PROBLEM SOLVING AND

REASONING
 TWO FUNDAMENTAL TYPES OF REASONING MATHEMATICAL PROBLEMS
INVOLVING PATTERNS

Inductive Reasoning

• Refers to the process of making generalized decisions after

observing, and/or witnessing repeated specific instances of
Specific
something.

EXAMPLE:

Premises 1: Clark is a grand father

Premises 2: Clark is bald
Conclusion: All grand fathers are bald General
 TWO FUNDAMENTAL TYPES OF REASONING MATHEMATICAL PROBLEMS
INVOLVING PATTERNS

Deductive Reasoning

• Refers to the process of taking the information gathered from general

observations and making specific decision based on that information.
General

EXAMPLE:

Premises 1- All humans are kind

Premises 2- Archie is human Specific
Conclusion: Archie is kind.
TABLE SHOWING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INDUCTIVE AND
DEDUCTIVE REASONING

INDUCTIVE REASONING DEDUCTIVE REASONING

Observation based. Theory based.
Process of reaching conclusions based on Process of reaching conclusions based on
a series of observations. previously known facts

Conclusion may not be valid. Conclusions are correct and valid.

Used to form hypotheses. Used to prove ideas.
Draws general principle from specific Draws specific conclusion from general
instances. principles.

Always involves uncertainty. Certain and True.

 LET’ TRY:
All dolphins are mammals.
All mammals have kidneys.
Therefore, all doplhins have
kidneys.
Answer:Deductive Reasoning
My mother is Irish.
Everyone from Ireland has
blond hair.
Therefore, my mother has
blond hair.
Answer:Deductive Reasoning
All birds have feathers. The first lipstick I pulled
All robins are birds. from my bag is red.
Therefore, robins have The second lipstick I pulled
feathers. from my bag is red.
Therefore, all the lipsticks in
Answer:  Deductive Reasoning
my bag are red.
Answer:  Inductive Reasoning
Bob is showing a big diamond ring to his friend Larry.
Bob has told Larry that tonight he is planning to marry
Joan.
Bob must be surprising Joan with the diamond ring
tonight.
Answer:Deductive Reasoning
 INTUITION, PROOF AND CERTAINTY

Intuition

• The ability to understand something instinctively without the need for conscious reasoning or without
having an actual evidence of it.

Example:

Teacher: Square, rectangle and rhombus are parallelograms. A quadrilateral with opposite sides are parallel and
equal. How many sides are there in a square? Student #11: Ma'am! Four.
 INTUITION, PROOF AND CERTAINTY

Mathematical Proof

• An argument that convinces other people that something is true.

Continuation:

• Teacher: How do you say so? Student #11: Ma'am because quadrilateral means a polygon with four
sides.
 INTUITION, PROOF AND CERTAINTY

Certainty

• a conclusion or outcome that is beyond doubt.

Continuation

• Teacher: Please show an illustration on the board. (Student #11 draws square on the board)
 POLYA'S FOUR STEPS TO PROBLEM SOLVING

• George Polya (1887-1985), also known as the father of problem solving, formulated these steps.

was a Hungarian mathematician. He was also known as the "Father of Problem Solving". A leading research

mathematician of his time, Dr. Polya made fundamental contributions to combinatorics, number theory,

numerical analysis and probability theory. His work on random walk and his famous enumeration theorem have

been widely applied. He was the author of the classic works:

•How to Solve It
•Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning
•Mathematical Discovery
 POLYA'S FOUR STEPS TO PROBLEM SOLVING

1. Preparation (understand the problem)

• It is important for the problem solvers to understand the given problem. Analyze and read it several

times and even seek for help if necessary. Listing down the important information will help too.
 POLYA'S FOUR STEPS TO PROBLEM SOLVING

2. Thinking time (devise a plan)

• Make a list. Guess and test or rather do the trial and error. (Guessing is okay)

3. Insight (carry out the plan)

• Just down you think is the best strategy you've made. Try it out if it leads to a solution .

4. Verification (look back)

• Check out if your solution works.

 POLYA'S FOUR STEPS TO PROBLEM SOLVING

Example:
There are 800 residents of Toclong, Imus tested for Covid19. 75% of them are negative, 160 has found
asymptomatic and the rest have resulted positive for Covid19. How many residents have tested positive for
Covid19?

Step 1: How many residents have tested positive for Covid19?

Step 2: Given
800 residents 160 asymptomatic ?
75% = negative = Positive
 POLYA'S FOUR STEPS TO PROBLEM SOLVING

Step 3:

800 100%

160 residents = 20% (160 ÷800)

75% = 600 residents (800 -0.75)

100% -20% -75% = 5% negative

5% = 40 residents (800 0.05) So therefore........

 POLYA'S FOUR STEPS TO PROBLEM SOLVING

Step 4: Answer

There are 5% or 40 residents out of 800 residents have tested positive for Covid19.

Checking:

40+600 + 160 = 800

 POLYA'S FOUR STEPS TO PROBLEM SOLVING

Simple and common problem-solving strategies, to mention a few:

• Guess (This includes guess-and-check and guess-and- improve.)

• Act It Out (Act it out and use equipment.)

• Draw (This includes drawing, pictures and diagrams.)

• List/Tabulate (This includes making a table)

 MATHEMATICAL PROBLEMS INVOLVING PATTERNS

Examples of find-a-pattern problem solving strategy.

The figure shows a series of rectangles where each rectangle is bounded by

10 dots.

a) How many dots are required for 6 polygons?

b) If the figures has 10 dots, how many rectangles would there be?
MATHEMATICAL PROBLEMS INVOLVING PATTERNS
 RECREATIONAL PROBLEMS USING
MATHEMATICS

Recreational mathematics involves problems, riddles, and games

puzzles, brain-teasers recreational or leisure rather than carried out for or
as research application-based professional activity.
• Some examples are:
• rubik's cubes, magic squares, fractals, logic puzzles and mathematical
chess problems, ken-ken puzzle
 RECREATIONAL PROBLEMS USING
MATHEMATICS
A square grid filled with distinct positive
integers in the range given such that each 15
cell contains a different integer and the
surn of the integers in each row, column 15
and diagonal is equal.
15
The sum is called the magic constant or
magic sum of the magic square.
15 15 15
 RECREATIONAL PROBLEMS USING
MATHEMATICS
• KenKen Puzzles
• also called MathDoku puzzles
 RECREATIONAL PROBLEMS USING
MATHEMATICS
Rules for KenKen
• It's hard to learn the rules all at once before
interacting with the puzzle, so just the briefest
introduction to the rules makes sense before diving
in. Start with a 4x4 puzzle.
• The only numbers you may write are 1, 2, 3, or 4.
(A 6x6 puzzle requires 1 through 6.)
• No numbers may appear more than once in any
row or column. (That is, all required numbers must
appear in every row and column.
 RECREATIONAL PROBLEMS USING
MATHEMATICS
• Each "cage" (region bounded by a heavy border)
contains a "target number." If there's more than one
cell in the cage, the target is also accompanied by an
arithmetic operation. You must fill that cage with
numbers that produce the target number, using only
the specified arithmetic operation. Numbers may be
repeated within a cage, if necessary, as long as they
do not repeat within a single row or column.

• In a one-cell cage, just write the target number in that

cell.
 GROUP 3

LEADER:
MONTERONA, AYESHA M.
MEMBER:
CRUZ, JAMES D.
ORBEGOSO, MARSILYN R.
ROSALDES, ADRIAN A.