Chapter 8 Mathematics Problem Solving: Reasoning and Volume
 
 
  1. On the journey from Oregon to California, the people in the wagon train had more than one day and night with no water for themselves or their animals. The lack of water made them realize how important water is to sustaining life. Solve the following problem about water:

On a hot day four couples drank a total of 44 bottles of water. Sue drank two bottles, Mary drank three bottles, Anne drank four bottles, and Carol drank five bottles.

Don drank just as many bottles of water as his wife, and each of the other men drank more than their wives. Jack drank twice as many bottles as his wife, Paul drank three times as many as his wife, and Bob drank four times as many as his wife.

Match the names of the couples and tell how many of bottles of water each man drank. Explain your thinking.

  1. On the trip through the Sierra Nevada forests, the people in the wagon train cut trees to clear a road for their wagons and to have firewood for cooking their meals. Solve the following problem about a log:

A log in the shape of a cylinder has a mass of 24 kilograms. What would the mass be if the log were twice as thick but only half as long?

Note: To find the volume of a cylinder (mass), multiply the area of the base (circle) times the height. Explain your thinking.

Bonus Questions

Click here for bonus questions to answer. These questions involve higher-level thinking skills for additional challenge.