MIX N MATCH: THE POWER OF CLEVER COMBINATIONS

Original Handbook Problem: Manny has 5 shirts, 3 pairs of pants, 2 ties and 4 pairs of shoes. If Manny’s school uniform consists of a shirt, a pair of pants, a tie and a pair of shoes, how many different uniforms can he wear to school? (2011-12 Problem #12)

Why the Stone Valley Team got high scores in communication:

  • They provide ample time to understand the problem and real-world application so viewers can follow along.
  • They spend a substantial amount of time on their solution, but in a way that is creative and doesn’t feel long or boring.
  • In addition to verbal explanations, they use tree diagrams to explain the solutions (2:43 and 3:16).
  • They speak clearly and use numbers/operations that are well-timed to follow their dialogue.

What else the judges liked:

  • Student-written humor like the luggage overload at the beginning (0:23) and re-packing at the end (3:57).
  • Creative use of simple but effective time-lapse to demonstrate different combinations (3:19).
  • Logical real-world application that doesn’t feel forced.
Difficulty
MVC Content Area
CCSS (Common Core State Standard)