the 2017 Exam Assessing Readiness ( )

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useful way of communicating your understanding, so hint: use them.
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MathILy c/o dr. sarah-marie belcastro
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Questions? Contact dr. sarah-marie belcastro at [email protected].

Pretty Pebbles
You have a pile of pretty pebbles, with lots of 1-cm pretty raspberry
pebbles and lots of 2-cm pretty sea-green pebbles.

Here are two ways to make a 5-cm line of pretty pebbles: ,

List all the other ways to make a 5-cm line of pretty pebbles.

How many ways are there to make a k-cm line of pretty pebbles? Explain.
 5+7=2 Drop, Dont Carry 82 =6

Its really irritating to have to carry when we add or multiply large numbers. Lets not do that
any more.
6 1 2
5 7 8
4 3 9
6 1 2 4 1
4 9 8
+ 4 3 9 5 7
8 3 6
0 4 1 2
4 4 8
8
4 2 5 5 8
Find two distinct 4-digit numbers that sum to zero using drop arithmetic:

Describe the pairs of multi-digit numbers that sum to zero in drop arithmetic.

Find at least three different sums that add up to 12: 12 = 7 + = + 51 = +

Describe all possible ways that two nonzero multi-digit numbers can multiply to zero in drop
arithmetic.

Explain why every nonzero number is divisible by 9 in drop arithmetic. Are there any other
numbers with this property?

Suppose n = d1 d2 , where the dot is drop multiplication and n 6= 0. When is there a d3 (not
equal to d2 ) such that n = d1 d3 ? Find an n and d1 , d2 , d3 where this happens.

inspired by work of Applegate, LeBrun, Sloane.

 2 5 0
1
-4

3
Dots, Arrows, Three 3
2
-2
4

When we have three dots and three arrows, let us require that the sum of the labels on two
same-direction arrows equals the label on the other-direction arrow.
Finish labeling these datas (dots, arrows, three; assemblage):
4
(data limits may apply: no two dots are
joined by two arrows, and no three dots have 27 2
-1
three same-direction arrows.) 1

1 32
5
1
Imagine that the dotted edges of the
6 3 rectangle are glued so that the polygons
match up.
2

What equation did you solve when completing the labeling on one triangle of a data?

Often a data includes a polygon composed of triangles. In general, what property holds for the
labels of such a polygon, and why?

If not enough arrows are labeled, then there are many ways to finish labeling a data. In terms
of the numbers of arrows and triangles: At least how many arrows must be labeled so that a data
has exactly one label completion? Explain.

Prove that if a partly labeled data can be finished in only one way, then every dot must have
one of its arrows labeled already.

data problems based on work of Ken Price, UW-Oshkosh

 Decorative Borders
You have a bin of 1 1 glass . . . and another bin of 1 2 glass
squares, all colored rose. . . rectangles, all colored sage.

Here is a small 3 Lets add an undecorative And here is one way to color-
4 mirror that needs a border first: fully border the mirror.
decorative border.

How many ways are there to colorfully border this mirror with glass pieces? Explain.

How many ways are there to colorfully decorate the border of an m r mirror? Explain.

Here is a strange Surely it would look bet-

rectilinear thing. ter with a colorful border
added. Well, at least we
can add a boring border:

How many ways are there to colorfully border the strange rectilinear thing with glass pieces?
(Your answer may be a formula instead of a numeral.) Explain.

Imagine a general strange rectilinear thing with perimeter pthe sides have who-knows-what
lengths. How many ways are there to colorfully border it with glass pieces? Explain.

problem inspired by 2016 work of Malcolm Connolly.

 Duck Duck Goose
As is well known1 , ducks often lie. In fact, purple ducks always lie. Grey geese, on the other
hand, always tell the truth. And all waterfowl like to play games. . . particularly Im standing next
to exactly one purple duck.
Every player happily declares, Im standing
Heres a successful game: next to exactly one purple duck.

Can you find a way to place waterfowl to complete this

game successfully?
Are there any other ways for
the waterfowl to collectively
win this game? Explain.

Can you find two different ways for seven waterfowl to collectively win? Explain.

How many ways are there for n waterfowl to stand in a line and collectively win Im standing
next to exactly one purple duck? Explain.

Some waterfowl stand in a circle. How many ways can n standing-in-a-circle waterfowl collec-
tively win Im standing next to exactly one purple duck? Explain.

1
see Pinkwater, Ducks!
 More Duck2 s, More Geese
What about two lines of waterfowl facing each other, so each is also next to the opposite three
waterfowl? How many ways can 2n waterfowl collectively win Im standing next to exactly one
purple duck? Explain.

Can you find a way for both purple ducks and grey geese to collectively win Im standing next
to exactly one purple duck in this formation? More than one?

Describe the waterfowl formations where Im standing next to exactly one purple duck can
only be won if both purple ducks and grey geese are involved. Can you find a waterfowl formation
for which the game can only be collectively won by all purple ducks? All grey geese?

duck-and-goose problems inspired by work of Ryan Morrill, U Alberta

 Octa of Tetra
An octahedron can be cut into eight identical

We paint each tetrahedron the

same way, with one right-
triangle face colored Iris, one
right-triangle face colored Lime,
tetrahedra . one right-triangle face colored
yam (in the clockwise order
shown), and the equilateral face
unpainted.

How many ways are there to re-glue the tetrahedra into an octahedron so that faces glued
together always have the same color? Explain.

inspired by work of Bonzom and Lionni

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