George Polya

1887 - 1985

George Polya was a Hungarian who immigrated to the United States in 1940. His major
contribution is for his work in problem solving.

Growing up he was very frustrated with the practice of having to regularly memorize
information. He was an excellent problem solver. Early on his uncle tried to convince
him to go into the mathematics field but he wanted to study law like his late father had.
After a time at law school he became bored with all the legal technicalities he had to
memorize. He tired of that and switched to Biology and the again switched to Latin and
Literature, finally graduating with a degree. Yet, he tired of that quickly and went back to
school and took math and physics. He found he loved math.

His first job was to tutor Gregor the young son of a baron. Gregor struggled due to his
lack of problem solving skills. Polya (Reimer, 1995) spent hours and developed a
method of problem solving that would work for Gregor as well as others in the same
situation. Polya (Long, 1996) maintained that the skill of problem was not an inborn
quality but, something that could be taught.

He was invited to teach in Zurich, Switzerland. There he worked with a Dr. Weber. One
day he met the doctors daughter Stella he began to court her and eventually married
her. They spent 67 years together. While in Switzerland he loved to take afternoon
walks in the local garden. One day he met a young couple also walking and chose
another path. He continued to do this yet he met the same couple six more times as he
strolled in the garden. He mentioned to his wife how could it be possible to meet them
so many times when he randomly chose different paths through the garden.

He later did experiments that he called the random walk problem. Several years later he
published a paper proving that if the walk continued long enough that one was sure to
return to the starting point.

In 1940 he and his wife moved to the United States because of their concern for Nazism
in Germany (Long, 1996). He taught briefly at Brown University and then, for the
remainder of his life, at Stanford University. He quickly became well known for his
research and teachings on problem solving. He taught many classes to elementary and
secondary classroom teachers on how to motivate and teach skills to their students in
the area of problem solving.

In 1945 he published the book How to Solve It which quickly became his most prized
publication. It sold over one million copies and has been translated into 17 languages.
In this text he identifies four basic principles .

Polyas First Principle: Understand the Problem

This seems so obvious that it is often not even mentioned, yet students are often
stymied in their efforts to solve problems simply because they dont understand it fully,
or even in part. Polya taught teachers to ask students questions such as:

Do you understand all the words used in stating the problem?

What are you asked to find or show?

Can you restate the problem in your own words?

Can you think of a picture or a diagram that might help you understand the problem?

Is there enough information to enable you to find a solution?

Polyas Second Principle: Devise a plan

Polya mentions (1957) that it are many reasonable ways to solve problems. The skill at
choosing an appropriate strategy is best learned by solving many problems. You will
find choosing a strategy increasingly easy. A partial list of strategies is included:

Guess and check

Make and orderly list

Eliminate possibilities

Use symmetry

Consider special cases

Use direct reasoning

Solve an equation

Look for a pattern

Draw a picture

Solve a simpler problem

Use a model

Work backward

Use a formula

Be ingenious

Polyas third Principle: Carry out the plan

This step is usually easier than devising the plan. In general (1957), all you need is care
and patience, given that you have the necessary skills. Persistent with the plan that you
have chosen. If it continues not to work discard it and choose another. Don’t be misled,
this is how mathematics is done, even by professionals. Polyas Fourth Principle: Look
back

Polya mentions (1957) that much can be gained by taking the time to reflect and look
back at what you have done, what worked and what didn’t. Doing this will enable you to
predict what strategy to use to solve future problems.

George Polya went on to publish a two-volume set, Mathematics and Plausible

Reasoning (1954) and Mathematical Discovery (1962). These texts form the basis for
the current thinking in mathematics education and are as timely and important today as
when they were written. Polya has become known as the father of problem solving.

1. Who is the father of problem solving?

George Polya, known as the father of modern problem solving, did extensive studies
and wrote numerous mathematical papers and three books about problem solving. I'm
going to show you his method of problem solving to help step you through these
problems.

2. What did George Polya invent?

He was regarded as the father of the modern emphasis in math education on problem
solving. A leading research mathematician of his time, Dr. Polya made seminal
contributions to probability, combinatorial theory and conflict analysis. His work on
random walk and his famous enumeration theorem have been widely applied.

3. Where was George Polya born?

Budapest, Hungary

4. What is George Polya known for?

George Polya. 1887 - 1985. George Polya was a Hungarian who immigrated to the
United States in 1940. His major contribution is for his work in problem solving. Growing
up he was very frustrated with the practice of having to regularly memorize information.

5. How did George Polya die?

Complications from a stroke

6. What is Polya's method?

Polya's 4-Step Process. George Polya was a mathematician in the 1940s. He devised a
systematic process for solving problems that is now referred to by his name: the Polya
4-Step Problem-Solving Process. In this lesson, we will discuss each step of the Polya
process while working through the solution to a problem.

7. How do you use critical thinking and creative thinking in solving problems?

-You Will Learn How To:

-Make better decisions through critical thinking and creative problem solving.

-Develop your personal creativity.

-Select the best decision given the specific situation.

-Apply processes to assess work issues and problems.

-Transform your creativity into practical business solutions.

 8. What is critical thinking and why is it important?

Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally about what to do or what to
believe. It includes the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking.
Someone with critical thinking skills is able to do the following : understand the logical
connections between ideas.

9. What are the six steps of problem solving?

The Six Steps

-Define the Problem.

-Determine the Root Cause(s) of the Problem.

-Develop Alternative Solutions.

-Select a Solution.

-Implement the Solution.

-Evaluate the Outcome.

10. What are the four steps to problem solving according to George Polya?

Polya created his famous four-step process for problem solving, which is used all over
to aid people in problem solving:

Step 1: Understand the problem.

Step 2: Devise a plan (translate).

Step 3: Carry out the plan (solve).

Step 4: Look back (check and interpret).

11. How do you solve difficult problems?

Here are seven-steps for an effective problem-solving process.

-Identify the issues. Be clear about what the problem is. ...

-Understand everyone's interests. ...

-List the possible solutions (options) ...

-Evaluate the options. ...

-Select an option or options. ...

-Document the agreement(s). ...

-Agree on contingencies, monitoring, and evaluation.

12. What are problem solving models?

Problem Solving Model. The Problem-Solving Model is shown here. It is used when a
project team is solving a basic problem. These ten steps are effective with most of the
problems the team will encounter. Each step is discussed here, and end products for
step completion are specified as check points for team progress.
 MY PORTFOLIO
IN LAW & OBLIGATION

Submitted by:

Ramos, Clarisa Jane C.

Submitted To:

Sir Alvin Garrido

 MY PORTFOLIO

IN LAW of OBLIGATION

Submitted by:

Ramos, Clarisa Jane C.

Submitted To:

Sir Alvin Garrido