Chapter 3

Problem Solving
LESSON 1
Polya’s Four Steps in
Problem Solving

Definition of Problem Solving

The term problem-solving is used in many disciplines, sometimes with different perspectives, and often
with different terminologies. For instance, it is a mental process in psychology and a computerized process
in computer science. Problems can also be classified into two different types (ill-defined and well-defined) from
which appropriate solutions are to be made. Ill-defined problems are those that do not have clear goals,
solution paths, or expected solution. Well-defined problems have specific goals, clearly defined solution paths,
and clear expected solutions. These problems also allow for more initial planning than ill-defined
problems. Being able to solve problems sometimes involves dealing with pragmatics (logic) and semantics
(interpretation of the problem). The ability to understand what the goal of the problem is and what rules could
be applied represents the key to solving the problem. Sometimes the problem requires some abstract thinking
and coming up with a creative solution.

Benefits of Problem Solving

Problem solving is the process part of mathematics that has often been overlooked in the past in favor of
skills such as addition and solving triangles). But there are other reasons for it to be part of the mathematics
curriculum. The following are some reasons that are frequently suggested as to why you should include
problem solving in your math programmed.

● It bases students’ mathematical development on their current knowledge;

● It is an interesting and enjoyable way to learn mathematics;
● It is a way to learn new mathematics with greater understanding;
● It produces positive attitudes towards mathematics;
● It makes the student a junior research mathematician;
● It teaches thinking, flexibility and creativity;
● It teaches general problem solving skills;
● It encourages cooperative skills;
● It is a useful way to practice mathematical skills learned by other means;
● It is similar in approach to the way that other subjects are taught in primary school.

PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGIES FROM GEORGE POLYA

George Polya (1887 – 1985) was one of the most famous mathematics educators of the 20thcentury (so
famous that you probably never even heard of him). Dr. Polya strongly believed that the skill of problem solving
could and should be taught – it is not something that you are born with. He identifies four principles that form
the basis for any serious attempt at problem solving:

1. Understand the problem

2. Devise a plan
3. Carry out the plan
4. Look back (reflect)

1. Understand the problem

What are you asked to find out or show?
Can you draw a picture or diagram to help you understand the problem?
Can you restate the problem in your own words?
Can you work out some numerical examples that would help make the problem more clear?
Read the problem entirely
Get a feel for the whole problem
List information and the variables you identify.
Attach units of measure to the variables(gallons, miles, inches, etc.)
Define what answer you need, as well as its units of measure
Work in an organized manner

2. Devise a plan
A partial list of Problem Solving Strategies includes:
Guess and check Solve a simpler problem
Make an organized list Experiment
Draw a picture or diagram Act it out
Look for a pattern Work backwards
Make a table Use deduction
Use a variable Change your point of view

3. Carry out the plan

● Carrying out the plan is usually easier than devising the plan
● Be patient – most problems are not solved quickly nor on the first attempt
● If a plan does not work immediately, be persistent
● Do not let yourself get discouraged
● If one strategy isn’t working, try a different one
● Working clearly will help you think clearly
● Draw and label all graphs and pictures clearly
● Note or explain each step of your process, this will help you track variables and remember their meanings
● Look for the “key” words
● Certain words indicate certain mathematical operations

KEY WORDS TO REMEMBER IN SOLVING WORD PROBLEMS

Key Words for Addition(+):

● Plus ● total of
● increased by ● sum
● more than ● added to
● combined ● combined
together

Examples
Verbal Statements Mathematical statements
What is the sum of 45 and y? 45 + y
Express the number (x) of apples increased by twenty five x + 25
Express the total weight of the dog (x) and the cat (y) x+y
Key words for subtraction(-)
● diminish by ● difference of
● less than ● subtracted from
● fewer than ● smaller than
● reduced by ● difference between
● decreased by

Examples
Verbal Statements Mathematical Statements
What is forty-four less than y y – 44
What is twenty-nine less than a number (y) y – 29
What if the number (x) of children was reduced by 16? x - 16

Key Words for multiplication(x) or integers next to each other(5y, xy)

● of ● increased/decreased by
● times a factor of (this type can
● multiplied by involve both addition or
● product of subtraction and
● as much as multiplication)
● twice
● thrice

Examples
Verbal Statements Mathematical Statement
What is x multiplied by 43? 43x or (43)(x)
Three runners averaged “x” minutes (express their total running 3x
time)
I drive my car at 85 miles per hour. How far will I go in “x” hours? 85x
Key words for division(÷, /)
● per ● ratio of
● a ● quotient of
● out of ● percent(divide by
100)

Examples
Verbal Statement Mathematical Statement
What is the quotient of y and 8? y/8 or y÷8
Ten students rent an apartment for Php “x”/month. x/10 or x ÷ 10
What will each have to pay?
“y” items cost a total of Php 225.00. Express their 225/y or 225 ÷ y
average cost

Key words for equals(=)

● is ● gives
● are ● yields
● was ● sold for
● were ● results to
● will be

4. Look back (reflect)

· Does your answer make sense? Did you answer all of the questions?
· What did you learn by doing this?
· Could you have done this problem another way – maybe even an easier way

LESSON 2
Problem Solving Strategies

Some Problem Solving Strategies:

“Guess and Check”

The strategy for the method “Guess and Check” is to guess a solution and then plug the guess back into the
problem to see if you get the correct answer. If the answer is too big or too small, make another guess that will
get you closer to the goal, and continue guessing until you arrive at the correct solution.

The process might sound long, but often you will find patterns that you can use to make better guesses along
the way.

Example 1
Nadia takes a ribbon that is 48 inches long and cuts it in two pieces. One piece is three times as long as the
other. How long is each piece?

Solution
Step 1: Understand
We need to find two numbers that add up to 48. One number is three times the other number.

Step 2: Strategy
We guess two random numbers, one three times bigger than the other, and find the sum.
If the sum is too small we guess larger numbers, and if the sum is too large we guess smaller numbers.
Then, we see if any patterns develop from our guesses.

Step 3: Apply Strategy/Solve

Guess5 and 15, 5+15=20sum is too small
Guess6 and 18, 6+18=24sum is too small
Our second guess gives us a sum that is exactly half of 48. What if we double that guess?
12+36=48
There’s our answer. The pieces are 12 and 36 inches long.

Step 4: Check
12+36=48 The pieces add up to 48 inches.=3(12)One piece is three times as long as the other.

“Work Backward”
The “Work Backward” method works well for problems where a series of operations is done on an unknown
number and you’re only given the result. To use this method, start with the result and apply the operations in
reverse order until you find the starting number.
Example 2
Anne has a certain amount of money in her bank account on Friday morning. During the day she writes a
check for P24.50, makes an ATM withdrawal of P80 and deposits a check for P235. At the end of the day she
sees that her balance is P451.25. How much money did she have in the bank at the beginning of the day?

Step 1: Understand
We need to find the money in Anne’s bank account at the beginning of the day on Friday.
She took out P24.50 and P80 and put in P235.
She ended up with P451.25 at the end of the day.

Step 2: Strategy
We start with an unknown amount, do some operations, and end up with a known amount.
We need to start with the result and apply the operations in reverse.

Step 3: Apply Strategy/Solve

Start with P451.25. Subtract P235, add P80, and then add P24.50.
451.25−235+80+24.50=320.75
Anne had P320.75 in her account at the beginning of the day on Friday.

Step 4: Check
Anne starts with  P320.75. She writes a check for P24.50.P320.75−24.50=P296.25
She withdraws P80.  P296.25−80=P216.25. She deposits P235.P216.25+235=P451.25
The answer checks out.

Example 3
Nadia’s father is 36. He is 16 years older than four times Nadia’s age. How old is Nadia?

Solution
This problem can be solved with either of the strategies you learned in this section. Let’s solve it using both
strategies.

Guess and Check Method

Step 1: Understand
We need to find Nadia’s age.
We know that her father is 16 years older than four times her age, or 4×(Nadia's age)+16.
We know her father is 36 years old.

Step 2: Strategy
We guess a random number for Nadia’s age.
We multiply the number by 4 and add 16 and check to see if the result equals 36.
If the answer is too small, we guess a larger number, and if the answer is too big, we guess a smaller number.
We keep guessing until we get the answer to be 36.

Step 3: Apply strategy/Solve

Guess Nadia's age
Guess a smaller number 4(10)+16=56 ; 4(9)+16=52 too big for her father's agestill too big
Guessing 9 for Nadia’s age gave us a number that is 16 years too great to be her father’s age. But notice that
when we decreased Nadia’s age by one, her father’s age decreased by four. That suggests that we can
decrease our final answer by 16 years if we decrease our guess by 4 years.
4 years less than 9 is 5. 4(5)+16=36, which is the right age.
Answer: Nadia is 5 years old.

Step 4: Check
Nadia is 5 years old. Her father’s age is 4(5)+16=36. This is correct. The answer checks out.

Work Backward Method

Step 1: Understand
We need to find Nadia’s age.
We know her father is 16 years older than four times her age, or 4×(Nadia's age)+16.
We know her father is 36 years old.

Step 2: Strategy
To get from Nadia’s age to her father’s age, we multiply Nadia’s age by four and add 16.
Working backwards means we start with the father’s age, subtract 16 and divide by 4.

Step 3: Apply Strategy/Solve

Start with the father's age36
Subtract 16, 36−16=20
Divide by 4, 20÷4=5
Answer Nadia is 5 years old.

Step 4: Check
Nadia is 5 years old. Her father’s age is 4(5)+16=36. This is correct. The answer checks out.

“Make a Table or an Organized List”

In this strategy, data or information are organized by listing them or recording them systematically in
tables. The data are then analyzed to discover relationships and patterns and to draw out generalizations or
solutions to the problem.

Example 1:
The first few lines of the Christmas song Twelve days of Christmas say:
On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me, a partridge in a pear tree. On the second day of
Christmas my true love sent to me, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree. On the third day of
Christmas my true love sent to me, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree, and so
on.
In all, how many gifts were sent by the true love to his lover from the first day to the twelfth day of
Christmas?

Day Gift Total

1 1 partridge 1
2 2 turtle doves + 1 partridge 2+1
3 3 French hens + 2 turtle doves 3+2+1
+ 1partedge
And so on
It shows that:
= 1 + (1 + 2) + (1 + 2 + 3) + … + (1 + 2 + 3 + … + 11 + 12)
= 364 gifts

Example 2
Doug has 2 pairs of pants: a black pair and a green pair. He has 4 shirts: a white shirt, a red shirt, a grey shirt,
and a striped shirt. How many different outfits can he put together? 

Black—White
Black—Red
Black—Gray
Black—Striped
Green—White
Green—Red
Green—Gray
Green—Striped Answer: Doug can make 8 different outfits.

Example 3
A baseball team won two out of their last four games. In how many different orders could they have two wins
and two loses in four games?

WWLL WLWL
WLLW LWWL
LWWL LWLW LLWW

“Simplify the Problem”

This strategy is often used along with other problem-solving strategies. When a problem is too complex
to solve in one step, it often helps to divide it into simpler problems and solve separately. Also, when solving
difficult problems with large numbers and complicated patterns that require series of actions, a simpler but
similar problem.

Example 1
Find the difference when the sum of the first 100 positive odd integers is subtracted from the sum of the first
100 positive even integers

(2 + 4 6 + 8 + … + 198 + 200) – (1 + 3 + 5 + . . . + 197 + 199)

Even: 2 + 4
- Odd : 1 + 3
1+1

Even: 2 + 4 + 6 + 8 + 10
- Odd : 1 + 3 + 5 + 7 + 9
1+1+1+1+1

The answer is 100

Example 2
Find the product
 2 3 4 98 99
1
2
x 3
x 4
x 5
x...x 99
x 100

Answer: 1/100

“Logical Reasoning or Elimination”

Eliminate possible solutions based upon information presented in the table.

Example 1:
I am thinking of a two-digit number.
It is odd.
Its tens digit is even
It is prime
The sum of the digits is 11
The product of the digits is 24
What number am I thinking of?

Clue #1: 10, 11, 12,…, 99

Clue #2: 11, 13, 15, . . ., 99
Clue #3: 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 41, 43, 45, 47, 61, 63, 65, 67, 81, 83, 85, 87
Clue #4: 23, 29, 41, 43, 47, 61, 67, 83, 89
Clue #5: 29, 47, 83
Clue #6: 83

LESSON 3
Recreational Problems using
Mathematics

Sudoku
The popular Japanese puzzle game Sudoku is based on the logical placement of numbers. A Sudoku is
defined as a logic-based, number-placement puzzle. The objective is to fill a 9x9 grid with digits in such a way
thateach column, each row and each column of the nine 3x3 grids that make up the larger 9x9 grid contains all
of the digits from 1 to 9. Each Sudoku puzzle begins with some cells filled in. the player uses these seed
numbers as a launching point toward finding the unique solution.

It is important to stress the fact that no number from 1 to 9 can be repeated in any row or column
(although, it can be repeated along diagonals)

Sudoku tips that can use to improve your Sudoku skills:

● Tip 1: Look for rows, columns of 3x3 sections that can contain 5 or more numbers. Work through the
remaining empty cells, trying the numbers that have not been used. In many cases, you will find
numbers that can only be placed in one position considering the other numbers that are already in its
row, column and 3x3 grid.
● Tip 2: Break the grid up visually into 3 columns and 3 rows. Each large column will have 3, 3x3 grids
and each row will have 3, 3x3 grids. Now, look for columns or grids that have 2 of the same number.
 Logically, there must be a 3rd copy of the same number in the only remaining 9-cell section. Look at
each of the remaining 9 positions and see if you can find the location of the missing number

Example Solution: