Which one of the following is a pair of loads that can both be mulch?
on October 29, 2019
Setting Game up
In setting this game up, I had a hard time understanding the rule for cleaning. I originally created a variable for cleaning (C) and thought to place it in the seven spots but that created problems. So I decided to look at the game set up explanation..although I only watched the first minute of the game set up explanation and I got all the answers right for this game, I deducted all of those questions from my final score to get a better sense of where I am at. How would you recommend approaching games like this where you are not sure where to put a variable like cleaning the truck?
Reply
on October 29, 2019
Hello @tomgbean,
I think it was a good strategy to use C as a way to visualize the cleaning. However, let's think about what the 7 spaces are based on. We have 3 loads of mulch and 4 loads of stone. M & S are what must be placed in these 7 spaces. This was the problem with your initial setup.
C, rather than taking up a space, should be written smaller between spaces, or maybe above with an arrow pointing down. It doesn't matter, but the important part is that you understand that C does not take the place of any of the 7 loads. It simply represents the transition from mulch to stone or stone to mulch. We cannot have more than 3 such transitions.
If you come across a linear game like this in the future, think about what your spaces represent. In this game, we are talking about truckloads. C is not really its own variable, but rather a relationship between two other variables. When creating your setup, think about what you are certain of. You are certain we need 7 truckloads, 3 of mulch and 4 of stone, so you want to represent that in your diagram.
C is uncertain. If you wanted to treat it like M or S, you would need three diagrams with 8, 9, and 10 spaces. Even within those three diagrams there would be great uncertainty. You want a thorough setup, but you don't have time to draw a dozen diagrams.
