Before the group discussion, this was my solution for solving the locker problem. I tried to simplify the problem by using 10 students and 10 lockers and look for any patterns. I noticed that 1, 4, and 9 were the only ones closed and they were perfect squares. However, after our discussion, I realized I didn't consider factors and skipped over that part. I'm glad we were able to have the in-class discussion because it allowed me to think of different perspectives.
Thanks, Simi. Starting with a smaller problem (with 10 lockers) is a great problem solving strategy. Were you convinced after seeing 1, 4, 9 that only locker #'s that are perfect squares would be closed? Or did you try more (16, 25 and so on) to confirm? Why or why not?
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