Module Information

There is an increasing demand in the workplace for graduates skilled in problem solving, and who are then able to communicate their findings. This module consists of analysing various games and puzzles, by both logical reasoning and experimentation in play, and then disseminating the information through presentations, posters, and pamphlets. Students will work in groups. For each puzzle, students will complete exactly one of the assessments.

Many (board, card, dice) games and puzzles contain tactical and planning elements. Winning strategies often depend on analysing the problem, solving by restructuring as a connected set of easier problems. For well-known games and puzzles, such a noughts and crosses, blackjack, regular sudoku, and the Tower of Hanoi, optimal strategies have been formulated. The purpose of this module is to take lesser known problems of similar complexity, such as those described in the IMA Maths Arcade. (https://ima.org.uk/865/maths-aracade-selected-games-and-resources/), and develop writing formulas. (Problems will be selecetd on teh interests and availability of staff, and are likley to change each year.) Key elements of the module are experimentation during practical sessions, and teh ability to communicate the outcomes both verbally and in written form.