Problem Solving Prompts

Hockey arena with a large video scoreboard.

Learning Goals:

  • Solve problems involving the multiplication and division of multi-digit whole numbers
  • Estimate and determine elapsed time
  • Communicate mathematical thinking orally and visually

The Challenge:

Many sports are divided into a fixed number of “playing periods” or “parts”, with each part having a fixed length of playing time.

The following chart outlines how many parts are in one game for various sports, the playing time for one part, and the total playing time for one game (not including when the time is stopped by referees and for breaks):

Sport Number of “parts” in one game Playing time for one “part” Total playing time for one game
NFL Football 4 quarters 15 minutes
NBA Basketball 4 quarters 48 minutes
Hockey ___ periods 20 minutes 60 minutes
Soccer 2 halves 45 minutes
Lacrosse 4 quarters 60 minutes

Can you complete the chart using the information provided?

Questions and Prompts to Support your Child:

  • Which blank in the table did you figure out first? Why?
  • What have you tried so far? What could we try together?
  • How is working with time different from working with other numbers?
  • Would it make sense to think about any of these times in fractions of hours? (half-hour, a third of an hour, etc.) If so, which ones?

Extensions & Adaptations:

  • If struggling with calculations, have a calculator handy!
  • Imagine that an NFL football game between Buffalo and Detroit started at 1:00 p.m., and the game took 2 hours and 12 minutes longer than the playing time with no stoppages. At what time would this game end?
  • A basketball game between Toronto and Boston started at 7:00 p.m. and ended at 9:15 p.m. How much of this time was during stoppages in play?

Source: University of Waterloo – CEMC Problem of the Week Database