Problems

Plant with two branches, splitting off into two branches each.

Materials:

  • paper, pencil

The splitting plant grows in a special way.
In the first week, the stem splits into two branches.
In the second week, each of these two branches split into another two branches making four branches altogether.

This keeps happening every week, until at the end of the sixth week each branch grows a flower.

How many flowers will the plant have?

Hints for Getting Started

The picture shows the plant after three weeks. How many branches will there be after three weeks? Four weeks …?
How will you keep track of the number of branches?
It might help to draw a picture, make a chart or jot some numbers down.

Adapted from nrichmaths.org