Exercises

Exercises in
in Creativity
Creativity &
&
Problem
Problem Solving
Solving
Madhav Madhira
JNTU & IIT, Hyderabad
madhavmr@gmail.com
Opening
Opening Mental
Mental Locks
Locks
When
When was
was the
the Last
Last Time
Time YOU
YOU
came
came up
up with
with aa Creative
Creative IDEA?
IDEA?
 This Morning
 Yesterday
 Last Week
 Last Month
 Last Year
What
What was
was it?
it?

 What Motivates you to be Creative??


Discovery consists of Looking at
the same thing as every one else and
Thinking something different.
Mental
Mental Locks/Blocks
Locks/Blocks
 1.The Right Answer
 2. That is Not Logical
 3. Follow the Rules
 4. Be Practical
 5. Avoid Ambiguity
 6. To Err is Wrong
 7. Play is Frivolous
 8. That is not my Area
 9. Don’t be Foolish
 10. I am not Creative.
Create
Create Space
Space by
by Un-
Un-
cluttering
cluttering
Spring
Spring Clean
Clean
Which
Which is
is the
the Odd
Odd
one?
one?
What
What is
is This?
This?
What
What IF?
IF?
Gordian
Gordian
Knot
Knot
Starry
Starry Sky
Sky
Constellation
Constellation Leo
Leo
 Question: If camels are called
the ‘ships of the desert’ why
aren’t tugboats called ‘camels
of the sea?’
 If ‘oranges are called ‘oranges’
why don’t we call bananas
‘yellows’ or apples ‘reds’?
 Paradox: What happened to
your ‘lap’ when you stand up?
 Old man has 8 hair on his head.
 He went to Barber shop.
 Barber in anger asked: shall I cut or
count ?
 Old man smiled and said: ?????
 Did you know STRESSED
spelled backwards is
DESSERTS

 What is the difference

between ‘Idly’ and ‘Pongal’?
Nothing
Nothing is
is more
more dangerous
dangerous
than
than an
an idea
idea
IF
IF
itit is
is only
only one
one you
you have!!!
have!!!
There
There are
are Two
Two kinds
kinds of
of people
people in
in
this
this world:
world: those
those who
who divide
divide
everything
everything into
into two
two groups
groups and
and
those
those who
who don’t!!!
don’t!!!
Methods
Methods

 Lateral Thinking: Marbles, Forest Fire

 Brain-Storming: Paper, Brick, Pin
 Mental Blocks: Joining Dots, Dwarf &
Elevator
 Minister for Power/Minister for Blackouts
What belongs to YOU but is most often used by
others?
Type/Write in upper case (in capitals) a five
letter word that reads the same upside down.
What word is the same backwards and upside
down?
Which word, if pronounced right, is wrong,
but if pronounced wrong, is right.
In which sport do winners move backwards and
losers forward?
A money box is 250 mm square and 300 mm hig
How money rupee coins can you place
in the empty box???
A murderer is condemned to death. He has to
choose between three rooms- the first with
raging fires, the second full of assassins with
loaded guns and the third full of lions that
have not eaten for three years?
Kartik’s mother has three children. The first is
called Aditya and the second is Bhaskar.
What is the name of the third?
A mute who wants to buy a toothbrush imitates
the action of brushing one’s teeth expresses
himself to the shopkeeper and purchases one.
How does a blind man who wishes
to buy a pair of sunglasses express himself?
An electrician and a plumber were looking for a
job. One of them was the father of the other’s
son. How could this be possible?
Rearrange the letter in the words
“new door” to make one word???

Name the sport in which neither

the spectators nor the participants know
the score or the leader
until the contest ends?
  
• Using six contiguous straight lines, connect all of the
                                                                                              

sixteen circles shown below

• If teapot A holds 32 ounces of tea, about how
many ounces does teapot B hold
• Remove six matches to make
ten
• Trace this design in one continuous
movement without crossing a line on the
way?
• Cut this square piece of paper into two and
only two pieces (and rearranging those
pieces), and move the hole into the center of
the square
• How many squares by connecting any 4 dots (the
corners of a square must lie upon a grid dot)
• How many triangles are located in the
image below
• Rearrange three golf balls so that the triangular
pattern points down instead of up
Mental
Mental Blocks
Blocks &
& Lateral
Lateral Thinking
Thinking
 Two Engineers
 Twins

 Money Lender and Young Girl

 Cleaner
 IDEAS
IDEAS
 Mind-Set: Split the Problem into Several
Smaller ones
 Hierarchical and Network
 Strive to do Something Different
 Don’t be SHY to Try OUT
 Ideas come from:
 Reading Non-Related Pieces of Work;
 Talking to People;
 Being in the Company of Smart People
IDEAS
IDEAS 22

 Some Ideas Have to Come from

WITHIN
 Not EVERY Idea works; No Harm in
Trying
 Edison; Tried 1000 times before he got
the Light Bulb.
Your name
SWIMS
NOON
Wrong
Tug of war
Money Box: Only one. It is no more empty
afterwards.
Room with lions. Lions are dead after 3 years.
Name: Kartik
Mute and Blind” He just asks.
• You get a holiday for
Pongal but not for Idly.
Take
Take any
any household
household object
object
((tooth
tooth brush,
brush, match
match box,box,
spoon,
spoon, etc.)
etc.)
and
and come
come out out with
with different
different
things
things itit can
can be
be used
used for.
for.