TROUBLESHOOTING TECHNIQUES

INTRODUCTION
It is required to work in situations that demand a differentiated use of certain
actions or operations according to the objective to which their implementation
responds; these are cases that are called heuristic procedures whose use is mostly
demanded when the learner must give a response to problematic situations.
Heuristic methods are resolution strategies and decision rules used by people to
solve problems. These strategies can be applied in a variety of domains and can
be solved through algorithms and thinking methods. 4 methods for solving
problems will be explained, which are as follows:

REVERSE DIRECTION
Definition : This procedure involves starting to solve the problem from the goal or
goals and trying to transform them into data, going from the goal to the beginning.
The heuristic procedure is used in geometry to prove some theorems; We start
from the theorem and work towards the postulates. It is useful when the goal-state
of the problem is clear and the initial state is not.

Objective: It has the objective of solving a problem based on a goal transformed

into data, for a better understanding of the problem to be solved.

Examples:
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 Understanding Solution Finding the
Problem
the problem planning answers
Juan, Julia and Did they know how If Julia receives Start with 2,000.
José found a many gold coins were 2,000, how many Multiply the number
strange box in the box? ( No ). does Juan and José of people by 3-
containing gold Did they know how receive? ( 2,000 each 3x2,000=6,000.
coins. They buried many gold coins ) Together, how many Multiply by 2 for the
half of the coins in there were before coins do they have? ( buried half- 2x6,000=
Grandma's garden burying them? ( No ). 6,000 ) Is the money 12,000 .
and divided the How many coins did people have the
remaining coins each person get? same as the money
equally. Julia in the box? ( only
received 2,000 gold half because the
coins. How many rest was buried. )
coins were initially
in the box?

CLIMBING THE HILL (HILL CLIMBING)

Definition: it is a procedure that consists of advancing from the current state to
another that is closer to the objective so that the person who solves the problem
evaluates the new state in which he will be after each possible movement, being
able to choose the one that best suits him. get closer to the target. It has the
advantage of reducing the number of nodes visited to reach the solution, and it has
the disadvantage of never being able to finish. The application of this method is
only possible in situations in which there is a criterion to evaluate whether the state
to which an action takes us is more similar to the final state than the state in which
we are, and we do not always have these. criteria.

Objective: has the objective of solving a problem starting from a point (current
point), if a new point is better, the latter becomes the current point, if it is not,
another neighboring point is selected and evaluated in such a way that a solution
to a problem is reached. It aims to start at the bottom of the hill, then start with a
sub-optimal solution to a problem, move up the hill, repeatedly improve the
solution, reach the top and obtain a maximum condition.

Example: A person is blindfolded and placed on unknown terrain. He is asked to try

to reach the highest possible point on the terrain. One way to proceed would be to

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feel the terrain with his foot, moving in all directions to being able to determine
which of the new possible positions is in a higher situation with respect to the
position in which it is found. If at some point during the climb the person faces a
situation in which all the possible new positions they can try are less in height than
the one they are in, they must stop, the problem lies in when the person takes off
the blindfold. may discover that although I reach one of the peaks of the terrain
(local maximum), when the search for the solution to a problem necessarily
involves going through a state that apparently represents a regression with respect
to the final state, the method of raising the difficult will be unable to lead to the
solution.

MIDDLE END ANALYSIS

Definition: it is a method that consists of defining the final state of a problem and
determining what the differences are between this state and the initial state. It
allows the problem solver to work on one objective at a time, it consists of
decomposing the problem In subtopics, choose one to work on and solve one
by one until you complete the task, eliminating the obstacles that prevent you
from reaching a final state.

Objective: the objective of this method is to decompose a problem into

subgoals and for the person who solves the problem to be able to choose
between the different subgoals to reach a solution or complementation of a
task.

Example:

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A psychologist has decided to do his doctoral thesis on problem solving, so he
faces the problem of finding out if there is a professor in his faculty who does
research in the area. He does not know how to find out, which is why a first sub-
problem arises: calling the PhD Secretary to ask how he can find out. He faces
a new difficulty: he does not have the telephone number of the Doctorate
Secretary. The second subproblem then arises: calling a fellow doctoral student
to give you the phone number. The psychologist does not have a telephone at
home or a cell phone, so he must call from a public telephone. The new
difficulty he faces is that he does not have coins, he only has bills, which is why
the third subproblem of getting coins arises. By designing the plan, he begins to
solve each of the formulated subproblems: he exchanges a bill for coins in a bar
or store near him, calls his colleague and obtains the Secretary's number, calls
this office and is informed. How can you find out through the Internet, the
research topics that the Faculty's professors work on? Once the 3 sub-
problems that were presented have been resolved, the psychologist returns
home to address the original problem: find out if there is a professor who does
research. in problem solving.

POLYA METHOD
Definition: This method is focused on solving mathematical problems. To solve an
exercise, one applies a routine procedure that leads to the answer. To solve a
problem, one pauses, reflects, and may even take original steps that one had not
tried before to provide the answer. This characteristic of taking some kind of
creative step in the solution, no matter how small, is what distinguishes a problem
from an exercise.
Polya – a mathematician – was very interested in teaching mathematics, and his
work on heuristics arose from the desire to teach students something that would be
useful to them in general in solving different types of mathematical problems. But
many of the heuristics he described have an application that transcends
mathematics alone, and we should not be surprised that some of the programs on
thinking skills are based on Polya's work. The ideal way to analyze Polya's
heuristics is to do so within the framework of its prescriptive problem-solving
model, which distinguishes four phases:

 Understand the problem

1.- Do you understand everything it says?
2.- Can you restate the problem in your own words?
3.- Do you distinguish what the data is?

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 4.- Do you know what you want to achieve?
5.- Is there enough information?
6.- Is there strange information?
7.- Is this problem similar to any other you have solved before?

 Come up with a plan. This includes the formulation of a general

strategy, not a detailed test. Formulating such a strategy is an
inductive, not a deductive, process. This is important because
contrary to appearances, even mathematics is partly an inductive
process.
Can you use any of the following strategies?
1.- Trial and Error Guess and prove the guess
2.- Use a variable
3.- Find a Pattern
4.- Make a list
5.- Solve a simpler similar problem
6.- Make a figure
7.- Make a diagram

 Execute that plan. This is where the detailed proof is and where the
deductive reasoning takes place.
1.- Implement the strategy or strategies you chose until the problem is
completely solved or until the same action suggests you take a new course.
2.- Give yourself a reasonable time to resolve the problem. If you are not
successful, ask for a suggestion or put the problem aside for a moment.
3.- Don't be afraid to start again. It is often the case that a fresh start or a
new strategy leads to success.
 Look back, that is, verify the results.
1.- Is your solution correct? Does your answer satisfy what is established in
the problem?
2.- Do you see a simpler solution?
3.- Can you see how to extend your solution to a general case?

Objective: its objective is to solve mathematical problems through 4 steps

(understand the problem, have a plan, carry out the plan and review) proposed by
the mathematician, George Polya.

Example:

Understanding the problem:

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The problem asks to find a three-digit number that meets certain given conditions.
The data available is:

*16 is the sum of the three digits of the number

We know, for example, that the number 123=100(1)+10(2)+3= 100+20+3, that is, if
we multiply 100 by the hundreds figure and add the multiplication of 10 by the tens
figure and we add the units figure to it, we obtain the three-digit number. Another
piece of information we have is: If 99 is subtracted from the number, the figures
invert variables.

Let's call the three-digit number that we are going to find as: xyz

Where:

x is the hundreds figure

and it is the tens figure

z is the units number

That is: xyz= 100x+ 10y + z

Planning the problem:

Strategy that looks for three equations with 3 unknowns and solve the system
given by analytical solution determinants.

Therefore: x+y+z= 16

x+y= 3z

xyz-99= zyx = 100x+10y+z-99= 100x+10y+x

100x+10y+z-100z-10y-x = 99  99x-99z=99  xz=1

Therefore in the 3x3 system we have:

x+y+z= 16

x+y-3z = 0

xz = 1

Applying what was planned or executed:

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 *Solving the system of equations given in the previous step by determinants.
We find the determinant of the system. We find the determinant of x, y, z or x,
yz

Next are the values of the variables:

Therefore the 3-digit number is 574.

Looking Back or Checking:

The result was that the 3-digit number is 574, we must verify if it complies with
what the problem says:

The sum of the three figures: 5+7+4=16

Add the hundreds digit plus the tens digit equal to the multiple of the ones:
5+7=3(4)=12

If 99 digits are subtracted from the number, the number is inverted: 574-99= 475

Therefore, if it complies with everything the problem says.

UNIT 3 EXERCISES

Exercise number 1.-

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 DONALD A=4 D=5 N=6
+ GERALD B=3 G=1 O=2
ROBERT E=9 L=8 R=7

Exercise number 2.- 67 people work in a Scientific Research Institute. Of these, 47

know English, 35 German and 23 both languages. How many people at the
Institute do not know English or German?
8 people do not know English or German

or
8

English Both German

24 23 12

Exercise number 3.- Of the 130 people who participate in a camp, 75 wear a
watch, 62 wear glasses and 72 wear a cap, 40 wear a watch and glasses, 35 wear
a watch and a cap, 25 wear glasses and a cap, and 20 wear all three items of
clothing. . How many people don't wear any of these clothes?
1 person does not wear any of these clothes

or 1
Cap
32
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4. 92 people attended a festive activity, of which 47 ate pizza, 38 bread with
cheese, 42 bread with ham, 28 ate pizza and bread with cheese, 31 pizza and
bread with ham, 26 bread with cheese and bread with ham ; 25 people ate all three
things and several people only drank soda. How many people drank only soda?
25 people drank soda

or 25
Pizza
13

3 6

25

9 10
1
Bread5.-
Exercise number with
A man must travel 100 km of road in Bread with
his car; Half of the route
was traveledcheese
at 50 km/h. At what speed should he traveljamthe remaining 50 km to
average 100 km/h at the end of the trajectory?

0 km/h 50 km/h 150 km/h

Vp: V 1 +V 2 /2

100 km/h = 50 km/h + V 2

(2)(100 km/h)= 50 km/h +V 2

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V 2 = 100 km/h(2)-50 km/h

V 2 = 200 Km/h-50 Km/h= 150 Km/h

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