6th Grade Math Textbook, Fundamentals

Problem-Solving Strategies

1.Guess and Test

2. Organize Data
   3.Find a Pattern
   4.Make a Drawing
   5.Solve a Simpler Problem
   6.Reason Logically
   7.Adopt a Different Point of View
   8.Account for All Possibilities
   9.Work Backward
   10.Consider Extreme Cases

 &KDSWHU

Problem-Solving Strategy:

Organize Data

Objective To solve problems using the strategy Organize Data

Problem 1:Alice, Bob, Colleen, and Derek each have a different job.
Their jobs are zookeeper, trailer-truck driver, math teacher, and cab driver.
Use the following clues to determine each person’s job.
Clue 1:Alice does not have a driver’s license.
Clue 2:Derek spends most of his workday standing up.
Clue 3:Derek is allergic to animals.
Clue 4:Colleen has never driven a vehicle with more than four wheels.

2-10

Read to understand what is being asked.

List the facts and restate the question.

Facts: Four people have four different jobs.

Clues about the people and jobs are given.

Question:What is each person’s job?

Select a strategy.

You can use the strategy Organize Data.

Make a chart showing all the possibilities.

Then use the process of elimination to find the answer.

Apply the strategy.

Make a chart like the ones below.

UsingClue 1, you know that Alice is not the trailer-truck driver or the

cab driver. Write Ns (for No) in the corresponding cells.

Clues 2and 3tell you that Derek is not the trailer-truck driver, zookeeper, or

cab driver. Record this information. So Derek must be the math teacher. Write

aY(for Ye s) in the appropriate cell and Ns in the rest of the cells in that column.

Record Yin the empty cell in Alice’s row and Ns in the rest of the cells

in the zookeeper column. Colleen is not the trailer-truck driver (clue 4).

Record this information.

You can now see that Colleen must be the cab driver and Bob

must be the trailer-truck driver.

Zookeeper Trailer-truck Driver Math Teacher Cab Driver

Alice Y NNN

Bob NY N N

Colleen NN N Y

Derek NN YN

Zookeeper Trailer-truck Driver Math Teacher Cab Driver

Alice N N N

Bob N

Colleen N

Derek NN YN