Problem Solving

Objectives of the Unit

At the end of the unit, you are expected to:
1. Solve problems involving patterns
and recreational problems following
Polya's four steps.
2. Organize your methods and
approaches for solving problems.

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 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.

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George Polya – the Father of
Modern
Problem Solving
- famous for his four –
step
process for solving
problems
Polya’s Four
– step STEP 1.
Process for UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEMS
Solving  Do you understand all the words?
Problems  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?

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Polya’s Four
– step Process STEP 2.
for Solving DEVISE A PLAN
Problems
 Find the connection between the data and the
unknown
 Choose the strategy that you can use to solve the
problem

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Polya’s Four
– step
STEP 3.
Process for CARRY OUT THE PLAN
Solving
 Implement the strategy or strategies that you have
Problems
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.

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Polya’s Four
– step STEP 4.
Process for LOOK BACK
Solving
Problems
 Is your solution correct?
 Does your answer satisfy the statement of the
problem?
 Can you see an easier solution?

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A FLOWCHART OF SOLVING A
MATHEMATICAL PROBLEM

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 Classification of Problems
1. Problems to find
Ex. 1. Find the area of a square with side length of 3 inches.
2. How much interest would Php 100,000 earn at 1.5%
simple
interest rate for 6 months?
3. What is 45% of 580?

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Problem Solving Startegies

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 Draw a Picture/Diagram/Act It Out
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.
 Draw a Picture/Diagram
Examples:
1.Can you cut a pie into 11
pieces with four straight cuts?

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 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

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Answer: 5
 Guess and Test
(Guess and Check)

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 “
The Guess and Test startegy may be appropriate
when:

•There is a limited number of possible answer to try.

•You have a good idea of what the answer is.
•You can systematically try possible answers.
•There is no obvious startegy to try.

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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

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 1
11 11

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 2
10 10

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 3
9 9

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21
 4

3 2

5 1 6

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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?

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 Use a Table or 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
- Asked “in how many ways” something can be done.

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1. In how many ways can the number 10 be expressed as a sum of four
positive odd numbers?

Answer: 3 ways

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2. 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

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 Logical Reasoning

This strategy requires you to use the information

you have been given in the question to find
relationships in them. From there, you can form your
answer.

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 Find a Pattern
When you use this strategy, look for a pattern from the given
information. Once you have identified the pattern, you can predict what
will happen next and then continue the pattern to find the correct
solution. In cases like these, you have to look for patterns or regularities in
them. Recognizing patterns is a vital element of logical shape, position, and
spatial aptitudes.

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 1. EJ takes up jogging. In the first week, he jogs for 10
minutes per day. In the second week, he jogs for 12
minutes per day. Each week, he wants to increase his
jogging time by 2 minutes per day. If he jogs six days
each week, what will be his total jogging time in the
fifth
Step week?
1. Understand. What do we know?
 
In the first week, EJ jogs 10 minutes per day for six days. In the second
week, he jogs 12 minutes per day for six days.
Each week, he increases his jogging time by 2 minutes per day. He jogs 6
days per week. What is to find? EJ's total jogging time in week five.

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Step 2. Strategy. We want to find his total jogging time in week five

A good strategy is to list the data we have been given in a table and use the
information we have been given to find new information.
We are told that EJ jogs 10 minutes per day for six days in the first week and 12
minutes per day for six days in the second week. We can enter this information in a
table:

 
Week Minutes per Day Minutes per Week

1   10 60

2   12 72

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 Week Minutes per Minutes per
Day Week
1 10 60
2 12 72
3 14 84
4 16 96
5 18 108

Step 3. Apply strategy/solve

 
To get the answer, we read the entry for week five.
Answer: In week five EJ jogs a total of 108 minutes

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Step 4. Check
EJ increases his jogging time by two minutes per day. He jogs
six days per week. This means that he increases his jogging
time by 12 minutes per week.
EJ starts at 60 minutes per week, and he increases by 12
minutes per week for four weeks.
 
That means the total jogging time is 
60 + 12 × 4 = 108 minutes.

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Note:
A diagonal of a polygon is a line segment that connects vertices
(corners) of the polygon. The following are polygons: triangle,
quadrilateral, pentagon, and hexagon.

   
 

  Triangle Quadrilateral pentagon hexagon  

Example 2

Determine the number of diagonals in a heptagon and octagon

 

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Solution:
Step 1. Understand
We know that a heptagon has seven sides, an octagon
has eight sides
 
Step 2. Strategy
Draw a table that shows the number of sides and the
number of diagonals.

Number of 3 4 5 6 7 8
sides
Number of 0 2 5 9    
Diagonals

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 Number of 3 4 5 6 7 8
sides
Number of 0 2 5 9    
Diagonals

Step 3. Apply strategy/Solve

Sequence 0 2 5 9 14 20

First difference 2 3 4 5 6

Second difference 1 1 1 1
Answer:
From the sequence, the number of diagonals of a
heptagon is 14, and for octagon, it has 20 diagonals.

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Step 4. Check: Draw the pentagon and hexagon

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 Working Backwards
Working backwards is an excellent strategy to use
when the final outcome of the problem has already been
given. You just need to work out what the events were
that occurred previously. This strategy is used when the
problem is presented in steps.

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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?

150 * 2 = 300
300 + 80 = 380 485 – 225 = 260
380 + 105 = 485

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 Use a Variable
The strategy use a variable Is often used when solving
algebraic problems. We can use this when we solve
number problems, consecutive integer problems, age
problems, digit problems, and many other problems.
This strategy may be applied when:
- A phrase similar to “for any number” is present or implied
- A problem suggests an equation
- A problem contains phrases such as “consecutive”, “even” or “odd”
whole numbers
- There is an unknown quantity related to a known quantities

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 Number Problems

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?

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 Age Problems

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?

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1.Three times the difference of a number and two is
the same as the number increased by 8. Find the
number.

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1.Three times the difference of a number and two is
the same as the number increased by 8. Find the
number.

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 Step 4. Check.
3(x - 2) = x + 8
3(7 - 2) = 7 + 8
3(5) = 15
15 = 15

1.Three times the difference of a number and two is the

same as the number increased by 8. Find the number. 45
 Group Activity
 Name of Members
 Type of Strategy Used
 Given Problem
 Solution and Answer

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