MODULE 4

REASONING AND
PROBLEM SOLVING
PROBLEM SOLVING
Some History
 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)
 René Descartes (1596-1650) tried to develop a
universal problem-solving method; published some of his
ideas in Rules for the Direction of the Mind and his better-
known work Discourse de la Methode.
Some History
 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716), planned to
write a book on heuristics titled Art of Invention. Of the
problem-solving process, he wrote, "Nothing is more
important than to see the sources of invention which
are, in my opinion, more interesting than the inventions
themselves."
Some History
 George Polya (1887-1985) is one of the foremost
recent mathematicians to make a study of problem
solving. In his book How to Solve It (1945), he outlines a
strategy for solving problems from virtually any
discipline.
Polya’s Four-Step Problem-Solving Strategy
1. Understand the problem.
2. Devise a plan.
3. Carry out the plan.
4. Review the solution/Look back.
1. Understand the Problem
 Can you restate the problem in your own words?
 Can you determine what is known about these types
of problems?
 Is there missing information that, if known, would allow
you to solve the problem?
 Is there extraneous information that is not needed to
solve the problem?
 What is the goal?
2. Devise a Plan
 Make a list of the known information.
 Make a list of information that is needed.
 Draw a diagram.
 Make an organized list that shows all the possibilities.
 Make a table or a chart.
 Work backwards.
 Try to solve a similar but simpler problem.
 Look for a pattern.
 Write an equation. If necessary, define what each variable
represents.
 Perform an experiment.
 Guess at a solution and then check your result.
3. Carry Out the Plan
 Work carefully.
 Keep an accurate and neat record of all your attempts.
 Realize that some of your initial plans will not work and
that you may have to devise another plan or modify your
existing plan.
4. Review the Solution/Look Back
 Ensure that the solution is consistent with the facts of
the problem.
 Interpret the solution in the context of the problem.
 Ask yourself whether there are generalizations of the
solution that could apply to other problems.
Problem Solving Strategies:
Solve a Similar but Simpler Problem
Allison wishes to walk along the streets from point A to point B. How many
direct routes can Allison take?
Consider simpler
diagrams first and
label each
intersection with
the number of
routes to that
corner:

The number of routes from A 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. There are 35 direct routes from A to B.
Problem Solving Strategies:
Make an Organized List
 This is used to solve problems that have multiple
solutions and helps problem solvers organize their
thinking about a problem
 Done by writing down/enumerating all the combinations
or possibilities in an organized list
Problem Solving Strategies:
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?

 Each entry in the list must contain two Ws (for the wins) and
two Ls (for the losses):
WWLL LWWL
WLWL LWLW 6 different orders
WLLW LLWW
Problem Solving Strategies:
Working Backwards
 This is used to solve problems that include a number
of linked factors or events where some of the
information has not been provided, usually at the
beginning of the problem
 The events occur one after the other and each stage
or piece of information is affected by what comes next
Problem Solving Strategies:
Working 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 the 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?
Problem Solving Strategies:
Working Backwards
 We work backwards.
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.
Problem Solving Strategies:
Look for a Pattern
Determine the digit 100 places to the right of the decimal
point in the decimal representation of 7/27.

 By long division (or using the calculator) we find that

7/27 = 0.259259259... Using the pattern, we can tell
that the 99th decimal digit must be a 9, and since 2
always follows a 9 in the pattern, the 100th decimal digit
must be a 2.
Problem Solving Strategies:
Make a Table and Look for a Pattern
TRY THIS:
Determine the units (ones) digit of the expression 3412.
Problem Solving Strategies:
Guess and Check
The product of the ages, in years, of three teenagers is
4,590. None of the teens are the same age. What are the
ages of the teenagers?
Problem Solving Strategies:
Guess and Check
 Note that we need to determine three distinct counting
numbers from the list 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19
(teenagers!) that have a product of 4,590.
 Since 4,590 ends in a zero, it has a factor of 2 and 5. Thus
at least one of the numbers we seek is even and at least
one number must be divisible by 5.
 Clearly, 15 must be one of the numbers. By trial and
error, we find that the other numbers are 17 and 18.
Problem Solving Strategies:
Writing an Equation
 This is done by translating word problems into
mathematical equations involving variable/s to represent
one or more unknowns
 This strategy is also applicable when there are
established formulas or equations for specific types of
problems, e.g. area, volume, speed, and many more.
Problem Solving Strategies:
Writing an Equation
A hat and a jacket together cost $100. The jacket costs
$90 more than the hat. What is the cost of each item?

Let h represent the cost of the hat. Then the jacket costs
h + 90. From the problem,
h + h + 90 = 100
Solving, we get h = 5. Thus, the hat costs $5 and the
jacket costs $95.
Problem Solving Strategies:
Identifying a Subgoal Strategy
 This is used when solving math problems that needs to
be solved in more than a single step and each step can be
solved separately.
Problem Solving Strategies:
Eliminating Possibilities
 This strategy involves removing possible answers until
the correct answer remains
 It can be used to solve basic math problems or logic
puzzles