Number (patterns): Great White
The Problem
In a great white shark’s hunting ground, there are 100 seals.
On day 1, the shark kills a seal and another shark joins its hunting ground.
On day 2, both sharks each kill a seal and another shark joins the hunting ground.
On day 3, the three sharks each kill a seal and another shark joins the hunting ground.
This pattern continues.
Can you construct a table to show how the number of seals and sharks change over time?
Use your table to answer the following questions:
- How many sharks were there on day 4?
- How many seals were left on day 5?
- How long did it take until there were more sharks than seals?
Did you know?
Great white sharks are known to be powerful and fast swimmers. They can reach speeds of up to 40 kilometres per hour in short bursts when they are hunting prey or responding to a potential threat.
Visualising the Problem and Getting Started
When constructing your table, think carefully about the information that it needs to show so that the questions can be answered.
Start looking for patterns in your table. What do you notice?
