Logic Tournament

Who is it? Use logic to find out.

Year 8 Computer Science — Boolean Logic Applied

The Rules

Pick one character from the grid — keep it secret
Your partner asks yes/no questions about ATTRIBUTES (not names!)
After each answer, cross off eliminated characters
First to correctly identify partner's character wins
Count your questions — fewest wins!

Round 1 — PLAY!

Pick your character. Start asking questions.

Remember: ATTRIBUTES only, not names!

Strategy Discussion

What was your first question? Why?

Did it eliminate lots of characters or just a few?

The ideal question eliminates exactly 12 characters — regardless of YES or NO.

That's a 50/50 split. Every answer eliminates half.

The Maths of Elimination

With perfect 50/50 questions:

24

→

12

→

6

→

3

→

2

→

1

5 questions maximum — for 24 characters!

This is binary search in action.

Analysis

Use the Attribute Summary on your character sheet.

Complete the efficiency table on the worksheet:

If YES to "Has glasses?" → 14 characters remain
If NO to "Has glasses?" → 10 characters remain
Best case: 14 eliminated. Worst case: 10 eliminated.

Which question is most efficient?

AND Queries

Combine 3 attributes into one query:

Hair = blonde AND Glasses = Yes AND Hat = No

How many characters match? Count them.

Is this a useful opening query? Or is it too specific?

Round 2 — Apply Your Strategy!

Use your most efficient questions first.

Did your question count go down?

Key Takeaway

Efficient Boolean queries halve the search space each time.

That's binary search — and it's how databases filter millions of records instantly.

Every SQL WHERE clause is a Boolean query.