Table tennis

Table tennis

Pencil and paper
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Further Resources
This task is about finding all possible combinations.
 
Questions/instructions
6 teams play in a table tennis competition. Each team plays each of the other teams once.

 

What is the total number of games played in the competition? __________

Show how you worked that out:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Task administration: 
This task is completed with pencil and paper only.
Level:
4
Curriculum info: 
Maths, Statistics, Probability
Key Competencies: 
Thinking, Using language, symbols, and texts
Keywords: 
nemp, combinations
Description of task: 
For this NEMP task students work out all possible combinations in a table tennis contest.
Curriculum Links: 
This resource can be used to help to identify students' understanding of finding all possible outcomes.
Key competencies
This resource involves solving a novel problem, and communicating their method of solution, which relate to the Key Competencies: Using language, symbols and text, and Thinking.
Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with
Interpreting statistical and chance situations, sets 4-5
within the Mathematics Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 
 

Y8 (Sept 2001)

15
30 (wrong)

Working out
Computational method (not listing games).
Systematic listing of games.
Seemingly random listing of games.

15%
19%


34%
29%
7%

Commentary (question 1 only)
Only 15 percent of year 8 students determined the correct answer, with many of those who used a computational method counting each combination (game) twice.