Polya’s Problem-Solving Strategy

Ancient mathematicians such as Euclid and Pappus were interested in solving mathematical
problems, but they were also interested in heuristics, the study of the methods and rules of
discovery and invention. In the seventeenth century, the mathematician and philosopher René
Descartes (1596–1650) contributed to the field of heuristics. He tried to develop a universal
problem-solving method. Although he did not achieve this goal, he did publish some of his ideas
in Rules for the Direction of the Mind and his better-known work Discourse de la Methode.
Another mathematician and philosopher, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz (1646–1716),
planned to write a book on heuristics titled Art of Invention. Of the problem-solving process,
Leibnitz wrote, “Nothing is more important than to see the sources of invention which are, in my
opinion, more interesting than the inventions themselves.”
One of the foremost recent mathematicians to make a study of problem solving was George Polya
(1887–1985). He was born in Hungary and moved to the United States in 1940. The basic
problem-solving strategy that Polya advocated consisted of the following four steps.
Polya’s Four-Step Problem-Solving Strategy
2. Devise a 3. Carry out 4. Review the
1. Understand plan. the plan. solution.
the problem.

Polya’s four steps are deceptively simple. To become a good problem solver, it helps to
examine each of these steps and determine what is involved.
Understand the Problem: This part of Polya’s four-step strategy is often overlooked. You must
have a clear understanding of the problem. To help you focus on understanding the problem,
consider the following questions.
known, would allow you to solve the
■ Can you restate the problem in your own
problem?
words?
■ Is there extraneous information that is not
■ Can you determine what is known about
needed to solve the problem?
these types of problems?
■ Is there missing information that, if ■ What is the goal?
Devise a Plan: Successful problem solvers use a variety of techniques when they attempt to solve
a problem. Here are some frequently-used procedures.
■ Look for a pattern.
■ Make a list of the known information. ■
■ Write an equation. If necessary, define
Make a list of information that is needed.
what each variable represents.
■ Draw a diagram.
■ Perform an experiment.
■ Make an organized list that shows all the
possibilities. ■ Guess at a solution and then check your
result.
■ Make a table or a chart.
■ Use indirect reasoning.
■ Work backwards.
■ Try to solve a similar but simpler problem.
Carry Out the Plan: Once you have devised a plan, you must carry it out.
■ Work carefully. ■ Realize that some of your initial plans will
not work and that you may have to devise
■ Keep an accurate and neat record of all another plan or modify your existing plan.
your attempts.

Review the Solution: Once you have found a solution, check the solution.
■ Ask yourself whether there are
■ Ensure that the solution is consistent with
generalizations of the solution that could
the facts of the problem.
apply to other problems.
■ Interpret the solution in the context of the
problem.

In Example 6 we apply Polya’s four-step problem-solving strategy to solve a problem

involving the number of routes between two points.
Example 6 (Solve a Similar but Simpler Problem)
Consider the map shown in Figure 1.2. Allison wishes to walk along the streets from point A to
point B. How many direct routes can Allison take?

Solution
Understand the Problem We would not be able to answer the question if Allison retraced her
path or travelled away from point B. Thus, we assume that on a direct route, she always travels
along a street in a direction that gets her closer to point B.
Devise a Plan The map above has many extraneous details. Thus, we make a diagram that allows
us to concentrate on the essential information. See the

simplified diagram at the left.

 Because there are many
routes, we consider the similar
but simpler diagrams shown on
the right. The number at each
street intersection represents the
number of routes from point A
to that particular intersection.
Look for patterns. It appears that the number of routes to an intersection is the sum of the
number of routes to the adjacent intersection to its left and the number of routes to the
intersection directly above. For instance, the number of routes to
the intersection labelled 6 is the sum of the number of routes to
the intersection to its left, which is three, and the number of
routes
to the intersection directly above, which is also three.
Carry Out the Plan Using the pattern discovered on the
previous
page, we see from the figure at the right that the number of
routes
from point A to point B is 20 + 15 = 35.
Review the Solution Ask yourself whether a result of 35 seems
reasonable. If you were required to draw each route, could you
devise a scheme that would enable you to draw each route without
missing a route or duplicating a route?
Drill 6
Consider the street map in Example 6. Allison wishes to walk directly from point A to point B.
How many different routes can she take if she wants to go past Starbucks on Third Avenue?

The example below illustrates the technique of using an organized list.

Example 7 (Make an Organized List)
A baseball team won two out of their last four games. In how many different orders could they
have two wins and two losses in four games?
Solution
Understand the Problem There are many different orders. The team may have won two
straight games and lost the last two (WWLL). Or maybe they lost the first two games and won
the last two (LLWW). Of course, there are other possibilities, such as WLWL.
Devise a Plan We will make an organized list of all the possible orders. An organized list is a
list that is produced using a system that ensures that each of the different orders will be listed
once and only once.
Carry Out the Plan Each entry in our list must contain two W’s and two L’s. We will use a
strategy that makes sure each order is considered, with no duplications. One such strategy is to
always write a W unless doing so will produce too many W’s or a duplicate of one of the
previous orders. If it is not possible to write a W, then and only then do we write an L. This
 strategy produces the six different orders shown below.
4. LWWL (Start with one loss)
1. WWLL (Start with two
5. LWLW
wins) 2. WLWL (Start with one
win) 3. WLLW 6. LLWW (Start with two losses)

Review the Solution We have made an organized list. The list has no duplicates and the list
considers all possibilities, so we are confident that there are six different orders in which a
baseball team can win exactly two out of four games.
Drill 7
A true-or-false quiz contains five questions. In how many ways can a student answer the
questions if the student answers two of the questions with “false” and the other three with
“true”?
In Example 8 we make use of a table to solve a problem.
Example 8 (Make a Table and Look for a Pattern)
Determine the digit 100 places to the right of the decimal point in the decimal representation of
7

27.
Solution
Understand the Problem Express the fraction 727as a decimal and look for a pattern that will
enable us to determine the digit 100 places to the right of the decimal point.
Devise a Plan Dividing 27 into 7 by long division or by using a calculator produces the decimal
0.259259259…. Since the decimal representation repeats the digits 259 over and over forever, we
know that the digit located 100 places to the right of the decimal point is either a 2, a 5, or a 9. A
table may help us to see a pattern and enable us to determine which one of these digits is in the
100th place. Since the decimal digits repeat every three digits, we use a table with three columns.
The first 15 decimal digits of 727

Carry Out the Plan Only in column 3 is each of the decimal digit locations evenly divisible by
3. From this pattern we can tell that the 99th decimal digit (because 99 is evenly divisible by 3)
must be a 9. Since a 2 always follows a 9 in the pattern, the 100th decimal digit must be a 2.
Review the Solution The above table illustrates additional patterns. For instance, if each of the
location numbers in column 1 is divided by 3, a remainder of 1 is produced. If each of the
location numbers in column 2 is divided by 3, a remainder of 2 is produced. Thus, we can find the
decimal digit in any location by dividing the location number by 3 and examining the remainder.
For instance, to find the digit in the 3200th decimal place of 727, merely divide 3200 by 3 and
examine the remainder, which is 2. Thus, the digit 3200 places to the right of the decimal point is
a 5.
Drill 8
Determine the ones digit of 4200.

Example 9 illustrates the method of working backwards. In problems in which you know a
final result, this method may require the least effort.
Example 9 (Work Backwards)
In consecutive turns of a Monopoly game, Stacy first paid $800 for a hotel. She then lost
half her money when she landed on Boardwalk. Next, she collected $200 for passing GO. She
then lost half her remaining money when she landed on Illinois Avenue. Stacy now has $2500.
How much did she have just before she purchased the hotel?
Solution
Understand the Problem We need to determine the number of dollars that Stacy had just prior to
her $800 hotel purchase.
Devise a Plan We could guess and check, but we might need to make several guesses before we
found the correct solution. An algebraic method might work, but setting up the necessary equation
could be a challenge. Since we know the end result, let’s try the method of working backwards.
Carry Out the Plan Stacy must have had $5000 just before she landed on Illinois Avenue; $4800
just before she passed GO; and $9600 prior to landing on Boardwalk. This means she had
$10,400 just before she purchased the hotel.
Review the Solution To check our solution we start with $10,400 and proceed through each of
the transactions. $10,400 less $800 is $9600.Half of $9600 is $4800. $4800 increased by $200 is
$5000. Half of $5000 is $2500.
Some problems can be solved by making guesses and checking. Your first few guesses
may not produce a solution, but quite often they will provide additional information that will lead
to a solution.
Example 10
The product of the ages, in years, of three teenagers is 4590. None of the teens are the same age.
What are the ages of the teenagers?
Solution
Understand the Problem We need to determine three distinct whole numbers, from the list 13,
14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19, that have a product of 4590.
Devise a Plan If we represent the ages by x, y, and z, then We are unable to solve this equation,
but we notice that 4590 ends in a zero. Hence, 4590 has a factor of 2 and a factor of 5, which
means that at least one of the numbers we seek must be an even number and at least one number
must have 5 as a factor. The only number in our list that has 5 as a factor is 15. Thus 15 is one of
the numbers and at least one of the other numbers must be an even number. At this point we try to
solve by guessing and checking.
 Carry Out the Plan
15 ⦁ 16 ⦁ 18 = 4320 • No. This product is too small.
15 ⦁ 16 ⦁ 19 = 4560 • No. This product is too small.
15 ⦁ 17 ⦁ 18 = 4590 • Yes. This is the correct product.
The ages of the teenagers are 15, 17, and 18.
Review the Solution Because 15 ⦁ 17 ⦁ 18 = 4590 and each of the ages represents the age of a
teenager, we know our solution is correct. None of the numbers 13, 14, 16, and 19 is a factor
(divisor) of 4590, so there are no other solutions.
Some problems are deceptive. After reading one of these problems, you may think that the
solution is obvious or impossible. These deceptive problems generally require that you carefully
read the problem several times and that you check your solution to make sure it satisfies all the
conditions of the problem.
Example 11
A hat and a jacket together cost $100. The jacket costs $90 more than the hat. What are the cost of
the hat and the cost of the jacket?
Solution
Understand the Problem After reading the problem for the first time, you may think that the
jacket costs $90 and the hat costs $10. The sum of these costs is $100, but the cost of the jacket is
only $80 more than the cost of the hat. We need to find two-dollar amounts that differ by $90 and
whose sum is $100.
Devise a Plan Write an equation using h for the cost of the hat and h + 90 for the cost of the
jacket.
h + h + 90 = 100
Carry Out the Plan Solve the above equation for h.
2h + 90 = 100 • Collect like terms.
2h = 10 • Solve for h.
h=5
The cost of the hat is $5 and the cost of the jacket is $90 + $5 = $95.
Review the Solution The sum of the costs is and the cost of the jacket is $90 more than the cost of
the hat. This check confirms that the hat costs $5 and the jacket costs $95.