MATHWO_SOLVING PROBLEM 2. After understanding, then make a plan.

3. Carry out the plan.

Unlike exercises, there is never a simple recipe for solving a 4. Look back on your work. How could it be better?
problem. You can get better and better at solving problems, both by
building up your background knowledge and by simply practicing. This is all well and good, but how do you actually do these steps?!?!
As you solve more problems (and learn how other people solved Steps 1. and 2. are particularly mysterious! How do you “make a
them), you learn strategies and techniques that can be useful. But no plan?” That is where you need some tools in your toolbox, and some
single strategy works every time. experience to draw upon.

Pólya’s How to Solve It Much has been written since 1945 to explain these steps in more
detail, but the truth is that they are more art than science. This is
George Pólya was a great champion in the field where math becomes a creative endeavor (and where it becomes so
of teaching effective problem solving skills. He was born in much fun). We will articulate some useful problem solving
Hungary in 1887, received his Ph.D. at the University of Budapest, strategies, but no such list will ever be complete. This is really just a
and was a professor at Stanford University (among other start to help you on your way. The best way to become a skilled
universities). He wrote many mathematical papers along with three problem solver is to learn the background material well, and then to
books, most famously, “How to Solve it.” Pólya died at the age 98 solve a lot of problems!
in 1985.1
Problem Solving Strategy 1 (Guess and Test)
1. Image of Pólya by Thane Plambeck from Palo Alto, California
(Flickr) [CC BY Make a guess and test to see if it satisfies the demands of the
problem. If it doesn't, alter the guess appropriately and check again.
Keep doing this until you find a solution.

Example:

Mr. Jones has a total of 25 chickens and cows on his farm. How
many of each does he have if all together there are 76 feet?
In 1945, Pólya published the short book How to Solve It, which gave
a four-step method for solving mathematical problems: Step 1: Understanding the problem
We are given in the problem that there are 25 chickens and cows.
1. First, you have to understand the problem.
All together there are 76 feet. Check: 12 + 13 = 25 heads
Chickens have 2 feet and cows have 4 feet. 24 + 52 = 76 feet.
We are trying to determine how many cows and how many
chickens Mr. Jones has on his farm. We have found the solution to this problem. I could use this
strategy when there are a limited number of possible answers
Step 2: Devise a plan and when two items are the same but they have one
characteristic that is different.
Going to use Guess and test along with making a tab
Many times the strategy below is used with guess and test. Videos to watch:

Make a table and look for a pattern: 1. Click on this link to see an example of “Guess and Test”
Procedure: Make a table reflecting the data in the problem. If done http://www.mathstories.com/strategies.htm
in an orderly way, such a table will often reveal patterns and
relationships that suggest how the problem can be solved. 2. Click on this link to see another example of Guess and Test.

Step 3: Carry out the plan: http://www.mathinaction.org/problem-solving-strategies.html

Chickens Cows Number of chicken feet Number of cow feet Check in question 1:
20 5 40 20
21 4 42 16
Notice we are going in the wrong direction! The total number of feet
is decreasing!
19 6 38 24

Better! The total number of feet are increasing!

Place the digits 8, 10, 11, 12, and 13 in the circles to make the sums
15 10 30 40
across and vertically equal 31. (5 points)
12 13 24 52
Check in question 2:
Step 4: Looking back:
Old McDonald has 250 chickens and goats in the barnyard. Last term = 3(200-1) +2
Altogether there are 760 feet . How many of each animal does he
Last term is 599.
have? Make sure you use Polya’s 4 problem solving steps. (12
points) To find the sum of a sequence: sum = [(first term + last term)
(number of terms)]/ 2
Problem Solving Strategy 2 (Draw a Picture). Some problems are
obviously about a geometric situation, and it is clear you want to Sum = (2 + 599) (200) then divide by 2
draw a picture and mark down all of the given information before Sum = 60,100
you try to solve it. But even for a problem that is not geometric
thinking visually can help! Check in question 3: (10 points)

Videos to watch demonstrating how to use "Draw a Picture". Find the 320th term of 7, 10, 13, 16 …
Then find the sum of the first 320 terms.
1. Click on this link to see an example of “Draw a Picture”
http://www.mathstories.com/strategies.htm Problem Solving Strategy 4 (Working Backwards)

2. Click on this link to see another example of Draw a Picture. This is considered a strategy in many schools. If you are given an
answer, and the steps that were taken to arrive at that answer, you
http://www.mathinaction.org/problem-solving-strategies.html
should be able to determine the starting point.
Problem Solving Strategy 3 (Using a variable to find the sum of a
sequence.) Videos to watch demonstrating of “Working Backwards”
Gauss's strategy for sequences. http://www.mathstories.com/strategies.htm
last term = fixed number (n-1) + first term https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FFWTsMEeJw
The fix number is the the amount each term is increasing or Example:
decreasing by. "n" is the number of terms you have. You can use
Karen is thinking of a number. If you double it, and subtract 7, you
this formula to find the last term in the sequence or the number of
obtain 11. What is Karen’s number?
terms you have in a sequence.
1. We start with 11 and work backwards.
Ex: 2, 5, 8, ... Find the 200th term.
2. The opposite of subtraction is addition. We will add 7 to 11. We 4+5=9
are now at 18.
9 + 7 = 16
3. The opposite of doubling something is dividing by 2. 18/2 = 9
So the next number would be
4. This should be our answer. Looking back:
16 +9 = 25
9 x 2 = 18 -7 = 11
25 + 11 = 36
5. We have the right answer.
Example 3: 10, 7, 4, 1, -2… find the next 2 numbers.
Check in question 4:
In this sequence, the numbers are decreasing by 3. So the next 2
Christina is thinking of a number. numbers would be -2 -3 = -5
If you multiply her number by 93, add 6, and divide by 3, you obtain -5 – 3 = -8
436. What is her number? Solve this problem by working
Example 4: 1, 2, 4, 8 … find the next two numbers.
backwards. (5 points)
This example is a little bit harder. The numbers are increasing but
Problem Solving Strategy 5 (Looking for a Pattern)
not by a constant. Maybe a factor?
Definition: A sequence is a pattern involving an ordered
arrangement of numbers. 1x2=2

We first need to find a pattern. 2x2=4

Ask yourself as you search for a pattern – are the numbers growing 4 x 2 =8
steadily larger? Steadily smaller? How is each number related? So each number is being multiplied by 2.
Example 1: 1, 4, 7, 10, 13… 8 x 2 = 16
Find the next 2 numbers. The pattern is each number is increasing 16 x 2 = 32
by 3. The next two numbers would be 16 and 19.
Videos:
Example 2: 1, 4, 9, 16 … find the next 2 numbers. It looks like each
successive number is increase by the next odd number. 1 + 3 = 4. 1. Click on this link to see an example of “Looking for a Pattern”
http://www.mathstories.com/strategies.htm http://www.mathstories.com/strategies.htm
2. Click on this link to see another example of Looking for a http://www.mathinaction.org/problem-solving-strategies.html
Pattern.
Check in question 5:
http://www.mathinaction.org/problem-solving-strategies.html
How many ways can you make change for 23 cents using only
Problem Solving Strategy 6 (Make a List) pennies, nickels, and dimes? (10 points)
Example 1: Can perfect squares end in a 2 or a 3? Problem Solving Strategy 7 (Solve a Simpler Problem)
List all the squares of the numbers 1 to 20. Example:
1 4 9 16 25 36 49 64 81 100 121 144 169 196 225 256 289 324 361 Geometric Sequences:
400.
How would we find the nth term?
Now look at the number in the ones digits. Notice they are 0, 1, 4,
5, 6, or 9. Notice none of the perfect squares end in 2, 3, 7, or 8. Solve a simpler problem:
This list suggests that perfect squares cannot end in a 2, 3, 7 or 8. 1, 3, 9, 27.
Example 2: 1. To get from 1 to 3 what did we do?
How many different amounts of money can you have in your 2. To get from 3 to 9 what did we do?
pocket if you have only three coins including only dimes and
quarters? Let’s set up a table:

Quarter’s dimes Term Number what did we do

0 3 30 cents
111*3
1 2 45 cents
2 1 60 cents 2 3 1* 3

3 0 75 cents
3 9 1* 3
Videos demonstrating "Make a List"
4 27
Looking back: How would you find the nth term? 21 (2+1=3) No 23 (2+3 = 5) No 25 (2 + 5= 7) Yes Using the same
process we see there are no other numbers that meet this criteria.
Nth term = 1 times  Also we notice 25 is divisible by 5. By using the strategy elimination,
we have found our answer.
Find the 10  term of the above sequence.
th

Check in question 6: (8 points)

Let L = the tenth term
Jose is thinking of a number.

L = 1 times   = 19,683 The number is not odd.

Problem Solving Strategy 8 (Process of Elimination) The sum of the digits is divisible by 2.

This strategy can be used when there is only one possible solution. The number is a multiple of 11.

Example: It is greater than 5 times 4.

I’m thinking of a number. It is a multiple of 6

The number is odd. It is less than 7 times 8 +23

It is more than 1 but less than 100. What is the number?

It is greater than 20. Click on this link for a quick review of the problem solving
strategies.
It is less than 5 times 7.
https://garyhall.org.uk/maths-problem-solving-strategies.html
The sum of the digits is 7.
It is evenly divisible by 5.
a. We know it is an odd number between 1 and 100.
b. It is greater than 20 but less than 35
21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35. These are the possibilities.
c. The sum of the digits is 7