PROBLEM SOLVING

GEORGE POLYA

the father of modern problem solving

famous for his four-step process for solving
problems
 WHAT IS PROBLEM SOLVING?
HOW DOES IT DIffER FROM SOLVING WORD PROBLEMS?

The main objective in word problems is to provide the students with drill and
practice in the skill or algorithm they have just been taught or to provide a
“real life” application for motivation.
True problem solving is described by Pólya as follows:
The student is confronted by an unfamiliar situation, quantitative or otherwise, for
which no immediate path to the answer is apparent.
To solve a problem, according to Pólya, is to find a way, where no way is known
off-hand, to attain a desired end that is immediately attainable by appropriate means.
In other words, problem solving is very much like finding an exit out of a maze.
POLYA’S FOUR-STEP PROCESS FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS

STEP 1. UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM

Do you understand all the words?
Can you restate the problem in your own words?
Do you know what is given?
Is there enough information?
Is there extraneous information?
Is this problem similar to another problem you have solved?
 STEP 2. DEVISE A PLAN

 Find the connection between the data and the

unknown.
 Choose the strategy that you can use to solve the
problem.
 STEP 3. CARRY OUT THE PLAN

 Implement the strategy or strategies that you have chosen until

the problem is solved.
 Give yourself a reasonable amount of time in which to solve the
problem.
 Do not be afraid of starting over.
 STEP 4. LOOK BACK

Is your solution correct?

Does your answer satisfy the statement of the problem?
Can you see an easier solution?
A FLOWCHART OF SOLVING A MATHEMATICAL PROBLEM
 CLASSIFICATION OF PROBLEMS
1. PROBLEMS TO FIND
Examples:
 Find the area of a square with side length of 3 inches.
 How much interest would Php 100,000 earn at 1.5% simple interest
rate for 6 months?
 What is 45% of 580?
2. PROBLEMS TO PROVE
Example: Prove that n(n+1)(n+2)(n+3) cannot be the
square of an integer.
 PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGIES
(HEURISTICS)

Guess and Test (Guess and Check)

The Guess and Test strategy may be appropriate when:
There is a limited number of possible answers to test.
You have a good idea of what the answer is.
You can systematically try possible answers.
There is no obvious strategy to try.
1. Place the digits 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 in the circles so that the
sum of the three numbers on each side of the triangle is 12.

2 3
 1
11 11
 2
10 10
 3
9 9
 4

3 2

5 1 6
2. In the farm yard, there are some pigs and some chickens. There are 87
animals and 266 legs. How many pigs are in the farm yard?
 Start by guessing how many pigs there are. Keep in mind that pigs
have four legs and chickens have two and that there are 87 animals.
Suppose there are 50 pigs and 37 chickens. There would be 200
legs (pigs) and 74 legs (chickens).
Try 40 pigs (160 legs) and 47 chickens (94 legs).
Finally, try 46 pigs (184 legs) and 41 chickens (82 legs).

Answer: There are 46 pigs.

3. Use four 4’s and some of the symbols +,×, −,÷, ( ) to give
expressions for the whole numbers from 0 through 9.

Example: 5 = (4 × 4 + 4) ÷ 4
0 = 4 − 4 + (4 − 4)
1 = 4 + 4 ÷ (4 + 4)
2= 4÷4 + 4÷4
3= 4+4+4 ÷4
4 = 4 + 4 × (4 − 4)
6 = ((4 + 4) ÷ 4) + 4
7=4+4−4÷4
8 = ((4 × 4) ÷ 4) + 4
9 = 4 + 4 + (4 ÷ 4)
4. Using the numbers 1 through 8, place them in the following squares so
that no two consecutive numbers in adjacent squares.

Answer:
3 5
7 1 8 2
4 6
 Draw a Picture/Diagram
This strategy is appropriate to use when a physical situation is
involved; geometric figures or measurements are involved; a visual
representation of the problem is possible.
Examples:
1. Can you cut a pie
into 11 pieces
with four straight
cuts?
2. A tetromino is a shape made up of four squares where the squares
must be joined along an entire side. How many different tetromino
shapes are possible?

 Example of a tetromino

Answer: 5
3. It takes 64 cubes to fill a cubical box that has no top. How
many cubes are not touching a side or the bottom?
Answer: 12

4. Mr. Perez plans to build a swimming pool. He also planned to build a

rectangular concrete deck around the pool that would be 6 feet wide
at all points. The pool is rectangular and measures 14 feet by 40 feet.
What is the area of the deck?
Solution:

Area of the pool Area of the deck

A = 14 ft x 40 ft A = (26 ft x 52 ft.) – 560 sq. ft.
A = 560 sq. ft. A = 1352 sq. ft. - 560 sq. ft.
A = 792 sq. ft.
4. There is an old riddle about a frog at the bottom of a 20-foot well. If he
climbs up 3 feet each day and slips back 2 feet each night, how many days
will it take him to climb out of the well?

20 feet

Answer: 18 days 3 feet

1 foot (end of day 1)
Make a List

This strategy may be appropriate when:

Information can easily be organized and presented;
Data can easily be generated;
Listing results obtained by using guess and test; and
When asked how many ways an event may be done.
In how many ways can the number 10 be expressed as a sum of four
positive odd numbers?

Solution: 10 = 5 + 3 + 1 + 1
10 = 7 + 1 + 1 + 1 Answer: 3 ways
10 = 3 + 3 + 3 + 1

1. In how many ways can 20 be expressed as a sum of 8 odd numbers?

Answer: 11 ways
2. Lena is taking a 3 item- multiple choice exam with 3 choices, A, B and C.
In how many ways can she answer the exam in such a way that there are
two Bs and one A?
Answer: 3 ways
3. In how many different arrangements can Cath, Lyssa and MJ be
photographed if they are to stand on a line?

Answer: 6 ways

4. I am thinking of two two-digit numbers. First, they have the same digit,
only reversed. The difference between the numbers is 54 while the sum of
the digits of each is 10. What are my numbers?

Answer: 82 and 28
Working Backwards

This strategy involves using a solution as a starting point in solving

the problem. This is useful in problems that are presented in steps.
EXAMPLES:

1. On Monday, Jerry put his first week’s earnings in an envelope and kept it
in his locker. On Tuesday, he added 225 Php in the envelope. He took 105
Php on Wednesday to buy some materials for his project and another 80
Php on Thursday for other expenses. On Friday, he took half of what was
left to buy a shirt. He then had 150 Php remaining in the envelope. How
much money did he have on Monday?
2. Melissa spent twice as much money as Doreen in the store. Aliza spent
half as much money as Doreen did. Christina spent half as much money as
Aliza did. Ellaine spent 12 Php which was half as much as what Christina
spent. How much did each girl spent?

3. Bea uses beads to make accessories. She lost half of her beads when they
fell on the grass on her way home. She used 300 of the remaining beads to
make a wristband for her sister and 250 beads to make a headband for a
friend. She now has 800 beads left. With how many beads did she start?
4. I am thinking of a number. I divided my number by 6, added 9, triple the
result, and subtracted 3. I then added on 50% of what I had and subtracted
9. then, I divided it by 5. After all that, I was left with 9. what number did I
start with?
Use a Variable

This strategy may be applied when:

A phrase similar to “for any number” is present or implied;
A problem suggests an equation; and
There is an unknown quantity related to a known quantity
Problems Involving the Use of a Variable

Number Problems
Age Problems
Coin/ Consumer/ Money Problems
Investment Problems
Number Problems
EXAMPLES:

1. A number increased by 15 is equal to twice the number less 40. find the
number.
2. A number is 24 more than another number. If their sum is 38, what are
the numbers?
3. The difference of two numbers is 192.If one number is 9 times the other,
what is the bigger number?
Age Problems
EXAMPLES:

1. Mary’s father is four times as old as Mary. Five years ago, she was seven
times as old. How old is each now?
2. Rose is 6 years older than Rob. 6 years ago, she was twice as old as him.
How old is each now?
 end