PROBLEM

SOLVING
Among the popular proponents of problem solving, George Polya (1945)
indicated that “A question is considered a problem if the procedure or method
of solution is not immediately known but requires one to apply creativity and
previous knowledge in new and unfamiliar situation.”

According to the National Council of Teachers in Mathematics (NCTM, 2000,

p.52), “problem solving means engaging in a task for which the solution is not
known in advance. In order to find a solution, students must draw on their
knowledge or previous experiences and through this process; they will often
develop new mathematical understandings.”

A problem can be classified as either a routine or a non-routine problem.

Routine Problems
A routine problem is one that may be solved by some
algorithm or procedure that involves the use of
mathematical operations and applied to a particular
situation. These are the kinds of problems that are usually
encountered in a typical mathematics classroom. Often,
solving a routine problem requires applying an established
generalization.
EXAMPLE: Given 𝑓 𝑥 = 𝑥 2 – 5𝑥 + 4, is 𝑓(𝑥 + 3) = 𝑓(𝑥) + 𝑓(3) ?
Solution:
• First, solve for 𝑓 𝑥 + 3 :

• Next, solve for 𝑓 𝑥 + 𝑓 3 :

• Therefore, 𝒇(𝒙 + 𝟑) ≠ 𝒇(𝒙) + 𝒇(𝟑)

EXAMPLE: Pedro wants to fill a big rectangular box with small cubes having side lengths 3
cm. The box is 12 cm in length, 6 cm in width and 9 cm in height. How many cubes will fit
in the box?
Solution:
• Note that the general formula for the volume of a box is:
𝑉 = (𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ)(𝑤𝑖𝑑𝑡ℎ)(ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡)
• Now, solve for the volume of the rectangular and the cubes:
𝑉𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 = 12𝑐𝑚 6𝑐𝑚 9𝑐𝑚 = 648𝑐𝑚3
𝑉𝑐𝑢𝑏𝑒 = 3cm 3cm 3cm = 27cm3
• Thus the total number of such cubes that can fit in the rectangular box is:

𝑉𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 648𝑐𝑚3
= 3
= 𝟐𝟒 𝒄𝒖𝒃𝒆𝒔
𝑉𝑐𝑢𝑏𝑒 27𝑐𝑚
EXAMPLE: Raphael bought 3 shirts at ₱250 each, 2 pairs of pants at ₱600 each, and a pair
of shoes for ₱1,[Link] he gave the cashier a ₱5,000 bill, how much change did he receive?
Solution:
• The general formula for the cost for every particular items is:
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑡 = 𝑄𝑢𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑃𝑟𝑖𝑧𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑚

• Thus, we have the following:

𝑆ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑡𝑠 = 3 ₱250 = ₱750
𝑃𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑠 = 2 ₱600 = ₱1200
𝑆ℎ𝑜𝑒𝑠 = 1 ₱1200 = ₱1200

• Thus the total is :

𝑆ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑡𝑠 + 𝑃𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑠 + 𝑆ℎ𝑜𝑒𝑠 = ₱750 + ₱1200 + ₱1200 = ₱3150

• Therefore, the change must be:

₱5000 − ₱3150 = ₱𝟏𝟖𝟓𝟎
Non-routine Problems
Non-routine problems are those where we do not readily
have an idea on how to solve it, or those that seem to be easy
but are actually tricky; they are almost like puzzles. Such
problems may be solved in different ways or strategies and
some may have more than one answer or solution. Solving a
non-routine problem usually involves common sense,
observations, and own strategy of the solver; it requires little
or no use of algorithms.
 STEPS IN PROBLEM SOLVING
Polya (1945) suggested the following four general steps to
solving a problem. It must be emphasized that these steps
must be taken only as a guide; there may be situations where
the listed steps overlap, or the steps are taken not in the
same order as listed below.

1. Understand the problem

2. Devise a plan
3. Carry out the plan
4. Look back and check
 STEP 1: UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM

Read, read again, and read the problem a third time if

needed. If you don’t understand a problem, do you think you
can solve it? Figure out what kind of problem it is, take note
of what is asked for, what are the given values and/or
conditions; keep only the relevant ones.
 STEP 2: DEVISE A STRATEGY

Some possible strategies are the following:

1. Work Backwards
2. Sketch a Picture
3. Guess, Check, Revise
4. Find a Pattern
5. Eliminate Impossible Cases
 STEP 3: CARRY OUT THE STRATEGY

Once a problem is fully understood and the chosen strategy is

appropriate, the rest is usually a simple exercise. In case that
the original strategy does not work, it may need to be
modified, or a new strategy may be needed. We must realize
that not every problem will be solved within the first attempt.
A failed attempt can be viewed as a learning experience. Be
patient and try to avoid getting frustrated or discouraged.
Computers, calculators, or other device may be useful tools
when routine tasks are involved.
 STEP 4: LOOK BACK
Once an answer or solution is found, it is important to test that
solution. Below are some questions that you may find useful in
the looking back process.

1. Is the answer reasonable? Does it satisfy the conditions in

the problem?
2. Could there be more than one answer?
3. What is the appropriate unit of measurement?
4. Can another strategy be used?
 STRATEGIES
IN
PROBLEM SOLVING
 1. WORK BACKWARDS

This strategy is most appropriate if the problem involves

multiple steps, and we are given the final result instead of the
initial values. The trick is to reverse the operation while working
backwards.
EXAMPLE: A barefoot penniless boy named JR found a wallet with
some money in it. Out of it, he bought a ₱65-pair of slippers and then
paid ₱20 for his jeep fare home. Then, he gave half of what remained to
his mom. But his mom didn’t need it all so she gave back ₱35 to him. The
boy ended up with ₱170. How much was in the wallet?
Solution:
Action Original Process Working Backwards Original Amount

Bought slippers (JR spent) −₱65 +₱65 ₱290 + ₱65 = ₱𝟑𝟓𝟓

Jeep fare (JR spent) −₱20 +₱20 ₱270 + ₱20 = ₱290
Gave half to Mother (JR spent) ÷2 ×2 ₱135 × 2 = ₱270
Mom gave back (JR earned) +₱35 −₱35 ₱170 − ₱35 = ₱135
Final Amount ₱𝟏𝟕𝟎 ₱𝟏𝟕𝟎

• Therefore, initially, there was ₱355 in the wallet.

OTHER EXAMPLE: In a class, each student likes at least one of the
three subjects: Math, Science, or English. There are 29 students who like
Math, 31 who like Science, and 33 who like English. Among them, 19
students like both Math and Science, 21 like both Science and English,
and 20 like both Math and English. In addition, 11 students like all three
subjects. How many students are there in the class?
 2. SKETCH A PICTURE
This is a great strategy if it is possible to sketch pictures
especially in hard-to-visualize ones. If possible, make your
sketch big enough and include in your sketch only the pertinent
data.
EXAMPLE: There are 5 posts in every side of a square. How many posts
are there all in all?
Solution:

• From the sketch, the horizontal sides have 10 posts. The vertical sides need only
additional 3 posts each in order to have 5 posts in them. And so, there are a total
of 10+3+3 or 16 posts.
EXAMPLE: It costs ₱15 to have a long pipe cut into 3 pieces. How much
would it cost to have it cut into 6 pieces?
Solution:
• Note that what is paid for is the cost of cutting. Now, we need only 2 cuts in a long
pipe to have 3 pieces of it; this means that 1 cut costs P7.50.

Cut 1 Cut 2
₱7.50 ₱7.50

• To have the pipe cut into 6 pieces, 5 cuts must be done.

• Therefore, (5 cuts) x (₱7.50 per cut) must cost ₱37.50.

OTHER EXAMPLE: A rectangular garden is 12 meters long and 8
meters wide. A path of uniform width is to be built around the outside of
the garden. If the total area of the garden and the path together is 180
square meters, find the width of the path.
 3. GUESS, CHECK, REVISE
This strategy is most appropriate when multiple related
conditions need to be met. Start by guessing intelligently an
answer that meets one condition, then check if the other
conditions are also met. If yes, you got the answer. If not, revise
your guess and repeat the process.
EXAMPLE: In a 20-item exam, the point system is 5 points for every
correct answer, and minus 2 points penalty for every wrong. Sarah
scored a total of 79 points in answering each of the 20 items. How many
correct answers did she make?
Solution:
• It’s a good idea to tabulate (keep track) results of your guesses.
Number of Total Score Need to
Correct Wrong 5(𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡) − 2(𝑊𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔) Revise?
Guess 1 20 0 5(20) − 2(0) = 100 Yes. Too High
Guess 2 19 1 5(19) − 2(1) = 93 Yes. Too High
Guess 3 18 2 5(18) − 2(2) = 86 Yes. Too High
Guess 4 17 3 5(17) − 2(3) = 𝟕𝟗 No. CORRECT!

• Therefore, Sarah answered 17 questions correctly.

EXAMPLE: In a farm are dogs and ducks. All in all, there are 90 feet
while there are only 35 heads. How many dogs and how many ducks are
there?
Solution:
Number of Total feet Need to
Dogs Ducks 4 𝐷𝑜𝑔𝑠 + 2(𝐷𝑢𝑐𝑘) Revise?
Guess 1 35 0 4 35 + 2(0) = 140 Yes. Too High
Guess 2 34 1 4 34 + 2(1) = 138 Yes. Too High
Guess 3 33 2 4 33 + 2(2) = 136 Yes. Too High
Guess 4 10 25 4 10 + 2(25) = 𝟗𝟎 No. CORRECT!

• To “un-dog” one and make it a duck would lower the number of feet by 2 (that’s
due to “minus 4” for “un-dog-ing” and “plus 2” for making it duck). Thus, we need
to “un-dog” 50/2 or 25 dogs from Guess 1 and make them ducks.
• Therefore, there are 10 dogs and 25 ducks in the farm.
 4. FIND A PATTERN
You look for a sequence, repetition, or regularity in a set of
numbers, figures, or situations. By observing how the elements
change or repeat, you can identify a rule or formula that helps
predict future terms or solve the problem more easily.
EXAMPLE: For a school project, Leonora uses toothpicks to design what
looks like the following figure. If a box of toothpicks contains 100 pieces,
how many boxes does she need to build 50 house-alikes?

Solution:
• The first how requires 6 toothpicks.
• For the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, ... , 50th house-alikes (49 of them), observe the pattern of
needing only 5 toothpicks for each of the succeeding house-alikes.
• So, in order to build all of the 50 house-alikes, Leonora needs 6 + 5(49) = 251
toothpicks.
• Since there are only 100 pieces in a box of toothpicks, she needs to buy 3 boxes of
toothpicks. That would be more than enough for her project.
 5. ELIMINATE IMPOSSIBLE CASES
Rule out all the options that cannot possibly be correct based
on the conditions of the problem. By gradually removing the
impossible choices, you narrow down the possibilities until only
the correct solution remains.
EXAMPLE: With 5 darts all hitting the dart board each earning a corresponding
score of either 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 depending on where a dart lands in the board, which of
the following are possible total scores: 𝟑, 𝟗, 𝟐𝟗, 𝟑𝟓, 𝟒𝟐, 𝟓𝟎 ?
1 pt
3 pt
5 pt
7 pt
9 pt

Solution:
• Since a dart may only earn an odd score (1, 3, 5, 7, 9), the total score for 5 darts must be odd. So, it is
impossible to earn a total of 42 points.
• Considering the extreme cases, 5 darts all landing in the 1-pt region earn a total of 5 points while 5 darts
all landing in the 9-point region earn a total of 45 points. So, 3 and 50 must now join 42 in the eliminated
cases. This leaves only 9, 29, and 35.
• Observe that 9 = 1 + 1 + 1 + 3 + 3, 29 = 3 + 5 + 7 + 7 + 7, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 35 = 7 + 7 + 7 + 7 + 7.
• Hence, 9, 29, and 35 are the only possible total scores.
OTHER EXAMPLE: Rene is working on a cryptarithm, which aims to
replace the letters with distinct 1-digit numbers so that the addition is
correct.

ABCD
+ABCD
DBEFC