- Wed Jun 08, 2011 11:21 am
#87689
Setup and Rule Diagram Explanation
This is a Grouping: Partially Defined game.
The game scenario presents a situation where a student chooses at least three courses from among seven sessions. Because there must be at least three courses but an exact number is not established, this game is Partially Defined. The initial setup appears as follows:
The game contains only three rules, but each of the three rules has a compound necessary condition in which both terms are negative. These rules must be handled carefully, so let’s examine the first rule and determine the best choice for diagramming each rule.
Rule #1. In complete conditional form, this rule is diagrammed as:
Functionally, this statement means that if H is taken, then S and M are not taken. Thus, from a component level, H and S cannot both be taken, and H and M cannot both be taken, which can be represented in separate diagrams as:
Because there are only three rules, and because there is minimal overlap between the three rules (M is the only variable that appears as a sufficient condition in one rule and a necessary condition in another rule), the second representation is how we will choose to diagram each rule.
If you choose to diagram the rule as shown in the first representation, you can still successfully complete this game. We have chosen the second representation for its ease of use, especially since the variables in each relationship are positive.
Rule #2. This rule should be diagrammed as:
Rule #3. This rule should be diagrammed as:
Some students simply use these six rule representations to attack the game, and in doing so they are quite successful. Others choose to examine the restrictions present for each variable, as follows:
The variables are written out horizontally in order to save space.
This list highlights that some variables—such as L and T—have few or no restrictions, whereas other variables—notably M—have several restrictions. In essence, the list above is simply a different way of reflecting the information contained in the three rules.
Regardless of your understanding of the game, one of the keys is remembering that at least three courses, but possibly more, must be taken.
The information above leads to the final setup for the game, save for some numerical information we will discuss later:
This is a Grouping: Partially Defined game.
The game scenario presents a situation where a student chooses at least three courses from among seven sessions. Because there must be at least three courses but an exact number is not established, this game is Partially Defined. The initial setup appears as follows:
The game contains only three rules, but each of the three rules has a compound necessary condition in which both terms are negative. These rules must be handled carefully, so let’s examine the first rule and determine the best choice for diagramming each rule.
Rule #1. In complete conditional form, this rule is diagrammed as:
Functionally, this statement means that if H is taken, then S and M are not taken. Thus, from a component level, H and S cannot both be taken, and H and M cannot both be taken, which can be represented in separate diagrams as:
Because there are only three rules, and because there is minimal overlap between the three rules (M is the only variable that appears as a sufficient condition in one rule and a necessary condition in another rule), the second representation is how we will choose to diagram each rule.
If you choose to diagram the rule as shown in the first representation, you can still successfully complete this game. We have chosen the second representation for its ease of use, especially since the variables in each relationship are positive.
Rule #2. This rule should be diagrammed as:
Rule #3. This rule should be diagrammed as:
Some students simply use these six rule representations to attack the game, and in doing so they are quite successful. Others choose to examine the restrictions present for each variable, as follows:
The variables are written out horizontally in order to save space.
This list highlights that some variables—such as L and T—have few or no restrictions, whereas other variables—notably M—have several restrictions. In essence, the list above is simply a different way of reflecting the information contained in the three rules.
Regardless of your understanding of the game, one of the keys is remembering that at least three courses, but possibly more, must be taken.
The information above leads to the final setup for the game, save for some numerical information we will discuss later:
Dave Killoran
PowerScore Test Preparation
Follow me on X/Twitter at http://twitter.com/DaveKilloran
My LSAT Articles: http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/author/dave-killoran
PowerScore Podcast: http://www.powerscore.com/lsat/podcast/
PowerScore Test Preparation
Follow me on X/Twitter at http://twitter.com/DaveKilloran
My LSAT Articles: http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/author/dave-killoran
PowerScore Podcast: http://www.powerscore.com/lsat/podcast/