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How To Solve It

How to Solve It by George Pólya provides a 4 step process for solving problems: 1. Understand the problem by identifying what is known and unknown, drawing diagrams, and separating the different parts of the condition. Consider related problems and theorems that could help. 2. Devise a plan by finding the connection between what is known and unknown, considering related auxiliary problems, restating the problem differently, and thinking of partial problems. 3. Carry out the plan, checking each step for correctness using proofs. 4. Examine the solution obtained by checking results and arguments, and considering other ways to derive the result or apply it to other problems.

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KAKUNURI SHASHANK REDDY
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119 views1 page

How To Solve It

How to Solve It by George Pólya provides a 4 step process for solving problems: 1. Understand the problem by identifying what is known and unknown, drawing diagrams, and separating the different parts of the condition. Consider related problems and theorems that could help. 2. Devise a plan by finding the connection between what is known and unknown, considering related auxiliary problems, restating the problem differently, and thinking of partial problems. 3. Carry out the plan, checking each step for correctness using proofs. 4. Examine the solution obtained by checking results and arguments, and considering other ways to derive the result or apply it to other problems.

Uploaded by

KAKUNURI SHASHANK REDDY
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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How to Solve It

George Pólya

Understanding the Problem


First. What is the unknown? What are the data? What is the condition?
You have to understand Is it possible to satisfy the condition? Is the condition sufficient to determine the
the problem. unknown? Or is it insufficient? Or redundant? Or Contradictory?
Draw a figure. Introduce suitable notation.
Separate the various parts of the condition. Can you write them down?

Devising a plan
Second. Have you seen it before? Or have you seen the same problem in a slightly different
Find the connection be- form?
tween the data and the Do you know a related problem? Do you know a theorem that could be useful?
unknown. You may Look at the unknown! And try to think of a familiar problem having the same or a
be obliged to consider similar unknown.
auxiliary problems if an
Here is a problem related to yours and solved before. Could you use it? Could you use
immediate connection
its result? Could you use its method? Should you introduce some auxiliary element
cannot be found. You
in order to make its use possible?
should obtain eventu-
ally a plan of the solu- Could you restate the problem? Could you restate it still differently? Go back to
tion. definitions.
If you cannot solve the proposed problem try to solve first some related problem.
Could you imagine a more accessible related problem? A more general problem?
A more special problem? An analogous problem? Could you solve a part of the
problem? Keep only a part of the condition, drop the other part; how far is the
unknown then determined, how can it vary? Could you derive something useful from
the data? Could you think of other data appropriate to determine the unknown?
Could you change the unknown or the data, or both if necessary, so that the new
unknown and the new data are nearer to each other?
Did you use all the data? Did you use the whole condition? Have you taken into
account all essential notions involved in the problem?

Carrying out the Plan


Third. Carrying out your plan of the solution, check each step. Can you see clearly that the
Carry out yout plan. step is correct? Can you prove that it is correct?

Looking Back
Fourth. Can you Check the result? Can you check the argument?
Examine the solution Can you derive the result differently? Can you see it at a glance?
obtained. Can you use the result, or the method, for some other problem?
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