Number (patterns): Oxpecker and Giraffe
The Problem
Ollie the oxpecker flew from his nest hole and landed on the back of Gerard the giraffe. After a minute had passed by, Ollie had eaten a total of 2 ticks. After 2 minutes, Ollie had eaten 8 ticks. After 3 minutes Ollie had eaten 20 ticks, and after 4 minutes Ollie had eaten 38 ticks.
Can you suggest the number of ticks that Ollie ate in 10 minutes?
Compare and explain how you arrived at your number to a classmate.
Did you know?
Oxpeckers line their nests with hair that they have plucked from their animal host. Hosts can include giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, rhinos and buffalos.
Visualising the Problem and Getting Started
How could a table help you solve this problem and what might the column headings be?
