Math 113 WK 1

ROUTINE AND
NON-ROUTINE
PROBLEM
SOLVING
ROUTINE PROBLEM
SOLVING
 It involves using at least one of the four arethmetic
operations and/or ratio to sole problems that are
practical in nature.
 Concerns to a large degree the kind of problem
solving that serves a socially useful function that
has immediate and future payoff.
 Children typically do routine problem solving as
early as age 5 or 6. They combine and separate
things such as toys during their normal activities.
Example
A sales promotion in a store advertises a jacket

regularly priced at ₱125.98 but now selling for 20% off
the regular price. The store also waives the tax. You
have ₱100 in your pocket (or ₱100 left in your charge
account). Do you have enough money to buy the
jacket?
 As adults, and as children, we normally want to solve
certain kinds of problems in a way that reflects an “Aha”
feeling.
 We do not want to guess and check or think backwards
or make use of similar strategies.
 Solving such problems involves using at least one of the
four arithmetic operations and/or ratio.
 Being good at doing arithmetic does not guarantee
success at solving routine problems.
 The critical matter is knowing what arithmetic to do.
 Not enough students and adults are good at solving
routine problems.
 Researches tells us that in order or students to be good
at routine problem solving, they need to learn the
meanings of the arithmetic operations well and in ways
that are based on real and familiar experiences.
 While there are four arithmetic operations, there are
more than four distinct meanings that can be attached
to the operations. For example, subtraction means
taking away from one set or comparing two sets.
 Good routine problem solver have a repertoire of
automatic symbol-based and context-based responses
to problem situation. They do not rely on “guess and
check” or “think backwards.” They rather, rely on
representing what is going on in a problem by
selecting from set of mathematical model.
 Routine problems at some point involve solving
complex problems. Complexity can be achieved
through multi-steps or making use of more than one
arithmetic operations or through Fermi problems.
Fermi problems
 Involves estimating where the exact value is often
unknown, and perhaps it is even unknowable.
 While the estimate may be considerably in error,
the important matter is on describing how the
estimate was obtained.
 Requires to justify their reasoning in terms of the
meanings of arithmetic operations and in terms of
the relevance of the data the collected or estimated.
 Example: How many cars are there in Naga City?
NON-ROUTINE PROBLEM SOLVING
 Mostly concerned developing student’s mathematical

reasoning power and fostering the understanding that
mathematics is a creative endeavour
 Challenging and interesting
 Aims to:
-introduce ideas
-deepen and extend understanding of algorithms,
skills and concepts
-to motivate and challenge students
 Non-routine problem solving can be seen as evoking
an “I tried this and I tired that, and eureka, I finally
figured it out” reaction.
 Involves a search for heuristics(strategies seeking to
discover)
 There is no convenient model or solution path for
non-routine problem solving that is readily available
to apply to solving a problem while, in routine
problem solving there are readily identifiable models
Example
Consider what happens when 35 is multiplied with 41.

The result is 1435. Notice that all four digits of the two
multipliers reappear in the product of 1435, but they are
rearranged. We call 35 and 41 as pairs of stubborn
numbers because their digits reappear in the product when
the two numbers are multiplied together.
Find the 6 other stubborn number.

Strategies for Non-routine Problem Solving
 Look for a pattern

 Guess and check
 Make and solve simpler problem
 Work backward
 Act it out/make a model
 Break up the problem into smaller ones and try to
solve these first.
As future teachers:
 It is important that students share how they solve problems
so that their classmates are exposed to a variety of

strategies as well as the idea that there may be more than
one way to reach a solution.
 It is unwise to force students to use one particular strategy
for the following reasons:

1. more than one strategy can usually be used to solve a
problem,
2. the goal is for students to search and apply useful
strategies, not to train students to make use of one
particular strategy.
Reminder
 Non-routine problem solving should not be
reserved for fast-learner students.
 All students should participate in and be
encouraged to succeed at non-routine problem
solving.
 All students can benefit from the different kinds of
thinking that is involved in non-routine problem
solving.
Exercises
 Problem 1
My Mom gave me 35 pesos. My father gave me 45 pesos
and my grandmother gave me 85 pesos. How much
money do I have now?
 Problem 2 In the diagram below-
Place the numbers 1 to 9, one in each circle so that the
sum of the four numbers along any of the three sides of
the triangle is 20. There are 9 circles and 9 numbers to
place in the circles. Each circle must have different
number in it or no duplication of number.
Questions
1. Which of the two problems is routine problem
solving? Which is non-routine? Why do you say
so?
2. What arithmetic operations are involved in the
two problems?
3. What strategy/ies did you use in problem number
2? Explain or show you solution.
God Bless

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ROUTINE AND

A sales promotion in a store advertises a jacket

 Mostly concerned developing student’s mathematical

Consider what happens when 35 is multiplied with 41.

Find the 6 other stubborn number.

 Look for a pattern

so that their classmates are exposed to a variety of

for the following reasons:

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