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Module MMW Problem Solving Midterm - 024441

Problem solving

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19 views

Module MMW Problem Solving Midterm - 024441

Problem solving

Uploaded by

jayannmariepadila286
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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5

Polya's Problem Solving Techniques


In 1945 George Polya published the book How To Solve It which quickly became his most
prized publication. It sold over one million copies and has been translated into 17 languages. In this
book he identifies four basic principles of problem solving.

Polya's First Principle: Understand the problem


This seems so obvious that it is often not even mentioned, yet students are often stymied in
their efforts to solve problems simply because they don't understand it fully, or even in part. Polya
taught teachers to ask students questions such as:
 Do you understand all the words used in stating the problem?
 What are you asked to find or show?
 Can you restate the problem in your own words?
 Can you think of a picture or diagram that might help you understand the problem?
 Is there enough information to enable you to find a solution?
Polya's Second Principle: Devise a plan
Polya mentions that there are many reasonable ways to solve problems. The skill at choosing
an appropriate strategy is best learned by solving many problems. You will find choosing a strategy
increasingly easy. A partial list of strategies is included:
 Guess and check ∎ Look for a pattern
 Make an orderly list ∎ Draw a picture
 Eliminate possibilities ∎Solve a simpler problem
 Use symmetry ∎ Use a model
 Consider special cases ∎ Work backwards
 Use direct reasoning ∎ Use a formula
 Solve an equation ∎ Be ingenious

Polya's Third Principle: Carry out the plan


This step is usually easier than devising the plan. In general, all you need is care and patience,
given that you have the necessary skills. Persist with the plan that you have chosen. If it continues not
to work discard it and choose another. Don't be misled, this is how mathematics is done, even by
professionals.

Polya's Fourth Principle: Look back


Polya mentions that much can be gained by taking the time to reflect and look back at what
you have done, what worked, and what didn't. Doing this will enable you to predict what strategy to
use to solve future problems.

1. UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM


 First. You have to understand the problem.
 What is the unknown? What are the data? What is the condition?
 Is it possible to satisfy the condition? Is the condition sufficient to determine the
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?

2. DEVISING A PLAN
 Second. Find the connection between the data and the unknown. You may be obliged to
consider auxiliary problems if an immediate connection cannot be found. You should
obtain eventually a plan of the solution.
 Have you seen it before? Or have you seen the same problem in a slightly different form?
 Do you know a related problem? Do you know a theorem that could be useful?
 Look at the unknown! Try to think of a familiar problem having the same or a similar
unknown.
 Here is a problem related to yours and solved before. Could you use it? Could you use its
result? Could you use its method? Should you introduce some auxiliary element in order
to make its use possible?
 Could you restate the problem? Could you restate it still differently? Go back to
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 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?

3. CARRYING OUT THE PLAN


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

4. LOOKING BACK
 Fourth. Examine the solution obtained.
 Can you check the result? Can you check the argument?
 Can you derive the solution differently? Can you see it at a glance?
 Can you use the result, or the method, for some other problem?
Scientific Approach
Another way of looking at the Problem Solving process is what might be called the scientific approach. We
show this in the diagram below.

Here the problem is given and initially the idea is to experiment with it or explore it in order
to get some feeling as to how to proceed. After a while it is hoped that the solver is able to make a
conjecture or guess what the answer might be. If the conjecture is true it might be possible to prove or
justify it. In that case the looking back process sets in and an effort is made to generalize or extend
the problem. In this case you have essentially chosen a new problem and so the whole process starts
over again.
Sometimes, however, the conjecture is wrong and so a counter-example is found. This is an
example that contradicts the conjecture. In that case another conjecture is sought and you have to
look for a proof or another counterexample.
Some problems are too hard so it is necessary to give up. Now you may give up so that you
can take a rest, in which case it is a ‘for now’ giving up. Actually this is a good problem solving
strategy. Often when you give up for a while your subconscious takes over and comes up with a good
idea that you can follow. On the other hand, some problems are so hard that you eventually have to
give up ‘for ever’. There have been many difficult problems throughout history that mathematicians
have had to give up on.
That then is a rough overview of what Problem Solving is all about. For simple problems the
four stage Pólya method and the scientific method can be followed through without any difficulty.
But when the problem is hard it often takes a lot of to-ing and fro-ing before the problem is finally
solved – if it ever is!

Prepared by: BLISS S. DANIELES


Math Instructor

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