Crossing the river
This task is about using problem-solving strategies to explore situations mathematically.
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Two men and two children want to cross a river. None of them can swim, but they can paddle a canoe.
They only have one canoe, which will only hold one man at a time or two children. The boat can only go across the river if someone is in it.
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How do both the men and both the children get across the river in the least number of trips?
- Cut out the people and the canoe from your River template sheet.
- Cut a slit in the canoe where shown so that you can place people 'in' the canoe.
- Use the figures, the canoe, and the River template sheet to solve this question.
- In the table below write down who is in the canoe on each trip and the order in which the trips are made.
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Trip number
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Who is in the canoe?
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River template sheet
