Greedy or Planned
Why the chaser that walks toward you loses to the one that works out a route
What your child can do at the end
Explain the difference between a greedy rule and a planned route
The brief
There are two obvious ways to chase someone through a maze. The greedy way is to always take the step that reduces the straight-line distance. The planned way is to work out the real shortest route through the corridors and follow it. They sound similar and they are not: greedy chasing walks straight into walls, and you will watch it happen, then measure exactly how many percentage points of escape rate that mistake is worth.
Skills it develops
How it is assessed
3 graded challenges inside the lab, and 6 questions at the end that check the idea rather than the clicks. Every attempt is saved, so a retry after a mistake counts as the learning it is.