STRATEGIC
PROBLEM
SOLVING
NON-ROUTINE
BASIC MATHEMATICS
GEORGE POLYA
HOW TO
SOLVE IT?
UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM
First. You have to understand the problem.
What is the unknown? What are the data?
What is the condition?
Detect the variables involved in the problem.
Know the relationship between the variables
which have been ascertained.
Understand which variable needs to be
thoroughly searched or answered.
Draw a figure. Introduce suitable notation.
1) DEVISING A PLAN
Second. Find the connection between the data
and the unknown. You may be obliged to
consider auxiliary problems if an immediate
connection cannot be found. You should obtain
eventually a plan of the solution.
Consider the following strategies:
1. select suitable operations 7. working backward
2. use suitable diagram 8. simplify the problem
3. use analogy 9. using experiment
4. use the unitary approach 10. identify sub goal
5. guess and check 11. simulation
6. construct table 12. identify of math pattern
1) CARRYING OUT THE
PLAN
Third. Carry out your plan.
Carrying out your plan of the
solution, check each step. Can you
see clearly that the step is correct?
Can you prove that it is correct?
• Looking Back @
Checking Answers
Fourth. Examine the solution
obtained.
Use another way to solve the same
problems.
Adopting the inverse method.
E.g.: division multiplication
Can you use the result, or the
method, for some other problem?
Problem 1
Jacinski’s Hardware has a
number of bikes and tricycles
for sale. There are 27 seats
and 60 wheels all together.
Determine how many bikes
there are and how many
tricycles there are.
answer
Step 1 : Understand the problem
• each bike has 2 wheels
• each tricycle has 3 wheels
• 1 bike 1 seat, 1 tricycle 1 seat
• there are 27 seats = no. of bike + no. of tricycle
Step 2 : Devise a plan
• Strategy 1 : Construct a table
• Strategy 2 : Draw a diagram
Step 3 : Carry out the plan
• Strategy 1: Construct a table
No. of No. of No. of wheels
bikes tricycle
15 12 (15x2)+(12x3)=66
16 11 (16x2)+(11x3)=65
17 10 (17x2)+(10x3)=64
21 6 (21x2)+(6x3)=60
+4
PATTER
21 bikes and 6 tricycles N
-4
• Strategy 2 : Draw diagram
First, draw all the 27 seats. Then add a wheel to each
seat and when it reaches to the 27th seat, repeat back
until there are 60 wheels.
Note : Each circle is a seat and each leg is a wheel.
The grey circle is the bike.
The green circle is the
tricycle.
There are 21 diagram of bikes
and 6 diagram of tricycles.
Step 4 : Check the Answer
• Use the inverse method:
multiplication division
(21x2)+(6x3)=60
21x2=42 and 6x3=18
42÷2=21 and 18÷3=6
21+6=27 seats
Proven true!!
Problem 2
How many rectangles are there in each of these
figures?
answer
Step 1 : Understand the problem
• each figures is a rectangle
Step 2 : Devise a plan
• Strategy 1 : Draw a diagram
• Strategy 2 : Look a pattern
• Strategy 3 : “gauss’ trick”
• Step 3 : Carry out the plan
• Strategy 1 : Draw diagram
First, draw all the rectangles. The first figure has only 1
rectangle. Then add with the number of rectangle below
it. It continues till the end of the figure.
1 rectangles
3 rectangles
6 rectangles
10 rectangles
15 rectangles
Strategy 2 : look for a pattern
1 + 2 = 3 Pattern -3
1 + 2 + 3=6 Pattern -4
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 10 Pattern -5
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 = 15
There are 15 rectangles
Strategy 3 : “Gauss’ trick”
1 x 5
1 x 4
1 x 3 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 = 15 rectangle
1 x 2
1 x 1
For this last one : 1 + 2 + 3 + + 14 + 15 + 16
17 x 8 = 136
Step 4 : check the answers
Add all the rectangles in the figures.
1
+ 2
+ 3
+ 4
+ 5
15
It is proven that there are 15 rectangles
in the figures.
Problem 3
In three bowling games, Lulu
scored 139, 143, and 144. What
score will she need in a fourth
game in order to have an
average score of 145 for all four
games?
answer
Step 1 : Understand the problem
• three bowling games, lulu score 139, 143, and 144
• average score is 145 for all four games.
Step 2 : Devise a plan
• Strategy 1 : Algebra
• Strategy 2 : Logic
• Strategy 3 : Make a chart
• Step 3 : Carry out the plan
• Strategy 1 : Algebra
X = unknown score
139 + 143 + 144 + x = 145
4
X = 154
Strategy 2 : Logic
If average needs to be 145, and there
are 4 scores. The sum is
4 x 145 =580
From 580, subtract 139, 143, 144.
X = 580-139-143-144
= 154
The missing score is 154.
Strategy 3 : make a chart
GAME SCORE AWAY TOTAL
FROM AWAY
AVERAGE
1 139 -6 -6
2 143 -2 -8
3 144 -1 -9
On the 4th games, it needs to be +9 over average.
Step 4 : check the answers
Multiply the average score with 4
games
145 x 4 =(average) 580
139 + 143 + 144 + x = 580
X = 580 – 139 – 143 – 144
X = 154#
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