Domino towers

Domino towers

Pencil and paperOnline interactive
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Further Resources
This task is about completing a pattern and writing a rule to describe the pattern.
Courtney built towers of different heights out of dominoes.
 
The 1-storey-high tower used 3 dominoes.
1-storey-high tower used 3 dominoes
The 2-storey-high tower used 8 dominoes.
2-storey-high tower used 8 dominoes
The 3-storey-high tower used 15 dominoes.
3-storey-high tower used 15 dominoes

Question 2Change answer

a)  Complete this table.
Storeys High (s)   1   2   3   4   5   6  
Number of Dominoes (n)   3   8   15  

Question 2Change answer

b)  Write an equation describing the number of dominoes, 'n', needed to build a tower 's' storeys high.
n =

Question 2Change answer

c)  How many dominoes does Courtney need to build a tower 98 storeys high?
Task administration: 
This task is completed with pencil and paper or online with some auto-marking.
Level:
5
Description of task: 
Students complete a table to describe a spatial pattern, and write an equation to express the rule.
Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with within the Mathematics Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 
  

Y10 (10/1998)

a) 24, 35, 48 moderate
b) s(s + 2), (s × s) + (s × 2), s2 + 2s
Accept other correct equations, e.g.,
1/2 (2s + 1 + 3) × s.
very difficult
c) 9,800 difficult