STRATEGIC PROBLEM SOLVING

NON-ROUTINE
BASIC MATHEMATICS

GEORGE POLYA

HOW TO SOLVE IT?

1)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.

2) 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
2. 3. 4. 5. 6. use suitable diagram use analogy use the unitary approach guess and check construct table

7. working backward
8. simplify the problem 9. using experiment 10. identify sub goal 11. simulation 12. identify of math pattern

3) 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?

4) 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
Jacinskis 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 bikes No. of tricycle No. of wheels

15 16 17 21

12 11 10 6

(15x2)+(12x3)=66 (16x2)+(11x3)=65 (17x2)+(10x3)=64 (21x2)+(6x3)=60

+4
21 bikes and 6 tricycles

PATTER 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 The green circle tricycle.

is the bike. is the

There are 21 diagram of bikes and 6 diagram of tricycles.

Step 4 : Check the Answer

Use the inverse method:

multiplication
(21x2)+(6x3)=60 21x2=42 and 6x3=18 422=21 and 183=6 21+6=27 seats

division

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 1 1 1 + + + + 2 2 2 2 = + + +
Pattern -3 3 Pattern -4 3=6 3 + 4 = 10 Pattern -5 3 + 4 + 5 = 15

There are 15 rectangles

Strategy 3 : Gauss trick

1 1 1 1 1 x x x x x 5 4 3 2 1

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 = 15 rectangle

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 4 X = 154 = 145

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 FROM AVERAGE -6 -2 TOTAL AWAY

1 2

139 143

-6 -8

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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