Problem Solving Group Task
I. Use inductive or deductive reasoning to answer the given questions.
1. Predict the next number in each given set of numbers.
a. 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, ?
b. 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, ?
2. What type of reasoning did you apply in 1a and 1b?
3. Tell whether the mathematical statement is TRUE or FALSE. If false, provide a
counterexample. Assume x is any real number.
1
a. If 𝑥 > 0 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑥 > 0
1
b. The multiplicative inverse 𝑥 𝑎𝑙𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑒𝑥𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑠
c. 𝑥 2 is always positive
4. In a neighborhood of engineers, it is known that there is a chemical engineer,
civil engineer, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer among Tito, Vic,
Joey and Willy. Identify the correct profession of each engineer given the
following clues:
a. Vic gets home from work after the civil engineer but before the electrical
engineer.
b. Joey, who is the last to get home from work, is not the electrical engineer.
c. The electrical engineer and Joey leave for work at the same time.
d. The civil engineer lives next door to Willy.
5. A new boy band composed of four young boys Josh, Jude, Benedict, and Francis
was formed by a recording agency. With one acting as the lead vocalist, each of
the three other boys take care of the drum, the keyboard, and the guitar. Based
on the clues specified below, identify the role of each member in the band.
a. Francis is younger than the vocalist.
b. Josh and the guitarist are twins, and they are the youngest members of the
band.
c. Benedict and the guitarist are schoolmates.
II. Solve each problem using Polya’s four-step problem-solving strategy.
1. The elimination stage of the UAAP women’s volleyball competition is played in two
rounds where each competing team plays against each of the other teams once in
every round. How many games are played in the elimination round if there are
eight teams in a given season?
2. Find the digit that is 50 places to the right of the decimal point in the decimal
representation of the rational number.
3. A coffee shop is giving away a signature annual planner. In the mechanics, each
costumer can share stickers. At the end of the promo period, Tito had the most
number of stickers, more than enough to get the planner. Unfortunately, Vic and
joey did not have enough. This is what they did: First, Tito gave Vic and Joey as
many stickers as each had; after this, Vic gave Tito and Vic as many stickers as
they had. At the end, each of the three friends had exactly enough stickers to get
a planner. How many stickers did each person have at the start?
4. Iza can earn Php 7800 for doing 3 hours of office work and 2 hours of field work.
However, she gets Php 8200 if she works two hours in the office and 3 hours in
the field. What is the rate per hour of Iza for doing office work and for doing field
work?
5. Ed’s purse contains some 10-peso, 5-peso, 1-peso, and 25-centavo coins. How
many of each type does he have if the purse has a total of Php 20.50?
III. Solve the following problems using Polya’s four-step problem-solving
strategy.
1. Find the last digit of the sum: 32018 + 42018
2. Yan was born exactly 78 days before Dong was born. If Dong was born on a
Monday, what day was Yan born?
3. The set {0, 1} forms the binary system. There are exactly two 1-digit binary
numbers, namely 0 and 1; there are four 2-digit binary numbers, namely 00, 01,
10, and 11; and there are eight 3-digit binary numbers, namely 000, 001, 010,
100, 011, 101, 011, and 111.
a. List all 4-digit binary numbers.
b. How many 4-digit binary numbers are there?
c. How many 5-digit binary numbers are possible?
d. How many n-digit binary numbers can be formed?
4. Consider a rectangle with length l and width w. Now fold it into two, draw a line
on the fold, and unfold the rectangle. Observe that there are now three
rectangles, two small rectangles, and the original rectangle.
a. Fold the rectangle into three draw lines on the folds, then unfold. How many
rectangles do you see?
b. Fold the rectangle into four, draw lines on the folds, then unfold. How many
rectangles do you see?
c. From your observations in (a) and (b), how many rectangles are formed if the
original rectangles is folded into pieces?
5. Finding the odd. In a grocery store, Perla was challenged by a promo girl to
identify which pack in a box of 25 packs of a liquid detergent is heavier than the
rest. According to the promo girl, all packs in the box weigh the same except for
one which is heavier. Using only a balance scale, Perla was challenged to
identify the single heavier pack for a maximum of three (3) weighing attempts
only. If she succeeds, she gets the box for free. How should Perla weigh the 25
packs to successfully identify the heavier pack?
