GUESS AND CHECK

Problem 2: Darts

In a game of darts, the first person to score 150 is the winner. You must throw four darts and
must score exactly 150. If you score more or less than 150 with your four darts, you must
wait until your opponent tries and then you may try again. To be successful, you must know
all the combinations of four numbers that add up to 150. For example, if you aim for 50 and
miss and score 10 instead, what other numbers must you aim for? Make a table and enter all
the possible combinations of four numbers that add up to 150.
 Problem 4: Elizabeth's Walk
This problem is taken from Mathematic Teaching in the Middle School , 11 (3) p. 134.

Elizabeth visits her friend

Andrew and then returns
home by the same route.
She always walks 2
kilometers per hour (km/h)
when walking uphill, 6 km/h
when walking downhill, and
3 km/h when walking on
level ground. If her total
walking time is 6 hours, then
what is the total distance she
walks (in kilometers)?

Solution

One student solved this problem by the Guess and Check method. Another student solved
it using algebra (see below).

Level Level Uphill Uphill Downhill Downhill Total Total

Time Time Time Time Distance

2 km 40 min 360 min
240 min 80 min
6 km 6 km
2 km 40 min 6 km 240 min 6 km 80 min 360 min 18 km

I decided to make a guess and see what happens. First I made a table for all the information I
would need. I guessed 2 kilometers for level walking and entered 2 km. in the Level column.
The rate for level walking is 3 km/h. That means the Level Time would be 40 minutes. Because
this time is in minutes, I changed the total time from 6 hours to 360 minutes.

The Uphill and Downhill Times must be 360-40 minutes, or 320 minutes. The rate for uphill
walking is 2 km/h and the rate for downhill walking is 6 km/h. The ratio of the Uphill rate to the
Downhill rate is 1 to 3, so I divided 320 minutes according to this ratio. Walking Uphill would
take three times as long as walking Downhill. So the Uphill Time would be 240 minutes and the
Downhill Time would be 80 minutes.

Then I wondered how far she could walk Uphill in 240 minutes at 2 km/h and how far she could
walk Downhill in 80 minutes at 6 km/h. The answer is 6 km. for Uphill and 6 km. for Downhill.
I wondered why the distance Uphill is the same as the distance Downhill and I realized that the
distance she goes Uphill going to Andrew's house is the same distance she goes Downhill
coming back, and the distance she goes Downhill going to Andrew's is the same distance she
goes Uphill coming back. So the Uphill distance for the round trip must be the same as the
Downhill distance for the round trip.

Then I could fill in all the columns in my chart and get the Total Distance of 18 km.

My first guess of 2 kilometers for Level walking resulted in 18 kilometers Total Distance. Then
I tried some other guesses: 4 kilometers Level and 6 kilometers level. The result was still 18
kilometers total distance. So then I tried making the whole 18 kilometers Level, and I got 6
hours (360 minutes) for the Total Time. So 18 kilometers must be the right answer, and it
doesn't matter how much Level, how much Uphill, and how much Downhill there is.

Level Level Uphill Uphill Downhill Downhill Total Total

Time Time Time Time Distance

4 80 min. 7 210 min 7 70 min 360 min. 18 k
6 120 min. 6 180 min. 6 60 min. 360 min. 18 k
18 360 min 360 min. 18 k.

Solution using algebra: