Mobile Math: 14 & 20

Look at the mobile below. What do you notice? What do you wonder? What do you know?

A balanced mobile has 2 strings and a total value of 14. The left string has 3 blue squares. The right string has 2 orange circles and 3 green hexagons. The shape values are unknown.

What is one set of possible values for the shapes?

Getting Started

If a circle has a value of 2, and the whole mobile is still 14, what would the value of the other shapes be? How do you know?
If the hexagon has a value of 1 ½, and the whole mobile is still 14, what would the value of the other shapes be? How do you know?

Follow-up 1

What are other possible values for the set of shapes if the total value is still 14? What patterns or rules do you notice?

Follow-up 2

If the total value of the mobile was 20 instead of 14, what is one possible set of values for the shapes?

Printable Version

Reference for Educators