Grade
4

Mobile Math: Balancing Act

Look at the mobile below. The whole mobile is balanced and the right side of the mobile is balanced. What do you notice? What do you wonder?

Find the missing values so that the mobile is balanced.

A balanced mobile with 3 strings. The two strings on the right have the same combined value as the string on the left. The left string has 2 circles. The middle string has 1 pentagon and 2 triangles. The right string has 2 squares. The value of the circle is 2 and 1-half. The value of the pentagon is 1-half. The values of the other shapes are unknown.

Write an equation that describes the entire mobile.

A balanced mobile with 3 strings. The two strings on the right have the same combined value as the string on the left. The left string has 2 circles. The middle string has 1 pentagon and 2 triangles. The right string has 2 squares. The value of the circle is 2 and 1- half. The value of the pentagon is 1-half. The values of the other shapes are unknown.

The value of the circle is 3 ½. The values of the other shapes are unknown. What could their values be so that the mobile remains balanced?

A balanced mobile with 3 strings. The two strings on the right have the same combined value as the string on the left. The left string has 2 circles. The middle string has 1 pentagon and 2 triangles. The right string has 2 squares. The value of the circle is 3 and 1-half. The values of the other shapes are unknown.
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Reference for Educators

Sample problems and solutions