Reasoning

Logical thinking and Reasoning gives the individual an opportunity to reflect in his mind the objective reality,
processes, objects, events, cases, objects and their originality, the ability to reflect the important connections and the
relationships between them in the form of ideas, concepts and discussion (problems of scientific hypotheses, theories)
(Shirmatov, 2015).
Reasoning is the ability to think logically to formulate fair judgments and justify a position. In other words, it is about
identifying, analyzing and evaluating arguments.
Reasoning also is the process of using existing knowledge to draw conclusions, make predictions, or construct
explanations. Three methods of reasoning are the deductive, inductive, and abductive approaches.

INDUCTIVE AND DEDUCTIVE REASONING

Inductive Reasoning: conclusion merely likely
The type of reasoning that forms a conclusion based on the examination of specific examples is called inductive
reasoning. The conclusion formed by using inductive reasoning is a conjecture, since it may or may not be correct.
Example 1: Use inductive reasoning to predict a number
Use inductive reasoning to predict the next number in each of the following lists.
a. 3, 6, 9, 12, 15? b. 1, 3, 6, 10, 15?
Solution:
a. Each successive number is 3 larger than the preceding number. Thus, we predict that the next number in the list is 3
larger than 15, which is 18.
b. The first two numbers differ by 2. The second and the third number differ by 3. It appears that the difference between
any two numbers is always 1 more than the preceding difference. Since 10 and 15 differ by 5, we predict that the next
number in the list will be 6 larger than 15, which is 21.

Example 2: Use inductive reasoning to predict a pattern

Which is the next logical image in the sequence?

Solution:
The answer is E. The black and white dots are alternating between 5 and 7 in number. In the last picture there are
5 white dots and 7 black ones, meaning the following image should contain 7 white dots and 5 black ones.

Example 3: Use inductive reasoning to determine artificial language pattern

Artificial Language a list of "nonsense" words and their English word meanings. The questions that follow will ask you
to reverse the process and translate an English word into the artificial language.
a. Here are some words translated from an artificial language.
gorblflur means fan belt
pixngorbl means ceiling fan
arthtusl means tile roof
Which word could mean "ceiling tile"?
A. gorbltusl C. arthflur
B. flurgorbl D. pixnarth

Solution:
The answer is D. Gorbl means fan; flur means belt; pixn means ceiling; arth means tile; and tusl means roof. Therefore,
pixnarth is the correct choice.

b. Here are some words translated from an artificial language.

hapllesh means cloudburst
srenchoch means pinball
resbosrench means ninepin
Which word could mean "cloud nine"?
A. leshsrench C. haploch
B. ochhapl D. haplresbo
Solution:
The answer is D. Hapl means cloud; lesh means burst; srench means pin; och means ball; and resbo means
nine. Leshsrench (choice A) doesn't contain any of the words needed for cloud nine. We know that och means ball, so that
rules out choices b and c. When you combine hapl (cloud) with resbo (nine), you get the correct answer.

Example 4: Use Inductive Reasoning to solve an application.

Use the data in the above table and inductive reasoning to answer each of the following questions.
a. If a pendulum has a length of 49 units, what is its period?
b. If the length of a pendulum is quadrupled, what happens to its period?
Solution:
a. In the table, each pendulum has a period that is the square root of its length. Thus we conjecture that the pendulum with
length of 49 units will have a period of 7 heartbeats.
b. In the table, a pendulum with the length of 4 units has a period of twice that of a pendulum with a length of 1 unit. A
pendulum with a length of 16 units has a period that is twice of a pendulum with a length of 4 units. It appears that
quadrupling the length of a pendulum doubles its period.

Deductive Reasoning: conclusion guaranteed

Deductive reasoning starts with the assertion of a general rule and proceeds from there to a guaranteed specific
conclusion. Deductive reasoning moves from the general rule to the specific application. In deductive reasoning, if the
original assertions are true, then the conclusion must also be true.
For example, math is deductive:
If x = 4
And if y = 1
Then 2x + y = 9
In this example, it is a logical necessity that 2x + y equals 9; 2x + y must equal 9. As a matter of fact, formal, symbolic
logic uses a language that looks rather like the math equality above, complete with its own operators and syntax.
Here are some examples of deductive reasoning statements.

• My boss said the person with the highest sales would get a promotion at the end of the year. I generated the
highest sales, so I am looking forward to a promotion.
• The person who drank my coffee left this fingerprint on the cup. John is the only person in the world who has
this fingerprint. Therefore, John is the person who drank my coffee.

Example: Use Deductive reasoning to establish a conjecture.

Use deductive reasoning to show that the following procedure produces a number that is 4 times the original number.
Procedure: Pick a number. Multiply a number by 8, add 6 to the product, divide the sum by 2, and subtract 3.
Solution:
Let n represent the original number
Multiply the number by 8 8n
Add 6 to the product 8n+ 6
Divide the sum by 2 (8n + 6)/2 = 4n + 3
Subtract 3 4n + 3 – 3 = 4n
We started with n and ended with 4n. The procedure given in this example produces a number that is four times the
original number.

Solving Logical Puzzles using Deductive Reasoning

Test your detective skills:

Murder at school
On the first day of school, someone murdered a history teacher. There were four people at the school that the police
suspected had done it: the landscaper, a math teacher, a basketball coach, and the principal. These were their alibis:
The landscaper said he was outside mowing the lawn.
The math teacher said he was giving a mid-year test.
The basketball coach said he was running practice drills with his players.
The principal said she was in her office.
After giving their alibis, the police arrested the killer immediately. Who killed the history teacher and how did the police
know?

WHICH DOOR WILL YOU CHOOSE?

You’re being chased by a monster and you encountered four doors in front of you.
The first door has a psychopath behind it.
The second one has a lion that hasn’t eaten for two years.
The third one is a sea filled with hungry sharks.
The fourth one leads to the edge of a cliff with one millimeter space given.
Which one will you choose?

Grid-based Logic Puzzle

A grid-based logic puzzle can seem daunting if you've never solved one before, but don't get discouraged - once you learn
a few basic rules you'll be on your way to completing your first grid in no time.
Each logic puzzle is comprised of a list of clues and a grid. The grid will display a certain number of categories and a
certain number of items per category. Every item is matched to one, and only one, other item in each category, and no two
items in a category will ever be matched to the same item in another category.
Your goal is to figure out each item's matches, using just the clues given and pure logical deduction.
Example 1:
Each of the four neighbors, Sean, Maria, Sarah, and Brian, has a different occupation (editor, banker, chef, or dentist).
From the following clues, determine the occupation of each neighbor.

1. Maria gets home from work after the banker but before the dentist.
2. Sarah, who is the last to get home from work, is not the editor.
3. The dentist and Sarah leave for work at the same time.
 4. The banker lives next door to Brian.

Solution:
From Clue 1, Maria is not a banker or the dentist, write X1 (which stand for “ruled out clue 1”) in the banker and the
dentist columns of Maria’s row.
From clue 2, Sarah is not the editor. Write X2 (ruled out by clue 2) in the Editor column of Sarah’s row. We know that
from clue 1 that the banker is not the last one to get home and we know that from clue 2 that is Sarah is the last to get
home; therefore, Sarah is not the banker.
From Clue 3, Sarah is not the dentist. Write X3 for this condition. There are now Xs for three of the four occupations in
Sarah’s row, therefore, Sarah must be the chef. Place a check mark (/) in that box. Since, Sarah is the Chef, none of the
other three people can be the chef. Write X3 for these conditions. There are now Xs for three of the four occupations in
Maria’s row; therefore; Maria must be the editor. Insert a / to indicate that Maria is the editor, and write X3 twice to
indicate that neither Sean nor Brian is the Editor.
From Clue 4, Brian is not the Banker. Write X4 for this condition. See the following table. Since there are three Xs in the
banker column, Sean must be the banker. Place a (/) in that box. Thus, Sean cannot be the dentist. Write X4 in that box.
Since there are 3 Xs in the Dentist column. Brian must be the dentist. Place a (/) in that box.

Sean is the banker, Maria is the editor, Sarah is the chef, and Brian is the dentist.

Problem-Solving Strategies

A. Polya’s Problem Solving Strategy

Unlike exercises, there is never a simple recipe for solving a problem. You can get better and better at solving problems,
both by building up your background knowledge and by simply practicing. As you solve more problems (and learn how
other people solved them), you learn strategies and techniques that can be useful. But no single strategy works every time.
George Pólya was a great champion in the field of teaching effective problem solving skills.
In 1945, Pólya published the short book How to Solve It, which gave a four-step method for solving mathematical
problems:

1. First, you have to understand the problem.

2. After understanding, then make a plan.
3. Carry out the plan.
4. Look back on your work. How could it be better?

PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGY 1 (GUESS AND CHECK)

Make a guess and test to see if it satisfies the demands of the problem. If it doesn't, alter the guess appropriately and check
again. Keep doing until you find a solution.
Example:
Mr. Jones has a total of 25 chickens and cows on his farm. How many of each does he have if all together there are
76 feet?
Step 1: Understanding the problem
We are given in the problem that there are 25 chickens and cows.
All together there are 76 feet.
Chickens have 2 feet and cows have 4 feet.
We are trying to determine how many cows and how many chickens Mr. Jones has on his farm.
Step 2: Devise a plan
Use Guess and Test along with making a tab
Many times the strategy below is used with guess and test.
Make a table and look for a pattern:
Procedure: Make a table reflecting the data in the problem. If done in an orderly way, such table will often reveal patterns
and relationships that suggest how the problem can be solved.
Step 3: Carry out the plan:
Trial 1:

Number of Number of cow Total number of

Chickens Cows
chicken feet feet feet

20 5 40 20 60

21 4 42 16 58

Notice we are going in the wrong direction! The total number of feet is decreasing.
Trial 2:

Number of Number of cow Total number of

Chickens Cows
chicken feet feet feet

19 6 38 24 62

Trial 3:

Number of Number of cow Total number of

Chickens Cows
chicken feet feet feet

15 10 30 40 70

12 13 24 52 76

Step 4: Looking back:

Check: 12 + 13 = 25 heads
24 + 52 = 76 feet
We have found the solution to this problem. I could use this strategy when there are a limited number of possible answers
and when two items are the same but they have one characteristic that is different.

PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGY 2 (FIND THE PATTERN)

Question: Carol has written a number pattern that begins with 1, 3, 6, 10, 15. If she continues this pattern, what
are the next four numbers in her pattern?
1) UNDERSTAND (Understanding the problem)
What do you need to find?
You need to find 4 numbers after 15.
2) PLAN (Devise a plan)
How can you solve the problem?
You can find a pattern. Look at the numbers. The new number depends upon the number before it.
3) SOLVE (Carry out the plan)
Look at the numbers in the pattern.
3 = 1 + 2 (starting number is 1, add 2 to make 3)
6 = 3 + 3 (starting number is 3, add 3 to make 6)
10 = 6 + 4 (starting number is 6, add 4 to make 10)
15 = 10 + 5 (starting number is 10, add 5 to make 15)

4) FINAL ANSWER (Look backwards)

New numbers will be
15 + 6 = 21
21 + 7 = 28
28 + 8 = 36
36 + 9 = 45

PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGY 3 (WORK BACKWARDS)

Question: Jack walked from Santa Clara to Palo Alto. It took 1 hour 25 minutes to walk from Santa Clara to Los
Altos. Then it took 25 minutes to walk from Los Altos to Palo Alto. He arrived in Palo Alto at 2:45 P.M. At what
time did he leave Santa Clara?

1) UNDERSTAND:
What do you need to find?
You need to find the time when Jack left Santa Clara.
2) PLAN:
How can you solve the problem?
You can work backwards from the time Jack reached Palo Alto. Subtract the time it took to walk from Los Altos to Palo
Alto. Then subtract the time it took to walk from Santa Clara to Los Altos.
3) SOLVE:
Start at 2:45. This is the time Jack reached Palo Alto.
Subtract 25 minutes. This is the time it took to get from Los Altos to Palo Alto.
Time is: 2:20 P.M.
Subtract: 1 hour 25 minutes. This is the time it took to get from Santa Clara to Los Altos.
4) FINAL ANSWER:
Jack left Santa Clara at 12:55 P.M.

PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGY 4 (DRAW A PICTURE)

Question: Laura has 3 green chips, 4 blue chips and 1 red chip in her bag. What fractional part of the bag of chips
is green?
Strategy:
1) UNDERSTAND:
What do you need to find?
You need to find how many chips are in all. Then you need to find how many of the chips are green.
2) PLAN:
How can you solve the problem?
You can draw a picture to show the information. Then you can use the picture to find the answer.
3) SOLVE:
Draw 8 chips.

4) FINAL ANSWER:
3/8 of the chips are green.

PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGY 5 (Make A List)

Question: Judy is taking pictures of Jim, Karen and Mike. She asks them, " How many different ways could you
three children stand in a line?"
1) UNDERSTAND:
What do you need to know?
You need to know that any of the students can be first, second or third.
2) PLAN:
How can you solve the problem?
You can make a list to help you find all the different ways. Choose one student to be first, and another to be second. The
last one will be third.
3) SOLVE:
When you make your list, you will notice that there are 2 ways for Jim to be first, 2 ways for Karen to be first and 2 ways
for Mike to be first.

First Second Third

Possible Arrangement 1 Jim Karen Mike

Possible Arrangement 2 Jim Mike Karen

Possible Arrangement 3 Karen Jim Mike

Possible Arrangement 4 Karen Mike Jim

Possible Arrangement 5 Mike Karen Jim

Possible Arrangement 6 Mike Jim Karen

4) FINAL ANSWER
There are 6 possible ways for the arrangement of lines.