Problem Solving Strategies

Guess 2
A problem-solving strategy is a plan of 7 books
action that is used to find a solution. Different 5 CDs
strategies call for different action plans.
Polya would like us to choose the Check:
strategies in his second step, which is to be
applied in his third step. There are many 7 × ₱60 = ₱420
common problem-solving strategies that you 5 × ₱90 = ₱450
can use in finding solutions to problems that are
tackled in this lessons. ₱420
+₱450
₱870
• Guess and Check
Guess 3
When you are not sure how to start,
8 books
guess an answer and then check it. In the
4 CDs
process of checking a guess, you may see a
way of revising your guess to get closer to the
Check:
answer or to get the exact answer.
Example: 8 × ₱60 = ₱480
4 × ₱90 = ₱360
Glenda bought books and CD as gifts.
Altogether she bought 12 gifts and spent ₱840. ₱480
The books cost ₱60 each and the CDs cost ₱90 +₱360
each. How many of each gift did she buy? ₱840
Understand the Problem
Answer: Glenda bought 8 books and 4 CDs.
₱840 will be spent to buy 12 gifts. The
gifts should be books and CDs that cost ₱60 Review the Solution
each and ₱90 each, respectively. It is to find out
We have made 3 guesses. It was checked that
how many books and CDs will be bought.
8 books will cost ₱480 and CDs will cost ₱360
Devise a Plan and the 12 gifts have a total cost of ₱840.
One method to solve this problem is to
make a reasonable guess and then use the
result to make a better guess until you get the • Make a Table and Look for a Pattern
right number of books and CDs to be bought for Some problems describe relationships
₱840. that involve regular sequence of number or
Carry Out the Plan other things. To solve the problem, you need to
be able to recognize and describe the pattern
We need to guess an answer, start using that gives the relationship for the numbers or
the same number of books and CDs. things. One way to recognize the information
given is make a table.
Guess 1
Example:
6 books
A tree farm is planted as shown below.
6 CDs
The dots represent trees. The lot will be
enlarged by adding larger squares. How many
Check:
trees will be in the fifth squares?
6 × ₱60 = ₱360
6 × ₱90 = ₱540

₱360 2ft
+₱540
₱900

Revise your guess. You need fewer CDs 2ft

to bring the total cost down.
Understand the Problem then add one square at a time. Determine
whether there is a pattern.
The distance between the two trees is 2ft.
There are 4 trees the 1st square, 12 trees in the Carry Out the Plan
2nd square and 20 trees in the 3rd square. It is to
Since we need to determine whether
find the number of trees to be planted in the 5th
there is a pattern, we may first form a table
square.
considering the number of squares in strip and
Devise a Plan the number of rectangles that can be formed.
A table may help you see the relationship
of the number of trees planted on each square.
Find the pattern and solve the problem.
Carry Out the Plan 1 2 3

Make table to help find the pattern.

Square 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 4 5
position
Number 4 12 20
of trees Square in strip 1 2 3 4 5
Number of rectangles 1 3 6 10 15

Pattern: 8 more trees are planted in each larger

square. Carry Out the Plan

Answer: There are 36 trees in the fifth square. Square in strip 1 2 3 4 5

Number of rectangles 1 3 6 10 15
Review the Solution
Since 8 more trees are planted in each Pattern:
larger square the 4th square will have 28 trees
and the 5th square will have 36 trees. 0+1= 1
1+2= 3
1st square: 4 trees 3+3= 6
2nd square: 4+8= 12 tress 6+4= 10
3rd square: 12+8= 20 trees 10+5= 15
4th trees: 20+8= 28 trees
5th trees: 28+8= 36 tress Square in strip 6 7 8 9 10
Number of rectangles 21 28 36 45
• Solving a Similar but Simpler Problem
Pattern:
By solving one or more simpler problems,
you can often find a pattern that will help solve
15+ 6= 21
a more complicated problem.
221+ 7= 28
28+ 8= 36
Example:
36+ 9= 45
45+ 10= 55
How many different rectangles are in a strip with
10 squares?
Review the Solution
Since the pattern shows that the number
of rectangles is equal to the previous number of
rectangles plus the number of squares in strip,
Understand the Problem therefore 45+10= 55 rectangles.
There are 10 squares in the figure. We
need to find out the number of rectangles in a
• Use of Logical Reasoning
strip with 10 squares.
Devise a Plan Some problems can be solved without
the use of numbers. They can be solved by the
Try the strategy of working a similar but
use of logical reasoning, given some
simpler problem. Begin with one square and
information.
Example: On Monday, Lenie withdraw ₱1,500 from her
savings account. On Wednesday, she deposited
Candy, Ferdie, Julie and Chona play ₱4,000 into her account. She now has ₱10,000.
different sports. Their sports are running, How much was in her account on Monday
basketball, baseball and tennis. Julie’s sport before she withdraw the money.
does not use a ball. Candy hit a home run in her
sport. Ferdie is the brother of the tennis player. Understand the Problem
Which sport does each play.
We need to determine the amount of
Understand the Problem money on Lenie’s savings account before she
withdraw ₱1,500 on Monday.
There are 4 people who play different
sports. Given the information, we need to know Devise a Plan
which sport of them plays.
Guessing the amount of money is one
Devise a Plan possible strategy but it requires many
computations. Since we know the end result,
Let us make a table and analyze which of let’s try the method of working backwards.
them plays the given sports. Use logical
reasoning to complete the table. Mark 1 for Carry Out the Plan
playing and 0 for not playing.
Knowing the amount of money in the
Carry Out the Plan account now, we have to undo the deposit and
the withdrawal.
Make a table to organize what you know.
Money in the account now ₱10,000
Running Basketball Baseball Tennis Reason Undo the deposit - ₱4, 000
A home run
means ₱6, 000
Candy 0 0 1 0 Candy
plays
baseball. Undo the withdrawal + ₱1, 500
Ferdie
cannot be ₱7, 500
Ferdie 0 1 0 0 the Tennis
player.
Julie must Answer: Lenie had ₱7, 500 in her account on
run since
running
Monday before withdrawing money.
Julie 1 0 0 0 does not
involve a
ball. Review the Solution
The only
Chona 0 0 0 1 option for
Chona is Check the solution by beginning with ₱7,
tennis.
500, the amount of money in the account before
the withdrawal on Monday. The resulting
Answer: Candy plays baseball, Ferdie plays
amount must be ₱10, 000.
basketball, Julie plays runs and Chona plays
tennis.
Money before the ₱7, 500
Withdrawal - ₱1, 500
Review the Solution
₱6, 000
Because of the reason given in the table,
Deposit + ₱4, 000
we prove that the answer is correct.
₱10,000

• Working Backwards
• Make an Organized List
To solve some problems, you need to
Making an organized list will lead you to
start with the end result and work backward to
work logically and systematically.
the beginning.
Example:
Example:
Michelle has 2 skirts: a black and blue
skirt. She has 4 blouses: a white blouse, a
yellow blouse, a red blouse and pink blouse.
How many different outfits can she put Write an equation using 𝑥 for one number, and
together? 2𝑥 for the other number.

Understand the Problem Equation: 𝑥 + 2𝑥 = 51

We need to find the number of different Carry Out the Plan

outfits Michelle can put together out of her 2
skirts and 4 blouses. Solve the above equation.

Devise a Plan 𝑥 + 2𝑥 = 51
3𝑥 = 51
Make an organized list to find the number of 3𝑥 51
different outfits Michelle can put together. =
3 3
𝑥 = 17
Carry Out the Plan
2𝑥 = 34
List the color of skirt at the left that will
correspond to the color of blouse to the right to Answer: The two numbers are 17 and 34.
see how many pairs can be made.
Review the Solution
Skirt - Blouse
Black - White Go back to the original equation and check by
Black - Yellow substituting the answer.
Black - Red
Black - Pink 𝑥 + 2𝑥 = 51
Blue - White 17 + 34 = 51
Blue - Yellow 51 = 51
Blue - Red
Blue - Pink The sum of 17 and 34 is 51 and 34 is twice of
17. Therefore, the answer is correct.
Answer: Michelle can make 8 different outfits.

Review the Solution

Go back to the list. Ater checking that all the data

were listed completely, then we can say that the
answer is correct.

• Write and Solve Equation

Algebraic expression is used to represent

information and solve problems. We used a
variable for the unknown quantity and express
the given information in an equation.

Example:

The sum of two numbers is 51. If one

number is twice the other, what are the
numbers?

Understand the Problem

We need to find two numbers whose sum is 51

and one number that is twice the other.

Devise a Plan