Wednesday, November 4, 2009

A classic: The Dot Problem

Science involves problem-solving. Can you join these nine dots without lifting pencil from paper?

Materials:
Paper
Pencil

Doing it:
1. Draw nine dots as follows:
o o o
o o o
o o o

2. The challenge is connect the dots without lifting pencil from paper. How many lines do you have to use? How would you use five lines? How would four lines work? Can you use only three lines?

Story behind the activity
When horses were used in cities for pulling wagons, they often wore blinders. The blinders were like walls, shutting off the periphery. Horses wore blinders so they wouldn't get frightened or distracted. Blinders may have been useful for horses, but mental blinders in people can prevent a person from solving simple problems. In this activity, the key is to see the pattern of dots in form other than a square.

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