MathStart 2: Same Old Horse (Making Predictions)

Poor Hankie the horse is allergic to hay! And every 20 minutes he sneezes. But that’s only the beginning of his boring predictability, which pasture-mates Jazz and Majesty waste no time making fun of. “Just watch,” says Jazz to Majesty. “Hankie will come out of the barn at exactly ten o’clock.” They know that Hankie’s owner Susan takes him out about an hour after she arrives at the barn, and she arrived at nine o’clock. They also know which week Hankie will wear a blue saddle pad, and when he likes to roll in the grass and take a long cool drink. Hankie’s buddy Spark Plug assures him that predictability isn’t always such a bad thing. Still, Hankie may have a surprise in store for everyone… Making predictions based on the observation of patterns is an important part of logical thinking. Used with permission from Stuart J. Murphy.