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Source: https://thinking.umwblogs.org/2019/12/05/4754/

Polya’s
Problem-
Solving
Method

Jemil R. Abay
Instructor I
College of Education, Partido
State University

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Objectives
•Apply Polya’s four steps in solving problems.
•Organize one’s methods and approaches for
proving and solving problems.

Some Problem-Solving Strategies

• Strategy 1: Look for a Pattern
• A pattern is a repeated arrangement of shapes,
colors, numbers, and the like.
• It refers to a usual procedure or rule that can be
followed to predict what came before or what
might come after.

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Example 1: Look at the pattern below. How many circles would be in the 50th
unit in this pattern? What equation will you use to solve this problem?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Solution:
• There is always an additional one circle every time the unit number increases.
• Add one circle from the previous unit number.
• Assume that the unit number is denoted by “x”, adding one to it makes the rule
become “x + 1”.
• Using the rule to get the 50th unit, we have x + 1 = 50 + 1 = 51.
• Hence, the 50th unit has 51 circles.

Example 2: Predict the next term in the sequence 2, 7, 24, 59, 118,
207, …
Solution:

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Some Problem-Solving Strategies

• Strategy 2: Guess and Check
• “Guess and Check” is a problem-solving strategy
that we can use to solve any mathematical
problem by making a guess and then checking
that the guess satisfies the conditions of the
problem.

Example 1: I wrote 3 different numbers on 3 cards. The sum of

the numbers is 7. What did I put on the cards?
Solution:
• Try 1+2+3 = 6 (it’s too low)
• Try 1+2+4 = 7 (it’s correct)
• Therefore, I put 1, 2, and 4.

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Example 2: Tom played darts and the target had 3 sections: 30 points, 14
points, and 8 points. He took 5 tries but missed the target twice. His score
was 46. What sections did he hit?

Solution:
• Try 30+14+8 = 52 (it’s too high).
• Try 30+8+8 =46 (it’s correct).
• Therefore, he hit 30, 8, and 8.

Some Problem-Solving Strategies

• Strategy 3: Work Backward
• Solving problems using the “work backward”
strategy involves systematically undoing the
problem.
• If you are provided with an answer and the steps
necessary to obtain it, you should determine the
starting point.

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Example 1: Karen is thinking of a number. If you double it and subtract 7, you

obtain 11. What is Karen’s number?

Solution:
• We start with 11 and work backward.
• The opposite of subtraction is addition. We will add
7 to 11. We are now at 18.
• The opposite of doubling something is dividing by 2,
so 18÷2 = 9.
• Looking back: 9 x 2 = 18 -7 = 11
• Therefore, Karen’s number is 9.

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Example 2: Ben is trying to decide when to get up in the morning. He needs

40 minutes to get ready for school. It takes him 10 minutes to walk to school.
If school starts at 8:30 a.m., and he wants to be on time, what time should he
get up?
Solution:
• The problem gives us the amount of time it will take to complete 2 tasks
(40 minutes and 10 minutes).
• It also tells us the time the last task must end (8:30 a.m.).
• Task 1: If Ben walked for 10 minutes, he would start walking at 8:20 a.m.
• Task 2: If he needed 40 minutes to get ready, he had to get up 40
minutes before 8:20 a.m., at 7:40 a.m.
• Therefore, he should get up no later than 7:40 a.m. to ensure he arrives
at school on time.

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Some Problem-Solving Strategies

• Strategy 4: Draw a Picture/Diagram/Model
• The most frequently used strategy for solving a
problem is to draw a picture/diagram/model.
• A picture/diagram/model is often required to
understand the problem.
• The picture/diagram/model represents the
problem so we can see, understand, and
think about it clearly.

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Example 1: Dana found a piece of 8 inches rope. She cut the rope into equal
length. She made 3 cuts. How long is each piece of the rope now?

Solution:
• We can represent the rope with an 8-inch length by
drawing a horizontal line.

• Therefore, each piece of rope is now only 2 inches.

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Example 2: Mayumi wants to put a border around a picture of her family and
herself. The picture has a length and width of about 15 inches and 10 inches,
respectively. What are the dimensions of the border if she wants it to be 3
inches wider and longer at both sides?

Solution:
• Making a sketch like the one shown below will help
us visualize the problem.

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Polya’s Problem Solving

Method
• George Polya designed a four-step
method to solve all kinds of problems.
➢ Understand the Problem
➢ Devise a Plan
➢ Carry out The Plan
➢ Look Back

Source: https://courses.cs.vt.edu/~cs1104/ProblemSolving/PS.070.html

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Polya’s Problem-Solving Method

Source:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323883207_South_African_Grade_9_Mathematics_Teachers%27_Views_on_the_Teaching_of_Problem_Solving/figures
?lo=1

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Example 1: Mr. Jones has a total of 25 chickens and cows on his farm. How
many of each does he have if all together there are 76 feet?
Solution:
Step 1: Understand the problem
• We are given in the problem that there are 25 chickens and cows. Altogether, there are 76
feet.
• Chickens have 2 feet, and cows have 4 feet. We are trying to determine how many cows
and how many chickens Mr. Jones has on his farm.
Step 2: Devise a plan
• Make a table and look for a pattern.
• Procedure: Make a table reflecting the data in the problem. If done in an orderly way, such
a table will often reveal patterns and relationships that suggest how the problem can be
solved.
Number of chicken Number of cow Total number of
Chickens Cows feet feet feet
20 5 40 20 60
21 4 42 16 58

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Example 1: Mr. Jones has a total of 25 chickens and cows on his farm. How
many of each does he have if all together there are 76 feet?
Step 3: Carry out the plan

Step 4: Look back

• 12 + 13 = 25 heads
• 24 + 52 = 76 feet
• Therefore, there are 12 chickens and 13 cows on the farm.

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Example 2: Twice the difference of a number and 1 is 4 more than that

number. Find the number.

Solution:
Step 1: Understand the problem
• Since we are looking for a number, we will let x = a number.
Step 2: Device a plan
• Translate the statement into an expression or equation.
• Twice the difference of a number and 1 is 4 more than that
number
2 (x – 1) = x+4

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Example 2: Twice the difference of a number and 1 is 4 more than that

number. Find the number.

Step 3: Carry out the plan

• Solve the obtained equation in Step 2.
2(x – 1) =x+4
2x – 2 = x + 4
2x – x = 4 + 2
x=6
Step 4: Look back
• Check the answer.
2(6 – 1)= 6 + 4
2(5) = 10
10 = 10
• So, the number is 6.
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Example 3: A math class has 30 students. Approximately 70% passed their

last math test. How many students passed the last math test?

Solution:
Step 1: Understand the problem
• We are looking for how many students passed the last math test. We will let
x = number of students
Step 2: Device a plan
• Translate “a number that is 70% of 30”
x = .7 (30)

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Example 3: A math class has 30 students. Approximately 70% passed their

last math test. How many students passed the last math test?

Step 3: Carry out the plan

• Solve the obtained equation in Step 2.
x = .7 (30)
x = 21
Step 4: Look back
• Check and interpret. 21 is 70% of 30. So, 21 students passed the last math
test.

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