Analyzing Numeric and Geometric Patterns of Paper Pool
Part One - Paper Pool Game

Marisa made up a game called Paper Pool. Her "pool tables" were rectangles drawn on grid paper. The "pockets" at each corner were labeled A (lower left), B (lower right), C (upper right), and D (upper left). Marisa always labeled the corners in this order. To the right is one of her Paper Pool tables. Marisa described the size of a table by giving the length of a horizontal side first and the length of a vertical side second. This Paper Pool table is 6 by 4.

 

How to Play Paper Pool The ball always starts in corner A. To start the ball traveling, it is hit with an imaginary cue (a stick for hitting a pool ball). The ball always travels at a 45° diagonal across the grid. If the ball hits a side of the table, it bounces off at a 45° angle and continues its travel. If the ball hits a pocket, it stops. Click on the pool table below to see Paper Pool being played.

6 x 4 Paper Pool Table

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Try It! Try Paper Pool Tables of size 4 by 4 (Click Here) and 4 by 2 (Click Here) . In which pocket does the ball end up in each case? Change the position of the speed slider. Click on the pool table to reset the table to start over. Click again to start the animation. How does the speed change the animation? Try the other options to the right of the pool table. Set the speed to the fastest value and turn both the trace and the grid features on. What do you notice about the path of the ball? After designing Paper Pool, Marisa wondered whether there is a way to predict the pocket at which the ball will stop and how many hits will have occurred. You will try to answer her questions. Click here to continue to investigate Paper Pool Tables.

 

Paper Pool Game	Explore More Tables	Look for Patterns	Go the Distance

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