Logic Problem Solving

LogicproblemstendtoboildowntoThinklogicallyandtryeverythinguntilsomething
sticks.Thetricktosolvingthemtobreakthemdowntotheirsimplestparts.Donttryto
keeptrackofitallinyourhead,andhaveaplan.

ThePlan
1. Readtheproblem/promptcarefully.Payattentiontothedetails
2. Statewhatyouretryingtoaccomplish.
3. Statewhatyouneedtoknowinordertoreachthatgoal.
4. Breaktheproblemdowntoitssimplestparts.
a. Makeasimpler/smallerscaleequivalentifapplicable.
b. Writedowneverythingyouknowabouteveryaspectoftheproblem
5. Drawdiagramsandreframetheproblem.
a. Saytheproblemaloud
b. Explainittoafriend
c. Lookitoverslowlywhilereadingitaloud
d. Drawapicture
e. Makeamodel
6. Worktowardssolvingtheproblemonestepatatimewhileshowingallyourwork
andassumptions.
a. Lookforpatternsandtrends
b. Lookforobvioussolutions
c. Trywhatevercomestomind
7. Repeatsteps16invaryingordersuntiltheproblemissolved.

Example:PascalsTriangle
1
11
121
1331
14641
15101051

Findthenextlineinthesequence(letssolvethistasktogether)

1. Readtheproblem/promptcarefully.
2. Statewhatyouretryingtoaccomplish.
a. Imtryingtofindthenextlineinthesequence.
3. Statewhatyouneedtoknowinordertoreachthatgoal.
a. Ineedtoknowthepattern.
4. Breakitdownintoitssimplestparts/smallestscale
a. 1
11
121
5. Reframetheproblem

a.


6. Worktowardssolvingtheproblemonestepatatimewhileshowingallyourwork
andassumptions.
a. Theresalwaysa1ontheedge
b. Theinsidehastwodotsthesumoftwoones.


 c. Whatdoesthenextlinehave?
i. 1
11
121
1331
d. Two3s.Thesumof1and2whichhappentobeaboveeach3.
e. Tryadding1and3together,3and3together,and3and1together.
i. 464
f. Comparetothenextlineinthesequence
i. 14641
g. Hey,itfits!Ijusthadtoadd1totheedges.
h. IfItestthepatternfortherestofthesequenceeverythingmatchesandIget1
615201561asthenextlineinthesequence
7. 1615201561isthenextlineinthesequence.Problemsolved.

Additionalquestionsforyou:
LabeltherowsofthePascaltrianglebyindicesn=0,n=1,n=2,

If1XY.YX1istherown=20,
Findx

Findy

Letsgeneralizethisproblem.
If1XY.YX1isthen^throwofthetriangle,whatarethevaluesofx
andy?

 Nowaddtheentriesineachrow.Doyounoticeanypattern?

Usingtheaboveexercisewhatisthesumoftheelementsonthe20^throwofthe
triangle?

Practice:TriangleTwo
2
22
242
2882
21664162

Whatisthepattern?

Canyoufindthenextrowinthistriangle?

Justlikebefore,labeltherowsn=0,n=1,n=2andsoon.ComparethetwoPascaltriangles.
Howaretheentriesrelated?

Moreexplicitly,if1xyz.zyx1
aretheentriesofthen^throwofthefirstPascaltriangle,whataretheentriesofthesame
rowofthesecondtriangle?

If2abc.cba2isthe13^throwofthesecondtriangle,whatisthevalueofa?

Practice:MorrisTriangle
1
11
21
1211
111221
312211
13112221

Whatisthenextlineinthesequence?Usethespacebelowtofigureitout.Dontforgetto
workwiththosearoundyou!

Practice:YetAnotherTriangle
1
11
21
1112
3112
211213

Whatisthenextlineinthesequence?Usethespacebelowtofigureitout.Dontforgetto
workwiththosearoundyou!

Practice:TheMontyHallProblem
Supposeyou'reonagameshow,andyou'regiventhechoiceofthreedoors:Behindonedooris
acarbehindtheothers,goats.Youpickadoor,sayNo.1,andthehost,whoknowswhat's
behindthedoors,opensanotherdoor,sayNo.3,whichhasagoat.Hethensaystoyou,"Doyou
wanttopickdoorNo.2?"Isittoyouradvantagetoswitchyourchoice?

Practice:GnomeSequencing
10,000gnomesarestandinginanopenspace.Theyareallstrictlyidentical:samehair,same
clothes,sameshoes...However,thecolouroftheirhatsiseitherredorblue.Theydontknow
whichcolorhattheyrewearing,buttheycanseethecoloroftheothershats.Theycannot
communicatewitheachotherinanyform.

Howcanthesegnomesseparateeachotherin2groupsofhatcolours(blue&red)?

Practice:FlipCoins,NotTables
You'reinadarkroomwith100coinsonatable,12areheadsandtherestaretails,andthetwo
facesarecompletelyindistinguishableinthedark.Howdoyouseparatethecoinsintotwopiles
sothatthenumberoffaceupheadsineachpileareequal?

Finale:EyeColorProblem
Agroupofpeoplewithassortedeyecolorsliveonanisland.Theyareallperfect
logiciansifaconclusioncanbelogicallydeduced,theywilldoitinstantly.Nooneknows
thecoloroftheireyes.Everynightatmidnight,aferrystopsattheisland.Anyislanderswho
havefiguredoutthecoloroftheirowneyesthenleavetheisland,andthereststay.
Everyonecanseeeveryoneelseatalltimesandkeepsacountofthenumberofpeople
theyseewitheacheyecolor(excludingthemselves),buttheycannototherwise
communicate.Everyoneontheislandknowsalltherulesinthisparagraph.

Onthisislandthereare100blueeyedpeople,100browneyedpeople,andthe
Guru(shehappenstohavegreeneyes).Soanygivenblueeyedpersoncansee100
peoplewithbrowneyesand99peoplewithblueeyes(andonewithgreen),butthatdoes
nottellhimhisowneyecolorasfarasheknowsthetotalscouldbe101brownand99
blue.Or100brown,99blue,andhecouldhaveredeyes.

TheGuruisallowedtospeakonce(let'ssayatnoon),ononedayinalltheirendless
yearsontheisland.Standingbeforetheislanders,shesaysthefollowing:

"Icanseesomeonewhohasblueeyes.

Wholeavestheisland,andonwhatnight?

Therearenomirrorsorreflectingsurfaces,nothingdumb.Itisnotatrickquestion,
andtheanswerislogical.Itdoesn'tdependontrickywordingoranyonelyingorguessing,
anditdoesn'tinvolvepeopledoingsomethingsillylikecreatingasignlanguageordoing
genetics.TheGuruisnotmakingeyecontactwithanyoneinparticularshe'ssimplysaying
"Icountatleastoneblueeyedpersononthisislandwhoisn'tme."

Andlastly,theanswerisnot"nooneleaves."