An architect is building a series of pyramids to use in landscaping a fancy garden. The pyramids are going to be of different heights, and she wants to know how many bricks she will need to build a pyramid of any height.
The pyramids are built using a very specific rule. Every block must be exactly on top of another block. This is what the pyramids look like: |
 |
How many bricks will the architect need to build a pyramid 5 rows high? 10 rows high? Can you find a rule that will tell her the number of bricks, B, she will need to build any pyramid of Height, H. |
 |
In last month’s math puzzle, Seats at the Table, we began a series of puzzles that deal with functions. Remember that in mathematics-speak a function is a rule relating two variables, so that if you know one of the variables, called the independent variable, the rule tells you the value of the other variable, the dependent variable.
This is a different situation than last month, with a different kind of function. However, the basic strategies for solving the puzzle are the same as for last month. Make drawings on graph paper, or use blocks to build structures for the puzzle. Keep track of your results in a table listing the variables. Make a conjecture about a rule that will give the same results as the data in your table.
After you’ve tried this for yourself check our solution. |
Things To Do
Science Center
Schools
SEED People
