As we can see, the strategy used to solve the problem gives correct answer. This is due to the number of digit can be easily count from the diagram used in the strategy.

Strategy B

1. Understand the problem (read and explore) How many numbers from 1 to 150 that contain digit 7? Keywords: digit 7, from 1 to 150. 2. Devising a plan (planning a solution ; make and orderly list) Make and orderly list the number from 1 to 150, so that we can clearly see the quantity of digit 7 in the sequence. 3. Carry out the plan 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 1 7 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 2 7 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 4 7 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 5 7 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 6 7 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 8 7 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 9 7 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 10 7 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 12 7 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 1451 146 14 7 148 149 150 Thus, the numbers of digit 7 are 24.

4. Looking back / check your answer The digit 7 can be clearly seen in the list and can be count from top to below. problem. Thus, the strategy use can be use and proven to solve the

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2nd guess:

3rd guess:

4th guess:

Thus, the 4th guess is the most accurate guess since it gives the accurate solution. 4. Looking back/ Check your answer As we can see, the numbers of squares are five. The fifth square is at the outline of the biggest square. On the other hand, move the toothpicks from a

place to another place to get the most correct shape and number of square just only by moving three toothpicks.

Strategy

1. Understand the problem How can we form five squares by moving only three toothpicks? 2. Devising a plan Draw a picture as a strategy to find the solution. The n show the movements of the toothpicks from the starting point.

3. Carry out the plan 3

2 1

4. Look back / check your answer As there are five squares could be seen on the above diagram (solution). Four on the same size squares and the last square is formed by the outer boundary of the arrangement. There was no requirement that each of the five squares must be congruent to each of the others.

Problem 3

Pedar Soint has a special package for a large group to attend their amusement park: a flat fee of $20 and $6 per person. If a club has $100 to spend on admission, what is the most number of people who can attend?

Strategy 1

1. Understand the problem In order to make sure that students are understood of the question, we may ask the questions below: Asking questions: a) b) c) d) What are you asked to find out? How many money is given to spend? How much is the flat fee and the necessity of paying the fee? How much is the fee per person?

Expected answers: a) b) c) d) We need to find out the numbers of people that can attend $100 is given to spend. $20 of flat fee and it is necessary no matter how many person will enter. Each person is charged $6.

2. Devise a plan Making a table is suitable to use because table can make them clear about the number of people that can attend the amusement park. They are only given $100 and not allowed to over budget. A table of number of people, cost for that number of people, flat fee, total fee and result is prepared.

3. Carry out the plan a. A table is made. Number people 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 of Cost + $20 (number of (flat fee) people X $6) 48 20 54 60 66 72 78 84 20 20 20 20 20 20

Total fee 68 74 80 86 92 98 104

Result Too low Too low Too low Too low Too low Almost $100 Higher $100

a) The cost for 8 people is $48 plus flat fee $20 is $68 which is too low. Hence, number of people is added to 9 people. Total fee is $74 and it is too low. b) After that, the cost is tried for 13 people. The result get is moderate which is $98, almost to $100. As for 14 people, result achieved is $104. It is again too high for the $100 provided. c) Therefore, we know that 13 people attending the amusement park are most suitable amount with $2 balance. The answer would be 13 people with balance $2.

4. Looking back / check your answer To ensure the answer is correct, we are required to look backward. How much is the number of people attended and how much is the total if it is times with $6? How much is the total amount if added up with flat fee? a) 13 (number of people attended) x $6 = $78

b) $78 + $20 (flat fee) = $98. The answer is correct because it is not m ore than $100 and still have balance if $2.

Conclusion: This is a very good method to solve the problem because we can easily see the number of people that are allowed to attend and also the total amount of money used and also the balance. The students wi ll not get confused because everything is clearly shown in the table. Hence, making a table is a good method to solve this kind of problem.

Strategy B

1. Understand the problem Firstly, ask some question to make sure that students are understand of the question. We can ask question below: Asking questions: a) What are you asked to find out? b) How many money is given to spend? c) How much is the flat fee and the necessity of paying the fee? d) How much is the fee per person? Expected answers: a) We need to find out the numbers of people that can attend b) $100 is given to spend. c) $20 of flat fee and it is necessary no matter how many person will enter. d) Each person is charged $6. 2. Devising a plan To solve this kind of problem, we can use the method of work ing backward. It is quite easy because the steps can be clearly shown and easy to understand. We can use $100 as the basic and we start to deduct from there.

3. Carry out the plan Step 1: The money that is provided is $100. The amount that must be paid is flat fee which is $ 20. So $100- $20= $80. $ 80 left over is used to determine how many workers are going to the amusement park.

Step 2: $80 that is left over need to be divided by $6 as the entrance fee for everyone is $6. The answer of division will tell us how much people will be able to attend. $80 $6 = 13 left over $2.

Step 3: 13 people will be attending and there are $2 left over

4. Looking back / check your answer In order to ensure the answer is correct, looking backward is very important. $6 x 13 = $78. $78 is the entrance fee. So if $78 is added with flat fee of $20. It will be $98. So using $100 to deduct $98, remaining will be $2. This shows that the answer obtained is correct.

Conclusion: This method if easy for lower primary school students because they only can master subtraction, addition, multiplication and division. Hence, this method can let them understand easily and also triggers their thinking skill. This method of solving can also enhance their mathematics counting skill.

THE MOST EFFICIENT STRATEGY

After studied all the strategies in the problem solving, we found that guess and check is the best way to solve a problem. This is because this t ype of strategy would make us to use the logical thinking to solve the problem that we have. Furthermore, using these strategies can teach me to make a smart decision. From that, I had design a new problem to show that using this strategies is the easiest way and more efficie nt to get a more logical answer.

DESIGNED PROBLEM

There are six empty boxes arranged in the triangle as showed below. Each box must contain a number between numbers 1 - 6 only. The sum of the number on each side is 12.

Step 1: Understand the problem

Clues / Information (asking question) There are six empty boxes Arranged in the triangle Each box must contain a number Number between numbers 1- 6 only The sum of the number on each side is 12

y y y y y

Step : Plan a strategy

y y y

First, put a number into the boxed randomly Find the total number of each side If the total side is lower or more than 12, change the number in the boxes again until the total of each of the side is 12.

Step 3: Do the plan

Put a number into the boxed randomly

Find the total number of each side

6+1+5=1 6+ +4=1

5+3+4=1

Step 4: Check your work

y y

Work backwards. Check your guess by putting different number at the box.

CONCLUSION

We can conclude that there are many types of problem solving that can be used in solving daily problem. In Problem 1 we had chosen draw a table and make and orderly list as strategies to solve the problem. We find that these strategies are the easiest way to solve this kind of problems. This is because, we used the data that we can get from the question and we can make a table and a list that formed from the solution. We used guess and check and draw a picture to solve Problem 2. We need to use logical thinking and some kind of imagination while using this method. We believe most of the problem could be solve using these strategies especially guess and check. Thus, we made the guess and check strategy as our strategy in the Designed Problem. In Problem 3, we had given a problem that could be solved using draw a table and working backward. We studied that these strategies only can be used when the problem is regarding money and counting on logic . If not, we cannot do this type of strategy. Because of that, we think that this strategy is not suitable to use in making a smart guess. In conclusion, we realize that there are many type s of strategies can be used to solve a problem. It depends on us how to choose what type of method that we are willing to use strategies in which will bring us to the solution.