Background Information for Doing Mathematics, the Main Activity

of the Workshop

This is a classic geometric problem that can help students develop and consolidate
their understandings of basic concepts of two and three-dimensional geometry, and
of how geometry connects to basic arithmetic.

The problem statement (Participant Handout 2-16):

You and your teammates represent the Best Solutions Consulting Company. Out of
This World Candies has engaged you to solve the problem described in the following
memo:

To: Best solutions:

To: Best Solutions Consulting Company
From: Out of This World Candies
Re: Problem to be solved

Our company, Out of This World Candies, plans to sell our Starburst candies in a new
package containing 24 individually wrapped Starbursts. Your challenge is to find the
dimensions of the least expensive box that can hold exactly 24 Starbursts. *

Each wrapped Starburst has a square shape that measures 2 cm on a side and 1 cm high.

In your report we want you to tell us:

1. The dimensions in centimeters of all the possible boxes we can use

to package exactly 24 Starbursts.
2. The dimensions of the least expensive box for us to produce.
3. An explanation of your answers to parts 1 and 2.
4. A suggestion to us about which one, of all the boxes, you think
would be our best choice. We want to know why you think a
particular box is the best choice over all the others.

Workshop 2 Facilitator’s Guide– page 1

Analysis of the “Best Box” Problem:

The problem given is not difficult—but because it is complex and because

participants need to figure out for themselves what mathematics to use and how to
approach the problem, it provides a high-level of cognitive demand, even for
participants who are mathematics teachers.

The instructional approach suggested here for workshop participants models the
approach we recommend for use with English language learners. The work is
divided into three steps so that participants can share their mathematical thinking
and their plans at several points. Each step allows opportunities for participants to
work individually, in pairs and as a large group. They also allow you to assess the
progress of the participants and offer any scaffolding needed.

We also provide you with some mathematical information and questions that can
help you guide the participants if they need suggestions. After reading through the
problem and the facilitation suggestions, you should adapt this approach to the
group you are working with. Your two most important objectives here are to engage
the participants in a lively mathematical challenge; to support them through protocols
and questions in mathematical conversations and thoughtful problem solving.

• The basic mathematics of this problem is not difficult. Participants should

remember the basic formulas for calculating the volume of a rectangular prism (V
= L X W X H) and the area of a rectangle (A = L x W). They should also be able
to determine whether a number is or is not a factor of another number.

• Finding possible boxes involves being able to stack Starbursts in rectangular

arrays and visualize and draw different ways that 24 starbursts can be stacked to
fit into a box.

• The least expensive box is the one that uses the smallest amount of material.
The surface area of a box is one way to measure the amount of material—the
amount of material needed to wrap around the Starbursts.

• The box with the smallest surface area is the one with the most compact
dimensions. The smallest box has dimensions 4 cm x 4 cm x 6 cm and a surface
area of 132 cm2. This corresponds to four layers of 6 Starbursts, each layer
being a 2 x 3 array of Starbursts. In comparison, the most spread out box with
dimensions 1 cm x 2 cm x 48 cm, has the largest surface area, 292 cm2. This
corresponds to a single row of 24 Starbursts.

• Calculating surface area is simply a matter of adding up the areas of the six
rectangular faces making up a particular box.

Workshop 2 Facilitator’s Guide– page 2

• Probably the most difficult part of the problem is being able to develop a
systematic way of organizing data about different boxes in order to determine
whether they have found all the possible boxes (there are ten different possible
boxes). It involves keeping systematic records of each new arrangement, and
determining whether it fits into a different-sized than any previous arrangement.

One way to find all the boxes is to systematically make stacks of Starbursts
arranged in rectangular prisms until no more can be made. Start with all the
stacks that are 1 cm high. Make all the possible prisms. Then make a stack 2 cm
high and do the same. Continue with 3 cm and 4 cm. Participants who continue
to stack Starbursts 6 cm high and 8 cm high will discover that the dimensions of
the prisms they find are the same as ones they found using stacks with lower
heights. Participants will probably not realize this until they build all the possible
stacks, the highest one being 24 cm high. (Dimensions 2 x 2 x 24.) This has the
same dimensions as a stack 2 cm high and 12 Starbursts long:

• An excellent way to find out whether all possible boxes have been found is to use
the fact that all the dimensions (lengths, widths, heights) must be integers. The
volume of a single Starburst (1 cm x 2 cm x 2 cm) is 4 cm3, the volume of 24
Starbursts is 96 cm3. Therefore only integers that are factors of 96 can form
boxes that hold 24 Starbursts.

One way to prove this is to choose a length that is not a factor of 96, for
example, 10. Since 96/10 = 9.6, at least one of the other dimensions must be
a fraction since 10 x W x H must equal 96. But we know that all the lengths
must be integers, so 10 cannot be the length of a box. The same will be true
of any number that is not a factor of 96.

The factors of 96 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, 48 and 96. So the boxes
that can hold 24 Starbursts are limited to all the possibilities for which 3 of
these numbers multiply to 96. For example, 3 x 4 x 8 (this could be a 2 x 4
array of Starbursts stacked 3 layers high). Not all factor combinations will
result in a box that can hold Starbursts. For example a box with dimensions 1
x 1 x 96, is too thin to hold any Starbursts; a box with dimensions 1 x 3 x 32
can only hold 16 Starbursts, with 8 Starbursts left over that can’t be fit into a
space that measures 1 x 1 x 32.

Workshop 2 Facilitator’s Guide– page 3

The following table shows all possible boxes and their surface areas.

Dimensions of Box in cm. Surface Area of Box in cm2

(the product, h x w x l) must equal the SA = 2 x (h x w + l x w + l x h)
volume, 96 cm3)
1 x 2 x 48 2 x (2+ 96 + 48) = 292 cm2
1 x 4 x 24 2 x (4 + 96 + 24) = 248 cm2
1 x 6 x 16 2 x ( 6 + 96 + 16) = 240 cm2
1 x 8 x 12 2 x ( 8 + 96 + 12) = 232 cm2
2 x 2 x 24 2 x (4 + 48 + 48) = 200 cm2
2 x 4 x 12 2 x (8 + 48 + 24) = 160 cm2
2x6x8 2 x (12 + 48 + 16) = 152 cm2
3 x 2 x 16 2 x (6 + 32 + 48) = 172 cm2
3x4x8 2 x (12 + 32 + 24) = 136 cm2
4x4x6 2 x (16 + 24 + 24) = 128 cm2

From the table we can see that the box with the smallest surface area is the one
whose dimensions are closest to a cube, 4 x 4 x 6. This is analogous to the situation
in two dimensions: the shape with the smallest perimeter for a given area is a
square.

It is impossible to construct a cubic box for Starbursts with a volume exactly 96

because the cube root of 96 is not a whole number.

Note: there are boxes possible with Starbursts stacked to heights greater than 4, but
all such boxes have dimensions that are already on the list. For example, there are
three possible boxes with a height of 6 cm: 6 x 4 x 4, 6 x 2 x 8 and 6 x 1 x 16, all of
which are already represented on the list.

Put another way, for any heights larger than 4, either the height is not a factor of 96
(5, 7, 10, etc.) or one of the other factors must be 4 or less, in which case the box
will duplicate one of the ones already listed. For example, if you started with height =
6, 96 ÷ 6 = 16, so that the other two dimensions have to be factors of 16: 1 x 16, 2 x
8, or 4 x 4. Starting with 8, 96 ÷ 8 = 12, so the other dimensions must be factors of
12: 1 x 12, 2 x 6 or 3 x 4. And so on.

Workshop 2 Facilitator’s Guide– page 4

NOTES FOR STEPS OF THE PROBLEM
Step 1 – Unpacking the Problem (Slides 34-39) Participants decide what they
already know that will help them solve the problem; What they need to find out; and
what the constraints (givens) of the problem are. Individuals share their information
with the whole group. This information is posted on three large pieces of chart paper
so that everyone has the same information about the problem.

Step 2 – Partial solutions (Slides 40-43) Participants divide into pairs and each
pair finds one way to put 24 Starbursts in a box. Groups share their results by
drawing a sketch of one box on 8-1/2 by 11 paper, and posting their sketch and its
dimensions. Participants think about how many more boxes might be possible.

Step 3 – Completing the Solution (Slides 44-52). Participants work as teams to

develop their plans for finding all the boxes. When the groups compare results they
have to decide as a group whether there are any additional possibilities. Then they
work out a plan for calculating the surface area of every possible box in order to find
the least expensive box.

Reflecting on the Problem (Slides 53-58). Participants answer a series of

questions, reflecting on the process of problem solving, on the mathematics they
used to solve the problem, and on how they would adapt the problem for English
language learners.

Background Notes for step 1:

Here are some sample answers for Handout 2-2.

Participants do not need to list everything in the table below in order to start solving
the problem. The most important items – for being able to move ahead and begin
solving the problem are the items in bold face. All the other items are significant, but
they can be discovered while solving the problem.
• If participants do not use the term “rectangular prism” you can ask: Does anyone
know the mathematical name for a standard every day kind of box?
• If participants do not mention the units of volume and area, you can ask: What
are the units that we use to measure volume for this problem? And, What are the
units that we will use to measure area for this problem?

Workshop 2 Facilitator’s Guide– page 5

 What do we need to
What specific information What PRIOR KNOWLEDGE FIND OUT that will
is GIVEN in the problem? can we use to solve the help solve the
problem? problem?
• Each Starburst has • The shape of a Starburst is • The volume of a
dimensions 1 cm x 2 a rectangular prism Starburst
cm x 2 cm • A box that can hold • The volume of 24
• A box must hold Starbursts is a Starbursts
exactly 24 rectangular prism. • The dimensions
Starbursts. It can’t • How to draw a sketch of a of all the possible
be larger or smaller rectangular prism boxes that can
• Volume measures the hold exactly 24
amount of material that can Starbursts.
fill something a three- • A strategy or
dimensional shape. Volume system for
is measured in cubic units making sure we
• The volume of a box in have found all
cubic centimeters (cm3) is possible boxes.
the length x width x • The surface area
height of every box to find
• Area measures the amount the one that uses
of material that can cover a the least material.
flat surface. It is measured
in square units.
• The area of a rectangular
surface in square
centimeters (cm2) is the
length x width
• There are several ways that
24 Starbursts can be
arranged in layers to fit in a
box.
• The surface area of a box
will determine the amount
material needed.
• The least expensive box will
be the one that uses the
smallest amount of material.

Workshop 2 Facilitator’s Guide– page 6

Background Notes for step 2
In order to finding the dimensions of a box that can hold 24 Starbursts participants
must be able to visualize and/or draw an arrangement of Starbursts that form a
rectangular prism, for example, spreading them out flat in a rectangle 6 Starbursts
long, 4 Starbursts wide and 1 Starburst high. Such a rectangle will have L= 12 cm,
W = 8 cm, H = 1 cm; a volume of 12 x 8 x 1 = 96 cm3, and a surface area of 2 x (12
x 8 + 12 x 1 + 1 x 8) = 2 x 116 = 232 cm2.

Participants will need to draw a representation of the box, something like this:

L= 12 cm
H = 1 cm
W = 8 cm

Once each group has come up with one possible box, there should be several
possibilities displayed publicly for all to see.

This is a critical moment in the problem solving process. Your goal is to have the
group articulate the idea that there must be some more possible boxes, because
there are several different ways to arrange the Starbursts so that they form a box
shape.

The Facilitator’s Notes for Slide 17, provide specific directions and talking points for
helping this happen.

Background Notes for Step 3.

Step 3 has two parts, making sure that the group has found all possible boxes, and
can justify that, and helping them realize that the cheapest box is the one with the
smallest surface area.

One important idea that can needs to be brought out during this step is the need for
a system—both a way to keep track of all the boxes in such a way that the
dimensions are easy to compare, and a way to divide the work of finding boxes
among the different teams or pairs.

The second idea that is helpful to bring out at this stage is the idea that all the boxes
that can hold 24 Starbursts have the same volume, 96 cm3, and all the possible
dimensions for boxes (that is length, width or height) must be factors of 96.

Finally, you may need to help bring out the idea that the least expensive box is the
one with the smallest surface area. Dividing the work of calculating surface area
among all the groups is also helpful here.
Workshop 2 Facilitator’s Guide– page 7