Parmida Zolfaghari

Carlee Hollenbeck
Calculus
November 5, 2014
Whats all this Buzz about Math? Write-up
1. Problem Statement:
The problem that was presented to my group and I for our second free think Friday
problem was the Honey Comb Problem. In the following problem there are 19 pieces
to the comb and we were allowed to number them 1-19 (with no repeating numbers) and
each diagonal, column and row had to equal to 38 once added up. To the following
process there were no patterns or a correct starting point however my group and I were
not aware of this during the process.

2. Process Description:
My group and I were given the option of asking for a hint at the very beginning of
solving for this problem. We chose to get the solution for the outer 3rd piece from the top,
which meant a starting point for us as well. The group came to the conclusion that wed
be able to choose the middle number by distinguishing which number would work in the
most pieces of the comb. Later on this strategy helped us with choosing 5 as our middle
number. The very first hint that we received was the number 9 and from then on we
continued the problem with assuming that there was an actual pattern to the process of
finding the solution. For the piece directly across number 9 we chose 10, under 9 we
choose 11 and across from 11 we put 12 and so forth. Later on we came across the
realization that 9, 11, and 13 do not add up to 38, neither does 10,12, and 14. We decided
to replace the bottom pieces with numbers that made our column equal to 38, (left side
down: 9, 11, 18 and right side down: 10, 12, and 16). Even though we had gathered some
numbers by guessing and played out each spot like Sudoku, we still couldnt go on
without having a large set of options left for each spot. During the next session that we
worked on our problem, our teacher allowed us to pick two spots that we would like to
have revealed to us. My group chose two numbers instead of spots to have revealed to us.

We asked for the numbers 1 and 19, one was chosen because almost every spot had the
option to have one imputed there and nineteen was chosen because almost every spot
seemed as if it was the wrong spot for it to be placed in. Also it seemed like that having
the starting and finishing numbers down would help us find more clues to the other spots.
The only way that we were able to successfully find the answer to this problem was to
stick with the numbers we had guessed and continue from then on, which luckily ended
up revealing the right answers to us.
3. Solution:
The following picture shows the solution to our problem and the work that was done to
achieve it, however there is not much work because the answers was basically based by
guessing and the Sudoku process. The shown solution is correct for a fact because its
been previously checked by the teacher who assigned the problem.

4. Self-Assessment and Reflection:

This problem was very challenging and simple at the same time. It seemed very time
consuming and stressful when starting to attempt the problem. I personally feel like
without having the hints that were given during the process, it would be nearly
impossible to do the problem. My group and I found the solution to the problem mainly
by guessing and analyzing every step very carefully since each number affected the next
that were to be put in the comb. The problem was challenging in terms of pushing each
students thinking farther than usual and allowing them to openly attack the problem. I
would rank myself anywhere from 8-10, I feel as if I did push my thinking farther to try
and figure this problem out but I also stuck to one way of finding the solution so maybe I
could have pushed myself further by applying more than one application onto this
problem. I view the mathematical Practice and Expectation that played a great part in
finding the solution was Reason abstractly and quantitatively out of the list because
reasoning and logic played a huge part in this problem. Practically all of the problem was

based on having the right set of numbers and idea meanwhile working to find the
solution. This way of mathematical thinking has a huge role in solving problems similar
to the current one due to the lack of information and method that is originally presented
to the students.