Now this is a really simple task. I only want to know how many triangles are in this image.  Can you be sure you have found them all?        Diagram 1   How many triangles are there all together?

Oh no - surely she doesn't want me to find all of the triangles in this diagram? Yes, she does!          Diagram 2

Hang on!!! When it looks a bit to much mind numbing stuff, and there is a system to it - look for a pattern!

That doesn't always work, but it does often enough to get into the habit. I'll tell you a secret - it works in this case. So how do you find the pattern? I'll give you a clue to that as well. Can't be fairer than that, can I?

How many triangles are in diagram 2  - the one with 4 pairs of lines in it?

Did you find the pattern?
Was your original answer by counting correct?
Did you read ahead and decide it wasn't worth the effort to do the counting?
Describe how you went about this and everything you found out about the triangles - and about the way you approach problems.