MS LAW CLASSES
Email: wlaw@vsb.bc.ca
  • Home
  • Math 9
    • Math 9 Syllabus
  • Math 10
    • Math 10 Syllabus
  • Puzzles
  • Numeracy Tasks
  • Contact

Puzzle 75: Honeybee Ancestors

Honeybees have a very interesting genealogy.  While female honeybees come from a fertilized egg, male honeybees come from an unfertilized egg.  That is, female honeybees have a mother and a father, while male honeybees have only a mother.  Look at the family tree of a male honeybee, how many ancestors are there in the previous generation?  The one before that?  And the one before?  And before?  Do you see a pattern emerging?  What is the pattern?  Explain and show how you know.

Extension: What is the history of the discovery?  Who discovered it and how he did it?  Name a few other examples in nature and show that it is in fact matching the pattern.
​