Polya’s 4- Steps in

Problem Solving
LeSSON 4
George Polya
(December 13, 1887 – September 7th, 1985)

ü Made an important influence on Problem

Solving in Mathematics Education.

ü Designed a process on solving problems

known as ”Polya’s 4- Steps in Problem
Solving”.
 4- Step Process

Understand Devise a Carry out the Look Back

the Problem. Plan (Plan) Plan (Do) (Check)
(See)
 1. Understand the
Problem (See)

v Read and Understand the Problem.

v Identify what is the given information, known
data or values
v What is the unknown and to be solved as
required in the problem.
 1. Understand the
Problem (See)
Consider the Following Questions:
1. Can I restate the problem in my own words?
2. Can I determine what is known about these type
of problem?
3. Is there missing information that if known would
allow me to solve the problems?
4. Is there extraneous information that is not needed
to solve the problem?
5. What is the goal?
2. Devise a Plan (Plan)
To solve the problem, you can use of strategies. A
strategy is defined as an artful means to an end.

Guess and test Look for a pattern

Use a variable Make a list
Draw a picture Draw a diagram
Work backward Solve an
equation
3. Carry Out the Plan (Do)
v Solve the problem based on your plan and
observe analytical rules and procedures until
you arrive at the answer.
v Work carefully
v Keep an accurate and neat record of your attempts
v Realize that some of your initial plans will not work
and that you will have to devise another plan and
modify existing plan.
4. Look Back (Check)

In order to validate the obtained value, we

need to verify and check if the answer makes
sense or correct based on the situation pose
in the problem. Label your final correct
answer.
Example 1
A police station has 25 vehicles of motorcycle
and cars. The total number of wheels is 70. Find the
number of motorcycle and cars the station has.
Step 1: Understand the Problem
Given: 25 vehicles
70 wheels
Required: Number of cars and number of
motorcycle
Example 1
A police station has 25 vehicles of motorcycle
and cars. The total number of wheels is 70. Find the
number of motorcycle and cars the station has.
Step 2: Devise a Plan
Let c – car = 4 wheels
m – motorcycle = 2 wheels
c + m = 25
4c + 2m = 70
Example 1
Step 3: Carry Out the Plan
c + m = 25 >> c = 25-m
4c + 2m = 70 >> 4(25-m) + 2m = 70
100-4m + 2m = 70
-2m = 70-100
-2m = -30
M = 15
Example 1
Step 3: Carry Out the Plan
m = 15
c + 15 = 25
c + 15= 25
c = 25-15
c = 10
Example 1
Step 4: Look Back
checking
4c + 2m = 70 ?
4(10) + 2(15) = 70 ?
40 + 30 = 70?
Conclusion
70 = 70 ✓ Therefore, there are 10
cars with 4 wheels and 15
motorcycles with 2 wheels.
Problem Solving Strategies

There are different ways on solving mathematical

problems
1. Working Backwards
2. Drawing Pictures and Diagrams
3. Making list or tables
4. Solving with Patterns
 1. Working Backwards

A strategy that starts at the

end of the problem and works
backward.
 Example 1
On Monday, Gerry opened a savings account for his
summer earnings and deposited all of his first week’s
earnings. On Tuesday, he deposited P225 into the account.
He withdrew P105 on Wednesday to buy tapes and another
P80 on Thursday for other expenses. On Friday, he withdrew
half of what was left in the account to buy some clothing. He
then had P150 remaining in the account. How much money
did he deposit that Monday?
 Example 1

Step 1
Given: P225 – deposited in the account on Tuesday
P105 – withdrawn on Wednesday
P 80 – withdrawn again on Thursday
Half of what was left was withdrew on Friday
P150 – remaining amount
Find: How much money did Gerry deposit on Monday?
 Example 1

Step 2
To solve this problem, you can start with the
amount of money Gerry had at the end and then work
backward, using the inverse operations. The list below
shows the data given in the problem and indicates how to
work backward.
Example 1 Step 3

ß Step 4
2. Drawing Pictures and Diagrams

A problem can be solved by means of

figures, a diagram, or a graph. It helps us
visualize a problem, makes it easier for us to
determine the relevant data observe
important connections and relationships.
 Example 2

Joe and Elaine are pilots. They are both flying

from Manila to Davao City (distance: 750 miles).
Joe leaves at 8 AM and Elaine leaves at 9 AM. Joe
average speed is 250 miles per hour, and Elaine
average speed is 375 miles per hour. About what
time will Elaine catch up to Joe?
 Example 1

Step 1
We are looking for the time Elaine will
catch up to Joe if Elaine average speed is 375
mph and Joe average speed is 250 mph.
 Example 1

Step 2
Make a graph for Joe and Elaine
and Draw the Graph.
 Example 1 Step 3

Step 4
Thus, it will take Elaine about 2 hours to catch up.
 3. Make lists and Tables

The method “ Make a Table” is helpful

when solving problems involving numerical
relationships. When data is organized in
table, it is easier to recognize patterns and
relationships between numbers.
Example

An Algebra test consists of 10 multiple choice

questions. Ten points are given for each correct
answer and three points are deducted for each
incorrect answer. If Joshua did all questions and
scored 48, how many incorrect answers did he
have?
 Example 1

Step 1
Given
10 questions
48 – Joshua’s Score
10 points for every correct
-3 points for every incorrect
Required: Number of incorrect answers
 Example 1

Step 2
x – correct answers
y - incorrect answers
x+y =10
10x -3y = 48
Make a list/table
Example 1 Step 3

x y 10x – 3y = Score
10 0 10(10) – 3(0) = 100
9 1 10(9) – 3(1) = 87
8 2 10(8) - 3(2) = 74
7 3 10(7) – 3(3) = 61
6 4 10(6) – 3(4) = 48
5 5 10(5) – 3(5) = 35
4 6 10(4) – 3(6) = 22
 Example 1

Step 4
For Joshua, x = 6 and y = 4, so, 6+4 = 10.
Therefore, 10(6) – 3(4) = 60-12 = 48
Mathematical Problems
involving Patterns
LeSSON 5
Patterns
ü Serves as a guide in arriving at
correct and realistic answer.

ü Helps us solve problems and verifies

the answer right away.

ü An Example of which is sequence

 Example 1

Find the next term for 1, 5, 12, 22, 35

Step 1:
Given : 1, 5, 12, 22, 35
Required: next term after 35.
 Example 1

Step 2 : look for common difference

1 5 12 22 35
4 7 10 13
3 3 3

Second Common Difference (SCD) is 3.

SCD used to get the First Common Difference (FCD)
FCD to get the next term of the sequence
 Example 1

Step 3:
• Next FCD = SCD + Last FCD
= 3 + 13
= 16
• Next term = FCD + Last term
= 16 + 35
= 51
 Example 1

Step 4:

Therefore in the sequence 1,

5, 12, 22, 35. The next term after
35 is 51.
 Activity

Find the next term 3 terms of the following sequence

a. 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, …
b. b. 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, …
Recreational Problems
Using Mathematics
LeSSON 6
Recreational Mathematics
ü Mathematics done for recreation or as a hobby intended
for fun

ü It involves games or puzzles that relate to

mathematics.

ü It usually involves general logic and

lateral thinking skills.
Recreational Mathematics
ü Rubik’s Cube ü Board Games
ü Sodoku ü Stick Puzzle
ü Magic Square ü Challenge IQ
ü The Tower of Hanoi ü Number Puzzles
Recreational Mathematics
ü Rubik’s Cube/ Magic Cube

The Rubik's Cube is a 3-D

combination puzzle
invented in 1974 by
Hungarian sculptor and
professor of architecture
Ernő Rubik.
Recreational Mathematics
ü Sodoku/ Number Place
In classic sudoku, the objective is
to fill a 9×9 grid with digits so that each
column, each row, and each of the nine
3×3 subgrids that compose the grid (also
called "boxes", "blocks", or "regions")
contain all of the digits from 1 to 9. The
puzzle setter provides a partially
completed grid, which for a well-posed
puzzle has a single solution.
Recreational Mathematics
ü Magic Square
In recreational mathematics,
a square array of numbers,
usually positive integers, is
called a magic square if the
sums of the numbers in each
row, each column, and both
main diagonals are the
same.
Recreational Mathematics
ü The Tower of Hanoi Tower of Hanoi is a mathematical
puzzle where we have three rods
and n disks. The objective of the
puzzle is to move the entire stack to
another rod, obeying the following
simple rules: Only one disk can be
moved at a time and largest to
smallest. Smaller stack should be
on top of the bigger stack
Recreational Mathematics
ü Board Games
Board games are tabletop games that
typically use pieces moved or placed
on a pre-marked board (playing
surface) and often include elements
of table, card, role-playing,
and miniatures games as well.
Recreational Mathematics
ü Stick Puzzle

Moving prescribe number

of sticks to obtain the
goal.
Recreational Mathematics
ü IQ Challenge
Recreational Mathematics
ü Number Puzzles
Putting mathematical operations
between the given numbers to
obtain the given answer.
Thank you...