How do we determine how much information to include and what can be left out? By playing a game of 20 questions, the class generates the best strategies for finding a number. They then move on to guessing the next letter in a short sentence. An extension activity makes connections to decisions trees, guessing a number, and its binary code.

Concepts

computer code, computers, computer software, compression

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Additional Tags

math

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Instructional Ideas

• After the activity, have the class research different methods used by computers for compression
• Research the way texting applications now provide suggested words that may come next

Classroom Considerations

• The 20-question activity may leave out some classmates, depending on class size

Pros

• The plan includes solutions and hints for the questions asked during the discussion
• The lesson has a section that ties the guessing game to computer compression codes

Cons

• Many pupils may not understand the measure of information is how surprising it is