Searching for Mean(ing)
Why do this problem?
Students are often asked to calculate the average (mean) of
sets of whole numbers. But what happens when the numbers vary?
This problem offers students a chance to consolidate their
understanding of average as a central measure, representative of
the set.
It also offers a chance to rehearse the key mathematical
processes of exploring, conjecturing, generalising and
justifying.
Possible approach
Introduce the problem by asking the students to imagine they have
an infinite supply of 3kg and 8kg weights. Can they find a
combination of these weights that has an average of 4kg?
Allow some time for students to work individually or in pairs and
then collect solutions. Confirm that there are many correct
possibilities but that you would like to focus on the one that
involves the least number of weights.
"If you had other combinations of the 3kg and 8kg weights, what
other whole number averages could you make?
What's the smallest? What's the largest?
Can you make all the whole number values in between?"
Allow some time for the students to work in pairs.
Collect the results on the board for future reference.
Some students may wish to comment on patterns that they notice
(e.g. for all possible whole number averages, the number of 3kg and
8kg weights adds up to 5).
"What if you have a different pair of weights? What averages can
you now make?"
Encourage students to work in small groups and each choose a
different pair of weights (perhaps suggesting that they restrict
themselves to weights less than 15kg).
"Share your results with your group. What do you notice? Do your
results have anything in common?"
Draw the groups together and share ideas and conjectures. (e.g.
students may notice a connection between the number of weights used
and the values of those weights)
Encourage students to explain their findings.
Offering a visual image
may be helpful. Can they adapt this image to explain how to work
out the other averages?
Students may suggest an image like this .
"Could you make any predictions about what combinations you need to
make all possible whole number averages for any pair of weights?
Can you use what you notice to find, for example, the combination
of 17kg and 57kg weights that have an average of 44kg......of
52kg.......of 21kg.....?"
Encourage students to test and explain their predictions.
Key questions
What's the smallest average you can make? What's the largest?
How do you know?
Can you explain how to make all the whole number averages in
between?
Possible extension
Given the original 3kg and 8kg weights, can you find
combinations that produce averages of 4.5kg ... of 7.5kg ... of
4.2kg ...of 6.9kg ...? Convince yourself that all averages between
3kg and 8kg are possible.
What averages are possible if you are allowed a negative
number of 3kg and 8kg weights?
Possible support
You may initially wish to restrict the weights used to those
which have a difference of 2kg, then 3kg, then 4kg, etc. in order
to model working systematically, and to make the pattern of results
more obvious.
Some students may find multilink cubes useful to support their
visual images.