FOUR QUESTION PROBLEM:

Question

Amy and three friends launch a new website. Each of the four friends e-mails the web address to three new friends. These new friends forward the web address to three more friends. If no one receives the e-mails more than once, how many people will receive the web address in the second wave of e-mails?
1)Draw a pattern/diagram to model the situation for Amy.
2)How many e-mails are sent in each wave of Amy's diagram?
3)Amy is just one of four friends initiating the first wave of e-mails. Write an expression for the total number of e-mails sent in the 2nd wave.
4)Identify the computation that should be done first to simplify the expression in step-3. Then simplify the expression
THANK YOU!

Answer 1

1) Amy's diagram would look like this:
Amy --> 3 friends --> 3 friends --> 3 friends

2) In each wave of Amy's diagram, 3 e-mails are sent.

3) The total number of e-mails sent in the 2nd wave is 4 x 3 x 3 = 36.

4) The computation that should be done first to simplify the expression is to multiply 4 x 3 x 3. This simplifies to 36.