worksheets - Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay

Jyoti: I like oranges. With orange I cannot pick banana or
apple. Hence I pick orange and grapes.
Moz: Very good logical thinking. Can I pick banana and grapes?
Tejas and Jyoti: Yes, you can!
Main steps in logical thinking
I. Task: Read the problem carefully.
Example problem: What comes next in the sequence below?
II. Identify: As you are reading make a note of the following:
1. Goal- What is the goal?
To find the fourth shape in the sequence.
2. Information- What is the information available?
A sequence of geometrical shapes is given.
In the sequence, the first shape has 3 sides, the second
has 4 sides, and the third has 5 sides.
CONCEPTS
3. Conditions- What are the conditions?
In the given sequence, from one shape to the next, the
number of sides is increasing by 1 .
III. Solve: Achieve the goal by using the given information and
following the conditions.
1. Reasoning- The fourth shape should have 5+1 = 6 sides.
2. Solution- Work out the solution in a step-wise manner.
The problem is solved!
Moz: Let us look at another example. You are walking towards a play ground.
But the playground is on the other side of the road. So what do you do?
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