Fill the Box
Materials
Per team of 2-4: small container like a shoe box or oatmeal container, three-dimensional objects like blocks of various sizes, preferably in different shapes and colors. Note: every team should have identical items.
Procedure
Divide students into teams. Talk about experiences students have had trying to pack things into a box.
Give each team a box and more objects than can fit into the box. Tell the teams to figure out a way to put the most blocks in their box.
Discuss real-life applications where the number and size at objects packed in a confined space con be critical; i.e., aboard a spacecraft, on a circuit board or microchip.
Note
This can be used with more advanced students (5th-8th grade) as a computational problem, measuring the dimensions and volume of the box and the dimensions and volume of each block, then finding the most efficient packing method.
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