Pow 1 A Sticky Gum Problem
Reaves
I pledge…
9/5/14
Pow #1
A Sticky Gum Problem This POW didn’t have a specific problem but it does have a few specific problems with gumballs. Question 1: Mrs. Hernandez comes across a gumball machine one day when she was out with her twins. Of course, the twins each wanted a gumball. They also insist on having the same color. They don’t care what color the gumballs are, as long as they’re both the same. Ms. Hernandez can see that there are only white and red gumballs in the machine. The gumballs cost a penny each and there is no way to tell which color is going to come out next. Mrs. Hernandez decides to keep putting in pennies until she gets two gumballs of the same color. Problem 1: Why is three cents the most Mrs. Hernandez might have to spend? Question 2: The next day Mrs. Hernandez and her twins pass another gumball machine. This one has three colors: red, white and blue. Problem 2: What is the most Mrs. Hernandez might have to spend at this machine to get matching gumball? Question 3: Mr. Hodges and his triplets pass the three-color gumball machine. Of course, his children insist that they all want the same color gumballs. Problem 3: What is the most Mr. Hodges might have to spend?
Well first off I was really overthinking this and thought it was going to be super hard and I was going to have to draw diagrams and figure out what pattern would work or not. Sure enough, I was wrong. Since in class we are using guess and check I decided that would be a good idea. I thought about it for a while and wrote some stuff down on paper but nothing was making any sense. I would guess something and it wasn’t even in the ballpark, At All… So after I totally gave up on that method I tried to find a pattern from question to question, nope nothing. I was really close to giving up when I decided to try something simpler. That maybe if I thought about it in a different way or changed my perspective that I could find the answer. I crumpled up my old diagrams and
I pledge…
9/5/14
Pow #1
A Sticky Gum Problem This POW didn’t have a specific problem but it does have a few specific problems with gumballs. Question 1: Mrs. Hernandez comes across a gumball machine one day when she was out with her twins. Of course, the twins each wanted a gumball. They also insist on having the same color. They don’t care what color the gumballs are, as long as they’re both the same. Ms. Hernandez can see that there are only white and red gumballs in the machine. The gumballs cost a penny each and there is no way to tell which color is going to come out next. Mrs. Hernandez decides to keep putting in pennies until she gets two gumballs of the same color. Problem 1: Why is three cents the most Mrs. Hernandez might have to spend? Question 2: The next day Mrs. Hernandez and her twins pass another gumball machine. This one has three colors: red, white and blue. Problem 2: What is the most Mrs. Hernandez might have to spend at this machine to get matching gumball? Question 3: Mr. Hodges and his triplets pass the three-color gumball machine. Of course, his children insist that they all want the same color gumballs. Problem 3: What is the most Mr. Hodges might have to spend?
Well first off I was really overthinking this and thought it was going to be super hard and I was going to have to draw diagrams and figure out what pattern would work or not. Sure enough, I was wrong. Since in class we are using guess and check I decided that would be a good idea. I thought about it for a while and wrote some stuff down on paper but nothing was making any sense. I would guess something and it wasn’t even in the ballpark, At All… So after I totally gave up on that method I tried to find a pattern from question to question, nope nothing. I was really close to giving up when I decided to try something simpler. That maybe if I thought about it in a different way or changed my perspective that I could find the answer. I crumpled up my old diagrams and