COLLEGE DEPARTMENT

PROBLEM SOLVING, MATHEMATICAL INVESTIGATION AND

MODELING
Week 8
LOGICAL REASONING OR ELIMINATION
Logical reasoning is the ability to foresee implications beyond decisions. It is a very useful
strategy which may use in all problem-solving situations. it may also be used together with other
strategies like Guess and Check, Draw a Diagram, and Find a Pattern, to name a few. It is a skill that
helps the learner get more engaged in his/her own learning and promotes making the correct
decisions.
Moreover, the strategy of elimination is commonly used by people in everyday life. In a
problem-solving context, pupils list and then eliminate possible solutions based upon information
presented in the problem. The act of selecting a problem-solving strategy is an example of the
elimination process. It can result in the elimination of incorrect answers, particularly in “if-then”
situations, and in problems with a listable number of possible solutions. In instances when the people
have many options to choose from, he/she may start by eliminating choices that are obviously wrong.
By so doing this, he/she narrows down the choices which makes it a lot easier for him/her to make a
final decision.
In general, answering problems requires a student to evaluate outcomes and implications by
making a decision.
Example 1:
I am thinking of two-digit number.
It is odd.
Its tens digit is even.
It is prime.
The sum of its digits is 11.
The product of its digits is 24.

What do we know?
 The number has two digits, and five other clues are provided wherein if
considered one by one will lead to the answer.
What we want to know?
 The two digits number which fits the description provided.
This is a classic problem that can be solved using elimination. To solve, we consider
one clue at a time, eliminating the numbers that no longer qualify as a solution.
Clue # 1: It has two digits.
Possible answers: 10,11,12,…,97,98,99
Clue # 2: It is odd.
Possible answers: 11,13,15,…,97,99
Clue # 3: The tens digit is even.
Possible answers: 21,23,25,…,87,89
Clue # 4: It is prime.
Possible answers: 23,29,41,43,47,61,67,83,89
Clue # 5: the sum of its digits is 11.
Possible answers: 29,74, and 83

1|Page SHIERA S. SIMBAJON, LPT

Instructor
 COLLEGE DEPARTMENT
Clue # 6: The product of its digits is 24.
Possible answer: 83
After going through all the clues and eliminating numbers that do not fir the given descriptions,
the first and only number left is 83. It means that 83 is the two-digit prime number which is odd,
whose tens-digit is even, whose sum of its is 11 and the product of its digits is 24.
Example 2: During the University Week Celebration, the Sports Club organized a Dart Competition. It
was announced that each dart that lands in a region of the target may score the following points:
2,4,6,8, and 10. Each competitor can throw five darts at the target. Which of the following total scores
are not possible?
6,14,17,38,42,57

What do we know?
 A competitor can throw five darts.
 A dart may earn 2,4,6,8, or 10 points.
 A dart may land on the same region more than once.
What do we want to know?
 Which of 6,14,17,38,42, and 57 are not possible scores?

Logically, we first think of the minimum and maximum possible scores any competitor may
garner.
Minimum: If all 5 darts land in the 2-point area, the score would be 5x2=10
Obviously, a score of 57 is not possible.
Maximum: If all 5 darts land in the 10-point area, the score would be 5x10=50
This time, a score of 57 is not possible.
Since all possible points, a dart may score are even numbers, then, a total score which
is odd is not possible. It means that 17 is not a possible score.
That leaves 14, 38, and 42 as possible scores and this can be checked by looking for at
least a combination of points that will give these totals. Let’s take 14 first.
14 = four 2 points + one 6 points
= 8+6
38 = three 10 points + one two points + one six points
= 30+2+6
42 = four 10 points +one two points
= 40+2
We may use an organized list to determine all the combinations of points that total 14, 38, and
42.

EXERCISES
Solve the following problems:
1. How can two fathers and two sons divide nine P100-bills evenly among them. Each must
receive an equal number of P100-bills.
2. A group of children took a part in a race. Study the descriptions carefully and arrange them
from fastest to slowest.
Iggy runs faster than Chris.
Bernard runs faster than Iggy.
Joe is the fastest child in the group.
Chris is the slowest child in the group.

2|Page SHIERA S. SIMBAJON, LPT

Instructor