PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGIES

Suggested strategies for primary schools are:

Guess and Check Simplify a problem

Draw a diagram

Make a table

Act out a situation

Look for a pattern

Work backwards

Experimenting

A strategy can be mastered by practise

If you give a man a loaf of bread, you feed him for a day; but if you teach the man to bake, you feed him for a lifetime. If you give a boy a fish, he will have fish for a meal;

but if you teach him how to fish, he will have fish for a lifetime.
3

Guess, check and improve

Make a random guess Check the answers Guess systematically Guess the answers according to certain sequence.

Who are we?

We are two numbers less than 100. When we are divided by 2, 4 or 5 we leave a remainder of 1. If you divided us by 3, there is no remainder. Who are we?

Draw a diagram
Use a diagram to represent a problem Guide the students to solve the problem

Arranging Tiles

How many different arrangements can you make? The rules are:

Sides must touch one another Arrangements cannot be images / rotations of one another

Arranging 3 Tiles

How many different arrangements can you make? The rules are:

Sides must touch one another Arrangements cannot be images / rotations of one another

Arranging 4 Tiles

How many different arrangements can you make? The rules are:

Sides must touch one another Arrangements cannot be images / rotations of one another

Pentominoes: Arranging 5 Tiles

How many different arrangements can you make? The rules are:

Sides must touch one another Arrangements cannot be images / rotations of one another

Pentominoes: Arranging 5 Tiles

Pentominoes: Arranging 5 Tiles

Pentominoes: Arranging 5 Tiles

Act out a situation Students dramatise or simulate a problem situation. This will help them understand the problem and devise a plan.

Shaking Hands

Four friends meet one another after a long time. Each person shakes every other persons hand but no two persons shake hands twice. How many handshakes were there?

Working Backwards
Students know the solution but need to find its components. (The end/final information is given. Figure out what happened before)

Money. Money, Money!

Salwa went to the mall to buy supplies for her math project. She spent half of what she had plus $2.00 in the first store; half of what she had left plus $1.00 in the second store; half of what she had left plus $1.00 in the third store; and in the last store, half of all she had. Three dollars were left over. How much money did she start with?

Simplify a problem
Some

complicated problems can be solved by trying simpler problems or use the similarities found to simplify the problem.

How many squares are there in a 6x6 grid?

Make a table
List out the possibilities systematically Look at all required information

The Three Moons

The planet Mathemativa, has three beautiful moons! The 1st moon is full every 3 days, the 2nd moon every 4 days while the 3rd is full every 5 days. Tonight, all the moons are full. When will they all be full again?

Identify a Subgoal

A magic square has each row, diagonal and column adding to the same total. Construct a 3 x 3 magic square using the numbers from 1 to 9.

Identify a Subgoal

A magic square has each row, diagonal and column adding to the same total. Construct a 3 x 3 magic square using the numbers from 1 to 9.

4
3

9 2
5 7

1 6

Look for a pattern

Introduce the idea that many sequences can be constructed

Study specific pattern Make generalisations

Make conclusions

MIND OVER MATTER

Crack the mystery code to discover the missing letter. Hint: A=1, Z=26

Experimentation and Simulation

Acting

out the problem forces an understanding of the nature of the problem. Some manipulative objects can be used to represent things or people Can simulate the action by making drawing or a table

Towers of Brahma

Towers of Brahma is more commonly called 'Towers of Hanoi' and rarely 'The End of the World Puzzle' (the legend explains the second name). It was invented in 1883 by a French mathematician named Edouard Lucas, based on an ancient Hindu legend.

Towers of Brahma
The legend tells that Brahma placed 64 gold disks on a pillar of Benares Temple stacked in order of size (as shown). The monks there are asked to move the disks from the first pillar to the third pillar with these conditions:-

1. Only one disk can be moved at a time

2. No disk may be placed on a smaller disk at any time.

How long does it take to move the disks if the time taken to move one disk is one second?

Strategies used
Use objects Identify sub goal Experimentation/Simulation Identify pattern Make table

Identify pattern and making table

No. of disk 1 2 3 4 5 n No. of steps 1 3 7 15 31 Identify pattern 2-1 = 21 - 1 4-1 = 22 - 1 8-1 = 23 -1 16-1 = 24 - 1 32-1= 25 - 1 2n - 1

30

RACING TO 36
Rules of the Game Take turns to pick a number between 1 and 6 Add the numbers at each turn Whoever reaches 36 first is the winner