April 8, 2021

What are the elements of those sets?

Lesson 4

Activity 1.

Taboo

What does Taboo have to do with math though? Taboo deals with a branch of mathematics called “set theory.” To explore this, sit down with your team and spread out all of the cards so that everyone can see and reach everything. Take a few minutes to sort the cards into whatever different groups you feel are appropriate. (See the job aid for more directions and Taboo cards)

Once you are finished, share your groupings with the other team(s) and see what they came up with. Be prepared to defend your decisions!

Activity 2.

Common Notations and Symbols

Let’s assume that we have two sets called A and B. They are like two “boxes” that contain the following things:

A = {b, o, x} B = {c, o, n, t, a, i, e, r}

Since these are filled with letters, let’s say that they exist in the universe of the alphabet:

U = {a, b, c,…, y, z}

Use these three sets as a reference while going through the chart in the job aid.

Activity 3.

Venn Diagram Design

Sets aren’t just good for organizing objects. They are also an excellent means of representing data that have shared characteristics. Take one of the longest-running feuds of the 20th Century:

Coca Cola vs. Pepsi

Go to the job aid for details of this activity.

Activity 4.

Check Your Understanding

Project: How are sets utilized within the game?

When you consider “sets” as a collection of objects or information, it turns out that most games have some type of set elements (some more than others)!

a. Find a game that involves set theory. It may be a board game or an online game. Find someone to play with you. After sever rounds discuss how the game used set theory.