33

Chapter 3

Problem Solving

LEARNING OUTCOME(S):
 Compare and contrast inductive and deductive reasoning.
 Use different types of reasoning to justify statements and arguments made about
mathematics and mathematical concepts.
 Apply the four steps in problem solving by Polya.
 Use different strategies in solving problems.

TIME FRAME: 6 hours

LESSON 3.1 INDUCTIVE AND DEDUCTIVE REASONING

Inductive reasoning makes broad generalizations from specific observations. Basically, there is
data, and then conclusions are drawn from the data. This is called inductive logic. In inductive
inference, we go from the specific to the general. We make many observations, discern a
pattern, make a generalization, and infer an explanation or a theory.

Deductive reasoning, or deduction, starts out with a general statement, or hypothesis, and
examines the possibilities to reach a specific, logical conclusion, and according. In deductive
inference, we hold a theory and based on it we make a prediction of its consequences. That is,
we predict what the observations should be if the theory were correct. We go from the general
— the theory — to the specific — the observations.

Determine whether each of the following argument is an example of inductive or deductive

reasoning.

Example:
1. During the past 10 years, a durian tree has produced plenty of fruit every other year.
Last year the tree did not produce plenty fruit, so this year the durian tree will produce
plenty of fruit.
2. All car repair cost more than the estimate. The shop estimated that my car repair will
cost P20,000.00. Thus my car repair will cost more than P20,000.00.

Solution:
1. The conclusion that the durian tree will produce plenty fruit this year is based on specific
examples that it has been producing this way every other year, so this is inductive
reasoning.
2. Because the conclusion is based on general assumption, this is an example of deductive
reasoning.
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LESSON 3.2 STEPS IN SOLVING WORD PROBLEMS (by George Polya 1887-1985)

1. Understand the problem – to better understand the problem it is helpful to as the following
questions:
a. What type of problem at hand and what is being asked?
b. What are the unknown quantities? If there are two or more unknowns, it is
recommended not to use another variable. Express the other unknown in terms of
the other.
c. Is there a way to restate the problem in your own words?
2. Devise a plan – this stem includes the strategies that you are going to use to attack the
problem.
a. Setting up the equation by translating the problem into algebraic expressions.
b. Looking for patterns.
c. Drawing pictures or illustrations.
d. Working backwards or look for patterns.
e. Eliminating possibilities, etc.
3. Carry out the plan – This means implementing the strategies derived from step 2
a. Solving for the variable in the given equation.
b. Try another strategy or modify if the first one won’t work out.
4. Look back – This step is often overlooked. If you do not check whether or not the conditions
in the problem are satisfied by the obtained value or variable, our solution cannot be
ascertained correct since the equation you made may not be correct in the first place.

Example: The sum of three consecutive integers is 33. What are these three integers?

Understand the problem: This is an integer problem and there are no decimals involved. Let x
be the first integer. Instead of using 𝑦 as the next integer, express the next number in terms of
𝑥, say, let 𝑥 + 1 be the second number. Since they are consecutive, you know that the next
number is just 1 more than the first integer. Again, the third integer should be expressed in
terms of 𝑥. So, the third integer is 𝑥 + 2.

Devise a plan: Since we know that the sum of these three integers is 33, so we add the three
integers; the first plus the second plus the third integer and equate it to 33.

(𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑟) + (𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑟) + (𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑟) = 33

(𝑥) + (𝑥 + 1) + (𝑥 + 2) = 33

Carry out the plan

(𝑥) + (𝑥 + 1) + (𝑥 + 2) = 33
3𝑥 + 3 = 33
3𝑥 = 30
3𝑥 = 30
3 3
𝑥 = 10
 35

Look back: The problem states that there are three integers, so we do not stop at 𝑥 = 10, since
this is just the first integer, remember we let 𝑥 = 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑟, 𝑥 + 1 = 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑟 and
𝑥 + 2 = 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑟 so we have:
𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑟 = 𝑥 = 𝟏𝟎
𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑟 = 𝑥 + 1 = 10 + 1 = 𝟏𝟏
𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑟 = 𝑥 + 2 = 10 + 2 = 𝟏𝟐
The problem also states that the sum of these three integers is equal to 33. To check if we have
the right answer, we find their sum. 10 + 11 + 12 = 33, so our answer is correct. 10, 11, and
12 are consecutive integers and their sum is 33.

Example: The sum of two numbers is 15. The second number is twice the first. What are
these numbers?

Understand the problem: We are looking for two numbers. Let 𝑥 be the first integer. Since the
second number is twice the first, then the second number is = 2𝑥.

Devise a plan: Since we know that the sum of these two numbers is 15, so we add the two
numbers; the first plus the second equals 15.

(𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟) + (𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟) = 15

(𝑥) + (2𝑥) = 15

Carry out the plan

(𝑥) + (2𝑥) = 15
𝑥 + 2𝑥 = 15
3𝑥 = 15
3𝑥 = 15
3 3
𝑥=5

Look back: The problem states that there are two numbers, the first number which is
represented by 𝑥 = 5, and the second number which is 2𝑥 = 2(5) = 10. Their sum is 5 + 10 =
15 and the second number (which is equal to 10) is twice the first number (which is equal to 5).

LESSON 3.3 DIFFERENT PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGIES:

1. Draw a Picture, Model, Diagram or any Visual representation

Drawing a picture/diagram/model is the most common problem–solving strategy. Very often,
students need to draw a picture/diagram/model just to understand the problem. The
picture/diagram/model represents the problem in a way students can “see” it, understand it,
and think about it while they look for the next step.
 36

Example: Dana found a piece of 8 inches rope. She cut the rope into equal length. She
made 3 cuts. How long is each piece of the rope now?

Each piece of rope is now only 2 inches.

Example: Sam had P6.00 more than Ian. If Ian had P8.00, how much did they have altogether?

Sam’s money

Ian’s money

Altogether, they have P22.00, since 8 + 8 + 6 = 22

Example: Luke wants to fence a lot for his dog, Charlie. The area to be fenced is a rectangle
with a measurement of 36 feet long and 24 feet wide. If the fence posts are to be
placed 6 feet apart, how many posts are needed?

Looking at the diagram, Luke will need 20 posts.

2. Look for Patterns

When the problem gives a set of data, or a pattern that is continuing and can be arranged in a
table, it’s good to consider looking for the pattern and determining the “rule” of the pattern.
Setting up a table and filling in the information given in the question is a great way to organize
things and provide a visual so that the “rule” of the pattern can be determined. The “rule” can
then be used to find the answer to the question. In some instances, the pattern may look one
way for the first few entries, then change, so this is important to consider as the problems get
more challenging
 37

Example: Each hexagon below is surrounded by 12 dots.

a) Find the number of dots for a pattern with 6 hexagons in the first column.
b) Find the pattern of hexagons with 229 dots.

Solution:
1st column Pattern Total dots
1 12 12
2 12 + 16 28
3 12 + 16 + 21 49
4 12 + 16 + 21 + 26 75
5 12 + 16 + 21 + 26 + 31 106
6 12 + 16 + 21 + 26 + 31 + 36 142
7 12 + 16 + 21 + 26 + 31 + 36 + 41 183
8 12 + 16 + 21 + 26 + 31 + 36 + 41 + 46 229

a) The number of dots for a pattern with 6 hexagons in the first column is 142
b) If there are 229 dots then the pattern has 8 hexagons in the first column.

Example: Each member of a club shook hands with every other member who came for a
meeting. There were a total of 45 handshakes. How many members were
present at the meeting?
A B C D E F G H I J
A
B ●
C ● ●
D ● ● ●
E ● ● ● ●
F ● ● ● ● ●
G ● ● ● ● ● ●
H ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
I ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
J ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
HS 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Solution: Total = 9 + 8 + 7 + 6 + 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 45 handshakes
There were 10 members
 38

3. Act out the Problem

There may be times when students experience difficulty in visualizing a problem or the
procedure necessary for its solution. In such cases, they may find it helpful to physically act out
the problem situation. Acting out the problem may itself lead students to the answer, or it may
lead them to find another strategy that will help them find the answer. Acting out the problem
is a strategy that is very effective for young children.

Example: There are 4 people in the room. If each one shakes hand with one another, how
many handshakes occur?

4. Guess and Check

This strategy encourages students to make a reasonable guess, check the guess, and revise the
guess if necessary. By repeating this process, a student can arrive at a correct answer that has
been checked. Using this strategy does not always yield a correct solution immediately, but it
provides information that can be used to better understand the problem and may suggest the
use of another strategy.

Example: I wrote 3 different numbers on 3 cards. The sum of the numbers is 7. What did I
put on the cards?

Try 1+2+3 = 6 (it’s too low)

Try 1+2+4 = 7 (it’s correct)
I put 1, 2, and 4.

Example: Matt bought 2 items. He paid with his P50 bill and get P22.50 change. What two
items did he buy?

Items
Hotdog P15.00
Cheese burger P20.00
Popcorn P7.50
Soda P5.00

Matt spent P27.50 since 𝑃50.00 − 𝑃22.50 = 𝑃27.50.

Try a hotdog and a burger 𝑃15.00 + 𝑃20.00 = 𝑃35.00. (too high).
Try a hotdog and popcorn 𝑃15.00 + 𝑃7.50 = 𝑃22.50. (it’s too low).
Try a burger and popcorn, 𝑃20.00 + 𝑃7.50 = 𝑃327.50. (it’s correct).

Example: Tom played darts and the target had 3 sections: 30 points, 14 points, and 8
points. He took 5 tries, but missed the target twice. His score was 46. What
sections did he hit?

Try 30+14+8 = 52 (it’s too high).

Try 30+8+8 =46 (it’s correct). He hit 30, 8 and 8.
 39

5. Work Backward
This strategy can be used when students know the end result but you need to find out
something that happened earlier. Students must list a series of events and computations
starting with the end of the problem and ending with the information presented at the
beginning of the problem.

Example: If you add 3 to a number, then subtract 2, you get 4. What’s the number?

Example: Ben is trying to decide when to get up in the morning. He needs 40 minutes to
get ready for school. It takes him 10 minutes to walk to school. If school starts at
8:30 a.m., and he wants to be on time, what time should he get up?

The problem gives you the amount of time it will take to complete 2 tasks (40 minutes and 10
minutes). It also tells you the time the last task must end (8:30 a.m.)
Task 1: If Ben walked for 10 minutes, he would start walking at 8:20 a.m.
Task 2: If he needed 40 minutes to get ready, he had to get up 40 minutes before 8:20 a.m., at
7:40 a.m.

6. Use Logical Reasoning

This strategy is really used for all problem solving. In many ways students use this strategy
category as a catch-all because these strategies are not usually used on their own but in
combination with other strategies mentioned above. In addition, it also touches on the strategy
of elimination, which is commonly used by people in everyday life. In problem solving context,
students must list and eliminate possible solutions based upon information presented in the
problem.

Example: I have 3 in the ones place. I am greater than 20 but less than 29. What number
am I?

Since I am greater than 20 and less than 29, my first digit must be 2. And since 3 is in my ones
place, I must be 23.
 40

Example: The farmer feeds all of his animals in the same order each afternoon. Use the
clues below to determine his daily order.
• The chickens were fed before the pigs, but after the cows.
• The goats were fed right after the cows.
• The horses were fed after the pigs.
To determine the feeding order, students may start with the information that is known (the
goats are fed directly after the cows) and use the clues to finish the ordered list. The farmer
daily order is cows, goats, chicks, pigs and horses.

Other Problem Solving Strategies

 Adopting a Different Point of View
 Considering Extreme Cases
 Solving a Simpler Analgous Problem
 Accounting for All Possibilities

LESSON 3.4 Recreational Problems Using Mathematics

Puzzles and riddles are perhaps the most well-known activities within recreational math. Math
puzzles and riddles are fun and interesting, and they help improve problem solving skills and
thinking capacity! Puzzles and riddles are also an important area of research for many
mathematicians.

Example:
1. How can you divide 6 apples among 7 persons so each will have the same amount?
2. A frog was at the bottom of a well 30 feet deep. It jumps 3 feet each day and falls back 2
feet each day. How many days will it take to reach the top?
Answers:
1. The best way would be to make applesauce and then divide evenly.
2. On the 27th day the frog would be at the 27 foot level. On the 28th day the frog would
jump 3 more feet and reach the 30 foot level at the top

Example: Move just one matchstick to make the equation true.

Answers: actually, there are three answers

 41

Example: Suppose we only have two containers. The smaller container can hold 3 gallons
of liquid while the larger one can hold 5 gallons. How can we use these two
containers to come up with exactly 1 gallon of liquid?

Step 1: Fill up the 3 gallons container with water and pour it

to the 5 gallons container.
Step 2: Fill up the 3 gallons container again with water and
pour it to the 5 gallons container until it is full,
5 gallons 3 gallons
leaving you 1 gallon of water in the 3 gallons
container.

Example: Lynn, Teresa, Elson and Lezel were recently elected as the new class officers
(president, vice president, secretary and treasurer) of the freshmen class at
Bukidnon State University. From the following clues, determine the position that
each student hold.
1. Lezel is younger than the president but older than the treasurer.
2. Lynn and the secretary are both the same age, and they are the youngest
members of the group.
3. Elson and the secretary are next-door neighbors.
Solution: Lezel could not be the president nor the treasurer and Lynn and Elson could not
be the secretary either.
president vice president secretary treasurer
Lynn x
Teresa
Elson x
Lezel x x
Arranging from oldest to youngest: President, Lezel, then the treasurer.
Since Lynn and the secretary are the youngest and they are of the same age and that Lezel is
older than the treasurer, the clearer arrangement from oldest to the youngest must be:
 President, Lezel, then the treasurer and the secretary.
Lezel is not the president, the treasurer nor the secretary, therefore, she is the vice president.
From her, Lynn is the treasurer since Lynn and the secretary are both the same age.
president vice president secretary treasurer
Lynn x x x ok
Teresa x x
Elson x x x
Lezel x ok x x
From the table, Teresa must be the secretary and Elson must be the president
president vice president secretary treasurer
Lynn x x x ok
Teresa x x ok x
Elson ok x x x
Lezel x ok x x
 42

Magic square
An n×n magic square is a square array of numbers consisting of distinct positive integers
arranged such that the sum of the numbers in any horizontal, vertical, or main diagonal line is
always the same number known as the magic constant (Kraitchik, 1942).

Other types of magic squares, with other shapes or special properties are common in
recreational math. The history of magic squares dates back to at least 1000 BC in China. A
Chinese book called Lo Shu (book of the River Lo) relates the story of a huge flood in ancient
China, whereby sacrifices to the river god -- to calm his anger -- seem ineffective. Each time a
turtle came out of the river and walked around the sacrifice, as if to suggest that the river god
had not accepted the sacrifice. Until a child noticed a curious figure on the turtle shell -- in
effect, the 3x3 magic square. On this basis, the people realized the correct amount of sacrifice
to make, and thus appeased the river god (Farrar, 1997 & Grogono, 2004).

Magic square of order 3 Magic square of order 4

Alphametic
This is a type of number puzzle containing sum (or other arithmetic operation) in which digits 0
to 9 are replaced by letters of the alphabet. One of the most famous alphametic puzzles is the
one introduced by Henry Dedeney in 1924.

Example: Find which digit is equivalent by each of the letters so that the addition is
correct.
S E N D
+
M O R E
M O N E Y
Solution: Note that it is not allowed to begin with zero. The numbers 𝑆𝐸𝑁𝐷, 𝑀𝑂𝑅𝐸, and
𝑀𝑂𝑁𝐸𝑌; 𝑆 and 𝑀 cannot be equal to zero. Also, the sum of the digits 𝑆𝐸𝑁𝐷 and 𝑀𝑂𝑅𝐸 cannot
be more than 19,998. So we can deduce that 𝑀 = 1
S E N D S E N D
+ +
M O R E 1 O R E
M O N E Y 1 O N E Y
 43

WORKSHEET 11

NAME: SCORE:

SECTION CODE OR CLASS SCHEDULE: DATE:

1. Determine whether the reasoning is a deductive or inductive. Write “I” for inductive
and “D” for deductive.

a. There are 32 books on the top-shelf of the bookcase, and 12 on the

lower shelf of the bookcase. There are no books anywhere else in my
bookcase. Therefore, there are 44 books in the bookcase.
b. All men are mortal. Ivan is a man. Therefore, Ivan is mortal.

c. All cats have fur. Mingkay is a cat. Therefore, Mingkay has fur.
d. Some horses are big. All horses have tails. Therefore, anything with a
tail is big.
e. All humans have a nose. Bobby is human. Therefore, Bobby has a nose.
f. What is the next term in the sequence 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, _____.
The next number is 36.

2. Determine whether the following statements are true or false. Write “T” for true
statements and “F” for false.

g. Conclusions based on inductive reasoning will always be true

h. Deductive reasoning does not grant new knowledge, but instead
clarifies concepts that we may already know something about.
i. If one of the premises is false, the conclusion will be false.
j. Deductive arguments are the ones wherein the conclusion validly
follows from the premises.

3. Every night when he comes home, Marlon always watches news from ABS CBN his
favorite TV station. One Monday evening, when he turns on his TV, it is playing cartoons
from Cartoon Network. Make a valid conjecture to explain why his TV is playing different
channel.
 44

WORKSHEET 12

NAME: SCORE:

SECTION CODE OR CLASS SCHEDULE: DATE:

Use Polaya’s method to solve the problems below.

1. Find three consecutive even integers whose sum is 66.

Understand the problem:
a. Is it possible that one of these three numbers is a decimal or a fraction?
b. Since they are consecutive even integers, and if we let 𝑥 = 𝑡ℎ𝑒 1𝑠𝑡 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑟, then
how would we represent the next two even integers?
= 𝑡ℎ𝑒 2𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑟 and = 𝑡ℎ𝑒 3𝑟𝑑 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑟
c. What operation should be used?
Devise a plan:
d. What is now our working equation?

Final answer: = 𝑡ℎ𝑒 1𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑟 = 𝑡ℎ𝑒 2𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑟 = 𝑡ℎ𝑒 3𝑟𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑟

Look back:
e. Are they all integers?
f. Are they all even?
g. Are they consecutive?
h. Is their sum equal to 66?
 45

WORKSHEET 13

NAME: SCORE:

SECTION CODE OR CLASS SCHEDULE: DATE:

Use Polaya’s method to solve the problems below.

1. A ladder leans against a wall. The foot of the ladder is 5 feet from the base of the wall. The ladder
reaches a height of 12 feet on the wall. Find to the length of the ladder.
Understand the problem:
a. What geometric figure can be drawn from the problem?
b. What theorem comes out to your mind to solve the problem?

Devise a plan:
c. Draw a diagram showing the wall leaning against the wall and make the necessary labels
and mark x as the unknown.

d. What is now our working equation?

Final answer: the ladder is feet tall.

Look back:
e. Check your final answer using the working equation based from the theorem.
 46

WORKSHEET 14

NAME: SCORE:

SECTION CODE OR CLASS SCHEDULE: DATE:

1. Solve the logic puzzle: Each of the four neighbors, Ivan, Carl, Narciso and Angel, has a
different occupation; teacher, jail guard, dentist and nurse. From the following clues,
determine the occupation of each neighbor.
a. Carl gets home from work after the jail guard but before the nurse.
b. Narciso, who is the last to go home from work is not the teacher.
c. The nurse and Narciso leaves for work at the same time.
d. The jail guard lives next door to Angel.

Name Occupation
Ivan
Carl
Narciso
Angel

2. Within each of the puzzles, every different letter corresponds to a different digit. The
left most digits cannot be zero. Given that each of the addition problems is correct,
figure out the numbers equivalent to each of the given words.

a. SKIRT + TSHIRT = CLOTHES

S K I R T
+
T S H I R T
C L O T H E S

a. SNAKE + SNAKE = RATTLE

S N A K E
+
S N A K E
R A T T L E

b. EASTER + EGGS = SPRING

E A S T E R
+
E G G S
S P R I N G
 47

WORKSHEET 15

NAME: SCORE:

SECTION CODE OR CLASS SCHEDULE: DATE:

1. Add two (2) matches to make the equation true.

2. You have a 3-gallon and a 5-gallon jug that you can fill from a fountain of water. The
problem is to fill one of the jugs with exactly 4 gallons of water. How do you do it?

5 gallons 3 gallons

3. You and six other people are in a room. A killer with a loaded gun entered the room and killed all the
males inside the room. How many people still remain in the room?

4. Fill in the missing numbers in the magic squares.

4 14 15 1
9 12
5 11 8
16 2