Permutations And Combinations permutations activity2

From Karnataka Open Educational Resources

Activity - Ice Cream Cone Permutations

Estimated Time

40 min

Materials/ Resources needed

  • Paper ice cream scoops (3 to 6 flavors cut from construction paper)
  • Paper triangles to represent cones onto which to place the paper scoops
  • Colored pencils, crayons, or markers
  • Blank Paper
  • Pencils

Prerequisites/Instructions, if any

  • Today everyone will get a 3-scoop ice cream cone. (flavors- Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry)
  • The big decision is this: in what order do you want your scoops arranged on your cone?
  • Use the paper ice cream to discover all of the possible orders your three scoops can be arranged.
  • Organize the paper ice cream cones so that patterns can be easily detected.
  • Record all of the possible permutations (order in which they can be arranged) in an organized fashion using a tree diagram, organized list, table, picture, etc.

Multimedia resources

 

Website interactives/ links/ simulations/ Geogebra Applets

Process (How to do the activity)

  • Set the stage for the ice cream shop - you may want to put a sign on the outside of your door to let everyone know they are going into the Ice Cream Shop. If you wish, you can even decorate your room and/or wear apparel appropriate for an ice cream shop worker.
  • Have students work in groups or individually to use the paper scoops and cones to find all of the orders in which three scoops can be arranged.
  • Have students record their results as a tree diagram, orga¬nized list, chart, etc., on the blank paper. It's important that the students see a connection between the manipulatives and the diagrams they create.

Developmental Questions (What discussion questions)

  1. How many flavors are available here to make a ice cream?
  2. What are the flavors?
  3. Can we put the same flavors twice in a ice cream?

Evaluation (Questions for assessment of the child)

In how many different orders can Anil, Bharat, Chetan and David stand in a line?

Question Corner

Activity Keywords

ice cream,cone,permutation,arrangements To link back to the concept page Permutations_And_Combinations