Module 3

Problem Solving
and
Reasoning
Topic 3 - 4

Mathematical Problems
Involving Patterns
 Specific Objectives:

At the end of the lesson, the student should be able to:

1. Demonstrate appreciation in solving problems

involving patterns.
2. Show the appropriate strategies in solving
problems which involve patterns.
3. Apply the Polya’s 4-step rule method in solving
problems with patterns.
4. Make a correct conclusion based on their final
result.
Module 3 | Topic 3-4 : Problem Solving and Reasoning (Mathematical Problems involving Patterns)
 There are some problems that
patterns may involve. One of the examples
of problems that patterns are involved is an
“abstract reasoning” where this kind of
pattern is one of the types of exam that
most of the Universities used in their
entrance examination.
Module 3 | Topic 3-4 : Problem Solving and Reasoning (Mathematical Problems involving Patterns)
 Solving problems which involve patterns do not follow the steps on
how to solve the problem in its traditional way. To be able to solve for this
kind of problem, the following may be used as a guide:

(i) showing an understanding of the problem,

(ii) organising information systematically,
(iii) describing and explaining the methods used and the results obtained,
(iv) formulating a generalisation or rule, in words or algebraically.

The following sample of questions gives an indication of the variety

likely to occur in the examination.

Module 3 | Topic 3-4 : Problem Solving and Reasoning (Mathematical Problems involving Patterns)
1. A group of businessmen were at a networking meeting. Each businessman exchanged
his business card with every other businessman who was present.

a) If there were 16 businessmen, how many business cards were exchanged?

b) If there was a total of 380 business cards exchanged, how many businessmen were at
the meeting?

Solution:

a) 15 + 14 + 13 + 12 + 11 + 10 + 9 + 8 + 7 + 6 + 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 120 exchanges 120 × 2 =

240 business cards. If there were 16 businessmen, 240 business cards were exchanged.

b) 380 ÷ 2 = 190
190 = (19 × 20) ÷ 2 = 19 + 18 + 17 + … + 3 + 2 + 1
If there was a total of 380 business cards exchanged, there were 20 businessmen at the
meeting.

Module 3 | Topic 3-4 : Problem Solving and Reasoning (Mathematical Problems involving Patterns)
2. Josie takes up jogging. On the first week she jogs for 10 minutes per day, on the second
week she jogs for 12 minutes per day. Each week, she wants to increase her jogging time
by 2 minutes per day. If she jogs six days each week, what will be her total jogging time
on the sixth week?

Solution:

Understand

We know in the first week Josie jogs 10 minutes per day for six days.
We know in the second week Josie jogs 12 minutes per day for six days.
Each week, she increases her jogging time by 2 minutes per day and she jogs 6 days per
week.
We want to find her total jogging time in week six.

Module 3 | Topic 3-4 : Problem Solving and Reasoning (Mathematical Problems involving Patterns)
Strategy

A good strategy is to list the data we have been given in a table and use the information we have been given to find
new information.

We are told that Josie jogs 10 minutes per day for six days in the first week and 12 minutes per day for six days in the
second week. We can enter this information in a table:

Minutes per
Week Minutes per Day
Week

1 10 60

2 12 72

You are told that each week Josie increases her jogging time by 2 minutes per day and jogs 6 times per
week. We can use this information to continue filling in the table until we get to week six.

Module 3 | Topic 3-4 : Problem Solving and Reasoning (Mathematical Problems involving Patterns)
 Week Minutes per Day Minutes per Week
1 10 60
2 12 72
3 14 84
4 16 96
5 18 108
6 20 120

Apply strategy/solve

To get the answer we read the entry for week six.

Answer: In week six Josie jogs a total of 120 minutes.

Module 3 | Topic 3-4 : Problem Solving and Reasoning (Mathematical Problems involving Patterns)
 3. You arrange tennis balls in triangular shapes as shown. How many balls will there be in a triangle
that has 8 rows?

Solution:

Understand

We know that we arrange tennis balls in triangles as shown.

We want to know how many balls there are in a triangle that has 8 rows.

Strategy

A good strategy is to make a table and list how many balls are in triangles of different rows.

Module 3 | Topic 3-4 : Problem Solving and Reasoning (Mathematical Problems involving Patterns)
 3. You arrange tennis balls in triangular shapes as shown. How many balls will there be in a triangle
that has 8 rows?

One row: It is simple to see that a triangle with one row has only one ball.

Two rows: For a triangle with two rows, we add the balls from the top row to the
balls from the bottom row. It is useful to make a sketch of the separate rows in the
triangle.
3=1+2
Three rows: We add the balls from the top triangle to the balls from the bottom
row.
Now we can fill in the first three rows of a table.
Number of Rows Number of Balls
6=3+3
1 1

2 3

3 6

Module 3 | Topic 3-4 : Problem Solving and Reasoning (Mathematical Problems involving Patterns)
 We can see a pattern. To create the next triangle, we add a new bottom row to the existing triangle. The
new bottom row has the same number of balls as there are rows. (For example, a triangle with 3 rows has 3 balls
in the bottom row.) To get the total number of balls for the new triangle, we add the number of balls in the old
triangle to the number of balls in the new bottom row.

Apply strategy/solve:

We can complete the table by following the pattern we discovered.

Number of balls = number of balls in previous triangle + number of rows in the new triangle
Number of Rows Number of Balls

1 1

2 3

3 6

4 6+4=10

5 10+5=15

6 15+6=21

7 21+7=28

8 28+8=36

Module 3 | Topic 3-4 : Problem Solving and Reasoning (Mathematical Problems involving Patterns)
Answer There are 36 balls in a triangle arrangement with 8 rows.

Check

Each row of the triangle has one more ball than the previous
one. In a triangle with 8 rows, row 1 has 1 ball, row 2 has 2 balls,
row 3 has 3 balls, row 4 has 4 balls, row 5 has 5 balls, row 6 has 6
balls, row 7 has 7 balls, row 8 has 8 balls.

When we add these we get: 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8=36 balls

Module 3 | Topic 3-4 : Problem Solving and Reasoning (Mathematical Problems involving Patterns)
4. Andrew cashes a $180 check and wants the money in $10 and $20 bills. The bank
teller gives him 12 bills. How many of each kind of bill does he receive?
Solution:

Understand

Andrew gives the bank teller a $180 check.

The bank teller gives Andrew 12 bills. These bills are a mix of $10 bills and $20 bills.
We want to know how many of each kind of bill Andrew receives.

Strategy

Let’s start by making a table of the different ways Andrew can have twelve bills in tens and
twenties. Andrew could have twelve $10 bills and zero $20 bills, or eleven $10 bills and one $20 bill, and
so on. We can calculate the total amount of money for each case.

Module 3 | Topic 3-4 : Problem Solving and Reasoning (Mathematical Problems involving Patterns)
Apply strategy/solve
$10 bills $ 20 bills Total amount
12 0 $10(12)+$20(0)=$120
11 1 $10(11)+$20(1)=$130
10 2 $10(10)+$20(2)=$140
9 3 $10(9)+$20(3)=$150
8 4 $10(8)+$20(4)=$160
7 5 $10(7)+$20(5)=$170
6 6 $10(6)+$20(6)=$180
5 7 $10(5)+$20(7)=$190
4 8 $10(4)+$20(8)=$200
3 9 $10(3)+$20(9)=$210
2 10 $10(2)+$20(10)=$220
1 11 $10(1)+$20(11)=$230
0 12 $10(0)+$20(12)=$240

Module 3 | Topic 3-4 : Problem Solving and Reasoning (Mathematical Problems involving Patterns)
 In the table we listed all the possible ways you can get twelve
$10 bills and $20 bills and the total amount of money for each
possibility. The correct amount is given when Andrew has six $10 bills
and six $20 bills.

Answer: Andrew gets six $10 bills and six $20 bills.

Check

Six $10 bills and six $20 bills →6($10)+6($20)=$60+$120=$180

The answer checks out.
Let’s solve the same problem using the method “Look for a Pattern.”

Module 3 | Topic 3-4 : Problem Solving and Reasoning (Mathematical Problems involving Patterns)
Self-Learning Activity

1. A pattern of squares is put together as shown.

How many squares are in

the 12th diagram?
2. Oswald is trying to cut down on drinking coffee. His goal is to
cut down to 6 cups per week. If he starts with 24 cups the first
week, then cuts down to 21 cups the second week and 18 cups
the third week, how many weeks will it take him to reach his
goal?
Module 3 | Topic 3-4 : Problem Solving and Reasoning (Mathematical Problems involving Patterns)
 3. A new theme park opens in Milford. On opening day, the park
has 120 visitors; on each of the next three days, the park has 10
more visitors than the day before; and on each of the three days
after that, the park has 20 more visitors than the day before.

How many visitors does the park have on the seventh day?
How many total visitors does the park have all week?

4. Mark is three years older than Janet, and the sum of their
ages is 15. How old are Mark and Janet?

Module 3 | Topic 3-4 : Problem Solving and Reasoning (Mathematical Problems involving Patterns)
5. A pattern of squares is put together as shown.

How many squares are there in

the 10th figure?
Module 3 | Topic 3-4 : Problem Solving and Reasoning (Mathematical Problems involving Patterns)