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Problem Solving Strategies

The document discusses problem-solving as a systematic process involving seeking information, generating knowledge, and making decisions. It emphasizes the importance of various strategies such as guessing and checking, making orderly lists, and using diagrams to tackle mathematical problems. Additionally, it highlights the benefits of problem-solving skills in enhancing understanding and teaching of mathematics.

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Everette Henley Menina

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)

23 views79 pages

Problem Solving Strategies

Uploaded by

Everette Henley Menina

We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.

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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

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PROBLEM

SOLVING
Task 1: If the pattern continues, how
many squares are there in Figure 4?
Task 2: If the pattern continues, how
many squares are there in figure 100?
Problem-Solving
Problem-solving is the ability to identify
and solve problems by applying
appropriate skills systematically. It is a
process—an ongoing activity in which we
take what we know to discover what we
don't know. It involves overcoming
obstacles by generating hypo-theses,
testing those predictions, and arriving at
satisfactory solutions.
Problem-solving involves three basic
functions:
– Seeking information
– Generating new knowledge
– Making decisions
Problem-Solving
It requires curiosity, flexibility, and
imagination. In this chapter, we focus on
typical problem-solving strategies and
demonstrate how to use them to
grapple with problems. Many of these
strategies form the basis for
representation (using diagrams, tables,
symbols, algebra, manipulatives, &
contextualized situations) and
communication (supporting written and
verbal explanations with appropriate
diagrams and notation) to make
mathematical ideas more
comprehensible.
Benefits of Problem-Solving
As you gain problem-solving skills,
many once formidable problems
will become routine, giving you the
ability and confidence to tackle
more challenging ones and "see”
more math. Seeing more math
helps you become an effective
problem solver and teacher.
Why Problem-Solving Strategies
Are Important?
We engage in problem solving every day. For example,
Jed hop in his car to go to class. But the car doesn’t start.
Now a problem needs to be solved. He plays the radio to
test the battery. He checks the gauge to see whether the car
has fuel. He opens the hood to inspect the engine, hoping
for clues. He considers past car problems and think about
how he resolved similar problems. Eventually, he solves
the problem, even if it means having the car towed to a
repair shop.

Mathematical problems are similar to car problems in that

we try different strategies and usually one of them works.
Why Problem-Solving Strategies Are
Important?

Problem-solving strategies are important

for two main reasons. First, they help
you solidify and extend your knowledge.
Second, several strategies are also
representation tools (such as Make a
Table or Draw a Diagram) that you will
use to understand and teach
mathematics.
Problem Solving
Is Opportunity
There is a difference between an exercise and a problem.
Exercises involve performing calculations or applying
routine procedures. In contrast, problems help students to
think about what they already know, forcing them to
extend their knowledge, create connections between old
and new ideas, and make sense of mathematics. Together,
good problems and problem solving strategies make it
possible for students to think more deeply about
mathematical ideas. Eventually, we want past problems
to become exercises. Successful problem solvers ask
themselves many questions to help apply what they know
to solve a problem.
Problem-Solving Strategies
Look for a pattern Work Background
Guess and Check Use direct reasoning
Make a table Solve an equation
Make an ordinary list Consider special cases
Solve a simpler problem Eliminate possibilities
Think of a similar Solve an equivalent
problem problem
Use a formula Use a model
Draw a diagram Be Ingenious
Guess and Check Strategy

The Guess and Check strategy is an

iterative process. The idea is to make a
reasonable guess and then adjust the
guess based on information in the
problem. As students improve their
guess, they clarify their understanding of
basic relationships in the problem, which
helps them solve the problem.
Illustrative Example

A traffic engineer was conducting a traffic

safety study at a busy intersection. Altogether,
196 cars and trucks passed through the
intersection during the study. There were three
times as many cars as trucks. How many trucks
passed through the intersection?
Illustrative Example: SOLUTION
Try this!

A family plans to build a rectangular

dog run for their dog Shamrock. The
run will be 4 feet longer than it is
wide. If 60 feet of fencing is used,
what will be the length and width?

Answer: l = 17 , w = 13
Make an Orderly List Strategy

The Make an Orderly List strategy is useful

for determining the number of possible
ways to perform a task. It helps guard
against missing or repeating possibilities.
Tables and lists look alike because both
help organize results. However, we
typically use tables to help analyze
patterns, while we use lists to count the
number of possible ways to perform a task.
Illustrative Example

How many ways can you

make P16 using only
P10, P5 and P1?
Illustrative Example: Solution

P10 P5 P1 Total

0 0 16 16
The organized list suggests
0 1 11 16 there are only six possible ways
0 2 6 16 to make P16 with P10, P5 and
P1 to make P16.
0 3 1 16
1 0 6 16
1 1 1 16
Try this!

Make an organized list to solve the

problem. Write the answer in a complete
sentence. Andrea and Calvin are decorating
for a party. They want to use two colors of
crepe paper. Their choices are red, blue,
green, orange, and yellow. How many ways
can they choose two colors?
Answer: 10 ways
Solve a Simpler Problem
Simplifying a mathematics problem is a
strategy that often is used along with
other problem-solving strategies. When a
problem is too complex to solve in one
step, it often helps to divide it into simpler
problems and solve each one separately.
Creating a simpler problem from a more
complex one may involve rewording the
problem; using smaller, simpler numbers;
or using a more familiar scenario to
understand the problem and find the
solution.
Solve a Simpler Problem
The main idea behind the Solve a Simpler
Problem strategy is to solve related, simpler
problems in hope of gaining enough insight to
solve the original problem.

For example, to find 3333362, we could solve the

simpler problems 362 = 1296; 3362 = 112,896, and
33362 = 11,128,896; look for a pattern; and then
solve the original problem. What is your solution
to this problem?
Think of Similar Problems
Try this!
What is the 100th term of this
sequence: 19, 5, 10, 19, 5, 10,
19, 5, 10, 19, ...?
Try this!
What is the 207th term of this
sequence: J, O, W, X, Y, A, J,
O, W, X, Y, A, J, …?
Try these!
Find the 200th term of each
sequence below:
1) 2, 3, 4, 5, 2, 3, 4, 5, 2, 3, 4, 5,…
2) A, 2, B, 3, A, 2, B, 3, …
3) X, 1, Y, 2, Z, 3, X, 1, Y, 2, Z, 3,…
4) A, B, C, D, A, B, C, D, A, …
5) 5, 3, 2, 1, 5, 3, 2, 1, 5, 3, 2, 1,…
Strategy: Use a Formula
Using a Formula is a problem-
solving strategy that students can
use to find answers to math
problems involving geometry,
percent, measurement, or algebra.
To solve these problems, students
must choose the appropriate
formula and substitute data in the
correct places of a formula.
Strategy: Use a Formula
Example
A farmer has 32 pieces of 4-foot-
long by 1-foot-wide planks. He
wants to use all of the planks to
build a 4-foot-high rectangular
fence that encloses the largest
area possible for his chickens,
without cutting any planks. What
are the dimensions of the
rectangular fence?
Strategy: Use a Formula
Example
It was sale day at Macy’s and
everything was 20% less than the
regular price. Peter bought a pair
of shoes, and using a coupon, got
an additional 10% off the
discounted price. The price he
paid for the shoes was $36. How
much did the shoes cost originally?
Strategy: Use a Formula

Example
Strategy: Draw a Diagram
The Draw a Diagram strategy is useful
for visualizing relationships and
understanding problems. Diagrams
help represent a situation, make a
problem less abstract, evoke thought,
and keep track of your progress.
Drawing a diagram is a common
strategy in the elementary
mathematics curriculum. It can help
picture problems involving distances or
shapes.
Strategy: Draw a Diagram

Example

A farmer built a rectangular fence.

Each corner of the rectangle had a
post. The shorter sides of the fence
each had four equally spaced posts,
while the longer sides each had six
equally spaced posts. How many
posts did she use?
Strategy: Draw a Diagram
Example

Jane leaves New York on a cross-

county car trip at 7 a.m.. She
averages 40 mi/h. Alice plans to take
exactly the same route, but does not
leave until 8 a.m. She averages 50
mi/h. At what time will she pass Jane?
(Assume no interruptions would occur
along the way).
Strategy: Draw a Diagram
Example
I have 1 large bag. Inside the large
bag are 2 medium bags. Inside each
medium bag are 3 small bags. Inside
each small bag are 3 tiny bags. Inside
each tiny bag is a quarter. How much
money is in the bag? I plan to use the
money to buy some candy. Each
piece of candy costs $0.20. How many
pieces of candy can I buy?
Strategy: Draw a Diagram

Example
The Rusty Stein Restaurant has ten
rectangular tables in their special
event room. Each table seats four
people along each side and one
person on each end. These tables are
placed end-to-end to form one long
rectangular table. How many people
can be seated in this arrangement?
Strategy: Draw a Diagram

Example
There were 5 cars in a race. The blue
car was in front of the green car. The
yellow car was behind the green car.
The red car was between the blue and
green cars. The orange car was in front
of the blue car. What was the order of
the cars from first to last?
Strategy: Draw a Diagram

Example
James is helping his father fence in
part of the yard for the garden. The
area they are fencing is 20 feet wide
and 16 feet long. They need to put
a post in the ground every 4 feet.
How many posts will they need?
Strategy: Draw a Diagram

Example
The coach brought the 10 players
on Robbie's basketball team to the
ice cream parlor to celebrate their
big win. The players could order an
ice cream cone, a soft drink, or both.
7 players had ice cream and 6
players had a soft drink.
Strategy: Eliminate Possibilities
- is a strategy in which students remove
possible answers until the correct answer
remains. Here's an example of a problem that
can be solved by Eliminating Possibilities. The
product of an unknown number multiplied by
four is less than 35. The unknown number is
divisible by four. What two numbers could the
unknown number be? The answer can be
found by eliminating the numbers that do not
meet the rules and choosing the numbers
(four and eight) that remain.
Strategy: Eliminate Possibilities
This is a problem-solving strategy that
can be used in basic math problems or
to help solve logic problems. Eliminating
possibilities helps students organize
information and evaluate which pieces
of information they will use, eliminating
the information that does not fit. It
encourages students to consider all
options and narrow the possibilities to
reasonable choices.
Eliminate Possibilities – Illustrative
Example

What is the number?

1. It is a 3-digit number.
2. The number is odd.
3. The number is less than 800.
4. The tens digit is an even number.
5. The number is greater than 700.
6. The ones digit is greater than the
hundreds digit.
7. The number is less than 720.
EP - Illustrative Example
What’s the Number?
1. It is a 3-digit number.
2. The number is even.
3. The tens digit is greater than the number of
sides of an octagon.
4. The hundreds digit is greater than the
number of sides of a trapezoid.
5. The ones digit is equal to the number of
cups in a pint (2 US cups = 1 pint).
6. The sum of the hundreds and ones digits is
less than the tens digit.
7. The sum of the three digits is an even
number.
Example 1
Yolanda, Calvin, and Celina had
breakfast together. Each chose a
different item: a breakfast taco, cereal
with milk, and a bowl of fruit. Use the
information to match each person with
his or her breakfast.

¥ Yolanda sat next to the person who

ate the breakfast taco.
¥ Calvin does not like spicy foods and
is allergic to dairy products.
Example 2

Jeff, Ann, Cheryl, and

Bob each use a
different type of
transportation. Use the
matrix at the right to find
the matches.
Ann s vehicle can carry
only 1 person. Jeff never
has to buy gas. Bob
does not have a driver s
license. Cheryl uses her
vehicle for recreation.
Example 3

Gillian asked her Uncle Roger how old he was.

He said he would give her 3 clues and see if
she could guess his age. Uncle Roger advised
Gillian to write out all the possible answers and
then eliminate answers that did not fit.

I’m between 19 and 30!

I’m a multiple of 3!
I’m an even number!

How old is Gillian’s uncle Roger?

Example 4
Ted, Ken, Allyson, and Janie, two married couples, each
have a favorite sport: running, swimming, biking, or golf.
Given the ff. clues, determine who likes which sport.
1. Ted hates golf. He agrees with Mark Twain that
“golf is nothing more than a good walk spoiled.”
2. Ken wouldn’t run around the block if he didn’t
have to, and neither would his wife.
3. Each woman’s favorite sport is featured in a
triathlon.
4. Allyson bought her husband a new bike for his
birthday to use in his favorite sport.
Example 5
Tom, John, Fred, and Bill are friends whose occupations
are (in no particular order) nurse, secretary, teacher, and
pilot. They attended a picnic
recently, and each one brought his favorite dish to
barbecue. One brought hamburger, another chicken,
another hot dogs, and another steak. From the clues
below, determine each man’s occupation and the food he
barbecued at the picnic.
1. Tom is neither the nurse nor the teacher.
2. Fred and the pilot play in a jazz band together.
3. The burger lover and the teacher are not
musically inclined.
Example 5: cont.

4. Tom brought the hot dogs.

5. Bill sat next to the man cooking his
burgers and
across from the steak lover.
6. The secretary does not play an
instrument or sing.
Example 6

1) Use the digits 3, 4, 5, 6 to make 2 addition problems that

will have a sum greater than 100.
2) A number is between 300 and 400. If it is divided by 2, the
remainder is 1. If it is divided by 4, 6, or 8, the remainder is
3. If it is divided by 10, the remainder is 5. If it is divided by
3, 5, 7, or 9, the remainder is zero. what is the number?
Example 7

How old am I?
Problem 1 Clues:
I am less than 20. I am a multiple
of 5.
I only have 1 digit.
Problem 2: Clues
I am between 30 and 40.
I am an odd number.
Both my digits are the same.
Example 8

What scores are

possible, using
only 3 darts? Each
dart must land
within a circle
and there are no
misses. What is the
lowest possible
score? What is the
highest possible
Strategy: Work Background

The Work Backward strategy may be

appropriate when the final result is
known or the problem involves a
sequence of reversible steps. The
familiar “I’m thinking of a number”
problem illustrates how you can work
backward to solve a problem. These
types of problems challenge
students to identify inverse
relationships and to use proper
Strategy: Work Backward

Illustrative Example 1

Eight is subtracted from a

number. Then the result is divided
by 9. Then 3 is added to the
result. Then the result is squared.
The final result is 49. What was the
original number?
Strategy: Work Backward
Illustrative Example 1

Solution:
Start with the final answer of 49. Take the square
root of 49. Subtract 3 from the result. Then, multiply
by 9. Lastly, add 8.

Therefore, the original number is 44.

Strategy: Work Backward

Illustrative Example 2

Consider the following “I’m thinking of a number”

problem: Think of a number. Add 5 to the number.
Square the result.
Add 15 to the result. Divide the result by 4. The
result is 46.

The original number is 8.

Strategy: Use an Equation
We could use an equation to represent and solve
a problem. An equation is a mathematical
sentence that says two expressions are equal.
Some examples are 7=5+2, 3+n = 5, and a =
b×q+r. Numbers and variables are the building
blocks of equations. To solve an equation means
to find values for the variables that make the
equation true. For example, to solve 3n−5=13
means to find a value for n such that 3 times n
with 5 then taken away is equal to 13. So n=4 is
not a solution to 3n−5=13 because 3(4)−5 ≠ 13,
but n = 6 is a solution to 3n−5=13 because 3(6) − 5
= 13.
Strategy: Use an Equation
Illustrative Example 1

Rodney has three more than four times as many

coins as William. Together, they have 78 coins. How
many coins do they each have?

Solution:
Let x be the number of coins William has
4x + 3, the no. of coins Rodney has
Equation: x + 4x + 3 = 78, x = 15

William has 15 coins while Rodney has 63 coins.

Strategy: Use an Equation

Illustrative Example 2
A bank offers two checking account
options. Option A has a monthly
service fee of $3.50, with an
additional fee of $0.15 for each
check cashed. Option B has a
monthly service fee of $5, with an
additional fee of $0.09 for each
check cashed. Which option should
a customer who writes 25 or fewer
checks per month choose?
Strategy: Use an Equation
Illustrative Example 2

Solution:
Let x be the no. of checks cashed
Total fees at option A: $3.50 + $0.15x
Total fees at option B: $5 + $0.09x
If x = 25, fees at Option A is $7.25 while fees at
option B is $7.25.

The costumer can choose any of the two options

since both options yield the same fees.
Strategy: Use an Equation

Illustrative Example 3
There are cars and motorcycles
in a campus parking lot. The
parking attendant noticed
there are a total of 294 tires
and a total of 85 cars and
motorcycles. How many cars
and how
many motorcycles are in the
Strategy: Use an Equation

Solution
Let x be the number of cars
85 – x is the no. of motorcycles
Equation:
2(85 – x) + 4x = 294
x = 62
There are 62 cars and 23
motorcycles in the parking lot.
Strategy: Use Direct Reasoning

Suppose a cereal company puts a

prize in each box. There are four
possible prizes, and you want to get
two identical prizes. How many
boxes would you need to purchase
to guarantee you get two identical
prizes? Say the prizes are A, B, C,
and D.
Strategy: Use Direct Reasoning

You could purchase two boxes and

end up with prizes AA or AB, for
example, so purchasing two boxes
does not guarantee you would get two
identical prizes. You could purchase
four boxes, and get one A, B, C, and D
prize from each box, so purchasing four
boxes does not guarantee you would
get two identical prizes. However, the
fifth box must contain a prize that
results in two identical prizes because
Example 1

A cereal company put a prize in

every cereal box. There are six
different possible prizes. A
mother has triplets and wants to
give each child the same prize.
How many boxes does she need
to purchase to guarantee she
obtains three identical prizes?
Example 2

Mr. and Mrs. Turner have four

daughters. Each daughter has
two brothers. How many children
do Mr. and Mrs. Turner have
altogether? Explain.
Example 3

You have a barrel of water, an 8-quart pail, a 5-

quart pail, and an empty barrel. You need to
measure 9 quarts of water. Describe how to
measure exactly 9 quarts of water using these
two pails. Assume you have a large container
that will hold as much water as you need.
Practice Problems

Use guess and check, or make an orderly listing

problem strategy, whichever is more appropriate.
1) A carpenter needs to cut a 24-foot piece of wood into
two pieces. One piece must be 6 feet longer than the
other piece. Find the lengths of the two pieces.

2) When a teacher divided her students into groups of four,

she had three students remaining. When she divided
them into groups of five, she had four students
remaining. There were fewer than 40 students in the
class. How many students could be in the class?
Practice Problems

Use guess and check, or make an orderly listing

problem strategy, whichever is more appropriate.
3) A student opened his book and realized the product of
the numbers on the pages facing each other was 215,760.
What were the page numbers of the pages facing each
other?

4) Diane has ₱1.02 in change consisting of 25¢, 10¢, 5¢,

and1¢. She has twice as many 10¢ as 25¢. She has fewer
5¢ than1¢. What is the least number of coins possible?
Practice Problems