Sunday, December 16, 2007
More Puzzle Fun?
I passed out a 16 piece puzzle on the topic of Trig Identities last week and I was wondering if anyone has tried that puzzle yet? Are you having any luck? I want you to remember that I told the class it was difficult. It took me a few hours to complete so I expect it will take my students longer than that. You should ask each other for help and maybe get a group together after school to work on the puzzle. If you need help from me, I am available after school Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week. If you get frustrated with the puzzle then you need to take a break and come back to the puzzle at a later time. Don't take too long of a break because the puzzle is due before the year 2008.
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19 comments:
I have tried the new puzzle and it is difficult. I havent really sat down and tried it yet though. The hold four sided thing and the fact that the squares could match up in any direction is what makes it difficult, but hopefully ill finish it!
~Jackie
I was able to work on it over the weekend and I spent a couple of hours on it. My sister even tried helping me and we couldn't figure it out. It seems as though everytime you think you're making progress something gets messed up. It's getting sort of frustrating but I think I will be able to complete it!
- Calley
I havn't cut the puzzle out and tried to fit the pieces together yet but I have done all the work for the problems, hopefully my work is correct so this won't be too frustrating when I actually do the puzzle.
-Casey
Like Jackie I also have tried it but have not exactly spent forever trying to complete it. I tried it for about 20 minutes and I it was very difficult and i didnt have much time so i left it to try it again later. I think that it is going to be a very hard and challengeing puzzle.
Ive tried the puzzle already and it is very difficult, so im glad i didn't wait until last minute because then i wouldnt have time, every time i get to having 2 or 3 whole rows complete i mess up and have to try again.
-Rockwell
I found that the easiest way to do it is to try to find equalities for each equation then match them up until it all fits, of coarse, easier said than done
I agree with Calley and Rockwell. It is very difficult and everytime I feel like I have something I have to start over because I can't go any further. It is very frustrating but hopefully i will be able to get it
This puzzle is totally tricky! I started out just playing around with it and I managed to connect quite a few. I came up with this strategy where I figured what an identity could equal and then used a piece of tape to lift the ink off of the answer (it's not as complicated as it sounds!!) The really challenging part was that if the answer to something could be, say, tanx, it could also be 1/cotx. Plus, there were multiples of every answer. Definitely a head-scratcher!
I just finished the puzzle so I'm pretty excited. I agree with Mrs. Taylor about the breaks, they definitely help. I worked on this for an hour before vacation, and then a few hours yesterday and today. Like Sam, I also found all the sides with the same answers, and then try to fit them together.
It took a long time and was still not working, but when I checked the answers (not the puzzle placement) with Rosemary, I was able to fix a couple mistakes and then I finish the puzzle 30 seconds later.
i agree with sam on how the easiest way to do the puzzle is, that is how i finished my puzzle. after an hour or two of not getting anywhere with the puzzle i tried this way and i got it really fast then.
-Rockwell
The puzzle was frusterating because every side had several possible answers. I just wrote down every variety of each answer and worked from there. I agree with Rockwell about how frusterating it was. Everytime I thought I had it right I couldn't get it back in a square shape.
Ben
At first I was making the puzzle way too complicated, and it was definitely not working for me. So I asked Michelle for help, and she said that she was doing what Sam was doing and that it was working for her. So, I color coded the sides that had all the same answers, and I was so happy when this worked! Like Rockwell, Sam, Michelle and Kayla, I agree that this is the easies way to do the puzzle.
Although we passed in the puzzle before vacation, I too, thought it wa svery difficult. Just in case I messed up on a first attempt, the first thing I did was make a copy of the puzzle, so I could work from there. Similarly to Rosemary and Michelle, I matched up all of the possible solutions by means of making a list on a separate sheet of paper. From there, I just tried to see which ways they could all fit, and eventually I reach the solution.
-kellyallen
Even though this is after we have already passed in the puzzle I figured I should comment. I really had a tough time at first with the puzzle I would do it for like a half hour and then I would become so frustrated that I had to stop. I tried different ways to come up with a way to solve the puzzle. The way that worked for me was how Kelly did it. I made a list on a separate sheet of paper with each equation and the answer I got. Eventually I managed to come up with the right puzzle and that was a really good feeling!
Hello, although we are into January, I think I had an interesting situation with the puzzle. As I worked on the puzzle I tried to match pieces that had only one answer, and not just add to one bunch of pieces. I did this the first try and then the next try I realized I could go no further, so I tried again. I completed to rows once it came all together and then the last two on top and bottom of this group came pretty easily, like process of elimination. I wasn't pulling my hair out, it only took me two days in two sittings of about 20 minutes each. I thought the puzzle was pretty fair altogether.
~Brianna
I believe the puzzle was pretty fair and it was definitely difficult. I struggled with it but in the end I was victorious. Like Brianna it took me multiple days, I had to put it down like you suggested and take a break, but it was worth the grade.
-Hillary
For me, puzzles having to do with a concept that we're learning in class are a great study tool. They're also fun, too!
I love the math money puzzles! I always do them when I'm bored at home!
Math money puzzles make the world go 'round.
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