Question

Winter Wonderland Science Escape

WESLER
SCIENCE
YOUR CHALLENGE:

Your principal has just received a frantic phone call from a local weatherman. Jack Frost has stolen the passwords to the computer that allows your school to close down for the day. With bad weather on the way, it is up to you to solve the clues that will lead you to Jack's secret stash of school closing codes. You'll use logic, and your knowledge of weather, precipitation, and a dichotomous key to figure out the codes to unlock the box where Jack has hidden the information. Can you do it? Can you find the icy clues before the bad weather hits? Will you be doomed to slip and slide in a school bus instead of on a sled? You have only one class to solve the clues and stop Jack Frost!

Answer 1

The student is tasked with a logic puzzle involving deductive reasoning about school closures and weather conditions. They must identify an invalid argument form, known as 'Affirming the Consequent,' which fails to accurately establish the cause of the school closing solely on the premise provided.

Step-by-step explanation:

The principal is facing a challenge where Jack Frost has stolen the passwords necessary to declare a school closure during adverse weather conditions. It appears that the student needs to solve a series of logical puzzles involving weather and school policies. One of these logical sequences provided is an example of the invalid deductive inference often referred to as 'Affirming the Consequent.' This is shown in the steps:

1. If it snows more than three inches, the schools are mandated to close.
2. The schools closed.
3. Therefore, it snowed more than three inches.

However, this form of argument is invalid because the second premise does not necessarily imply the first condition has been met; other factors could have led to the school's closure. It is crucial for students to recognize fallacies in arguments to strengthen their critical thinking and logical reasoning skills.