Test Your Questioning Looking for Patterns
Patterns in Letters and Geography: The State of Hal
A pattern is a regularity in the world in which one or more elements are predictable. Try finding the letter patterns in the US state names that Hal likes and dislikes. Start with six clues, and decide if the statement about what Hal likes and doesn’t is true or false. To win, identify three questions correctly before you miss three. Each miss provides a new hint.
The State of Hal also allows you to look for patterns in the geography of the US states, such as those involving their size, latitude, longitude, etc.
Click the blue/green button to play the app for desktops, laptops, and tablets.
Click the black/purple button to play the app for smartphones.
Game Levels
There are five game levels to play:
- Absolute letter relationships in the state names. For example, Hal likes states with the letter ‘Z’ in them and dislikes those that do not.
- Relative letter relationships in the state names. For example, Hal likes states with more letters and dislikes those with fewer.
- Both absolute and relative letter relationships are possible.
- Patterns based on geography. For example, Hal likes larger states, those that are coastal, or those that border Canada. A useful map is available here. Tip for teachers and parents: print out the map, laminate it, and use two sets of colored objects such as beads to help your students visually learn the geography of the United States.
- Absolute and relative letter relationships and geographic patterns are possible.
Ages: 8 years old and up.
Measuring Skill
For each game that you win, compare how well you did to those who have played before you. Did you beat the average score (based on the number of missed patterns) and average time spent?
After you win 3 games at one level, see how well you did to the best score (fewest misses for all of the games played to beat that level), average score, and average time spent.
Changing levels resets all of your scores.
Acknowledgments
I want to thank Denise Alfonso, Lincoln Berkley, Mason Glidden, Mattea Horne, Elliot Kephart, Carole Pickle, J. Harry Pickle III, Corey Rost, and Ayres Stiles-Hall for sharing their helpful feedback and suggestions.
Screenshot of the game, State of Hal. Identify the patterns in the state names Hal likes and dislikes.
Answer to Example
Hal dislikes names that contain the multiples of ‘i’ and likes those with one or none.
Logic and Correctness
Notice that there are two components to your guess: 1) what Hal likes and 2) what Hal dislikes. Both must be true for your guess to be correct; otherwise, it is incorrect.
Use the example shown in the screenshot (above) to decide if the following guesses are correct.
Hal likes Indiana but not Virginia.
Incorrect. Hal only likes a state when there are fewer than two ‘i’s in its name, so the first part of the statement is False. Even though the second part of the proclamation is True (Hal dislikes Virginia), a False and a True create an incorrect guess.
Hal likes Oregon but not Ohio.
Incorrect. Both parts of the statement are False, and two wrongs don’t logically make a right.
Hal likes Arizona but not Hawaii.
Correct. Both parts of the phrase are True, so the statement is correct.
A Game for All to Play during a Long Trip
Growing up, with three children in the backseat of the car, my parents created all sorts of games to keep our minds busy, or rather to keep us distracted from noticing who invaded whose space! When I became a geology student, long van rides to field sites rekindled the fun of mental games that everyone could play together, but by then, we didn’t have to deal with protecting our personal space. The State of Hal comes from one of those games, so use the smartphone version to make your next trip seem shorter!
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