For some DEEP THINKING TODAY, let's look on a lighter side of the Corona crisis - and we need look no further than THE Ellen Degeneres, one of my all-time favorite personalities :)
To combat Corona boredom, Ellen set out to complete a 4,000-piece puzzle. (Check out her whole saga here: Ellen's Puzzle Journey). Throughout her hilarious journey, Ellen makes some pretty interesting claims...let's think deeply about them (and laugh along the way)!
Part A - Ellen's Puzzle, Video 1
In her first video, Ellen looks forward to completing the puzzle. Specifically, she predicts that the puzzle will "keep me busy for at least an hour." What do you make of Ellen's prediction? Is it reasonable or unreasonable? How long do you think it will take Ellen to complete a 4,000 piece puzzle? What data are you using to make your prediction? What additional data might be helpful?
Part B - Ellen's Puzzle, Video 2
After losing and then finding 1 of the 4000 pieces, Ellen continues on her puzzle quest! In this video, she opines that "the hardest part, is turning each and every one of these pieces over. This is time consuming."
But wait a second... Is it likely that Ellen needs to turn over every one of the puzzle pieces? In fact... How many pieces do you think were ACTUALLY face-down? Why?
And, if you're game for challenge: what is the probability that, when Ellen emptied the puzzle box, "every one" of the pieces was actually face-down?
Part C - Ellen's Puzzle Video 3
Ellen's gotten pretty frustrated. In fact, she's given up on her 4000 piece puzzle!!! Why? Well, she says: the space requirements are just unreasonable. "What I realized is this 4000 pieces...is ridiculous. I don't have a table big enough. Who does?"
Is Ellen right? Will her 4,000-piece puzzle be too big for her table? Based on what you observe in the videos, what do you think the dimensions (length + width) of this puzzle will actually be?
Great puzzling, deep thinkers!