»
S
I
D
E
B
A
R
«
Well worth the effort for problem solving
January 25th, 2012 by Frank LaBanca, Ed.D.

This is a great problem solving puzzle.  My students and I in Oxford worked on this one during our Advisory Period.  Give it a go – a great stretch of the brain.  Click on the image to link out.

The Rules:

The group consists of a woman and two girls, a man and two boys, and a policeman with a thief. If you leave certain people alone with others, trouble will ensue. For example, the thief will only behave if the policeman is on the same bank.

  • A maximum of two people can be on the raft at a time.
  • One adult must be on the raft to operate it.
  • The man cannot be with any of the girls without the woman present.
  • Conversely, the woman can’t stay with the boys without the man there.
  • The thief must be with the policeman or be alone.

 

 


2 Responses  
  • Steven Baumann writes:
    February 3rd, 2012 at 12:16 pm

    I needed to have my brain stretched! At first, I thought it would be a snap, then for several minuets , I thought it was impossible, then slowly, a path way to a solution emerged. Thanks for sharing. I can see how this would engage a class. The rules are very simple and it allows for almost a binary application of logic. The solution starts to cascade as soon as you gain some momentum.

  • Albert White writes:
    February 13th, 2012 at 7:36 pm

    This was fun! I expect to show this to my kids in Earth Science tomorrow!!! Thanks Frank!


Leave a Reply

»  Substance: WordPress   »  Style: Ahren Ahimsa