Session Style: Try a Smaller Problem

Frogs can only move right, or down, and toads can only move left, or up. Can you exchange all the frogs and toads? Can you create a formula for the fewest number of moves? This deceptively simple puzzle starts with a row of frogs and toads, then advances to a grid. The game can be played with manipulatives, online, or even with people to provide an engaging, solitary or cooperative activity for all ages.

Merriam Webster defines gerrymandering as “the practice of dividing or arranging a territorial unit into election districts in a way that gives one political party an unfair advantage in elections.” This activity tries to make sense of that definition using a few examples.