1. The total cost of 1 apple, 2 bananas and 3 pears is RM3. The total cost of a banana and a pear is 60 sen.

Find the total cost of an apple and a pear.

Problem solving and Exercise..1

Problem solving describes the process an individual uses to respond to and overcome obstacles or barriers when a solution or method of solution to a problem is not immediately obvious. An exercise is typically solved by a collection of prescribed steps commonly called an algorithm, that leads to a solution

Problem solving and Exercise..2

A problem, requires greater insight and analysis before an approach to a solution is offered An exercise for some people is a problem for others not because the answer is unknown, but rather because a method of determining the answer is unknown

Problem solving and Exercise..3

Solving problems requires that the learner be involved in decision making whereas answering exercises involves applying an algorithm or a set of structured stepby-step procedure.

What are heuristics?

They are a set of suggestion and questions that a person must go through in order to resolve a dilemma. They provide the direction needed to approach, understand, and obtain answers to problems. There is no single set of heuristics for problem solving although several people have put forward workable models.

Polyas Model of Problem Solving

1.

2.

3.

4.

Understand the problem (interpret problem to ones understanding) Devise a plan (plan and choose suitable problem solving strategy) Carry out the plan (implement the chosen strategy) Look back (reflect on the effectiveness of the chosen strategy

To interpret problem to ones understanding1

Note the key words Describe the problem setting Visualize the action Restate the problem in your own words What is being asked for? What information is given? Is there enough information? Is there too much information?

To plan and choose suitable problem solving strategy1

Organize the information Draw a diagram or construct a model Make a chart or table Guess and check Act out/simulation Working backward

To plan and choose suitable problem solving strategy2

Analogy Simplify the problem Identify sub goals Make a table Identify the pattern Experimenting

To implement the chosen strategy

Carry out your strategy Use computational skills Use geometric skills Use algebraic skills Use elementary logic

To reflect on the effectiveness of the chosen strategy

Check your answer Find another way/method What if.? Extend Generalize

Example 1

Each of the five digits 1,2,3,4 and 5 is used to fill each of the circles (in the figure below) such that each line of the three digits add up to the same sum. How many possible solutions are there? Is it possible for the digit in the centre circle to be an even number? Explain your reasoning.

Example 2

The total cost of 4 footballs and 5 basketballs is RM45.50. The total cost of 3 footballs and 2 basketballs is RM24.50. Find the cost of each type of ball.

Example 3

Three missionaries and three cannibals are on one bank of a river. They have a rowboat that will hold at most two people. All the missionaries know how to row, but only one of the cannibals can row. How can the group cross to the other side of the river in such a manner that missionaries are never outnumbered by cannibals on either riverbank?

Five scientists ( a botanist, a geneticist, a chemist, a physicist, and a zoologist) live on the same street in different coloured houses (white, red, brown, green, and yellow). Each scientist owns a different pet, a different car, and each has a preference for a certain drink. Using the information given about the scientists, find out who owns the zebra and who drinks the coffee Clues: The chemists pet crows early each morning The cat lives next door to the brown house The geneticist lives in the white house. The owner of the cat drinks diet Pepsi. The botanist painted her house green The Milo drinker lives in the red house The toyota is parked in the driveway on the green house The physicist lives at the end of the street in the yellow house The new black Wira belongs to the geneticist The zoologist owns a talking parrot. The botanist lives next to the zoologist The honda owner prefers a herbal tea The middle house is white The BMW owner lives between the toyota owner and the coke drinker The chemist drives a satria The rooster and the dog are neighbours.

Example 5

A piece of wire 52 meters long is cut into two segments of integral lengths. Each segment is bent to form a square. The sum of the areas of two squares is 97 square meters. Find the length of each segment.

Example 6

A customer enters a store and purchase a pair of slippers for RM5, paying for the purchase with RM20 bill. The merchant , unable to make change asks the grocer next door to change the bill. The merchant than gives the customer the slippers and RM15 change. After the customer leaves, the grocer discover that the RM20 bill is counterfeit and demands that the shoe store owner make good of it. The shoe store owner does so, and by the law is obliged to turn the counterfeit bill to the police. How much does the shoe owner lose in this transaction?

Example 7
Here are some children and pizzas. 7 girls share 2 pizzas equally and 3 boys share 1 pizza equally Does each girl get the same amount as each boy? Explain or show how you found your answer. If each girl does not get the same amount as each boy, who gets more? Explain or show how you found your answer

Various Convincing Arguments for the Pizza Ratio Problem

Each boy will get 1/3 of a pizza, and each girl will get 2/7 of a pizza. If you compared 1/3 with 2/7, you would know that 1/3 is bigger than 2/7 by transforming them into common fractions decimals if there were six girls, each girl and each boy would have the same. But you have 7 girls, so each girl gets less than each boy

Three girls share one pizza, and another three girls share another pizza. Each of these six girls will get the same amount of the pizza as each boy. But one of the girls has no pizza. So, each boy will get more Three girls shared one pizza and remaining four share one pizza. Each piece that each of the remaining four girls get are smaller than those boys get. So boys get more

Seven girls get two pizzas, and 3 boys get one pizza. The girls have twice as many pizzas as boys. But the number of girls is more than twice that of the boys. So the boys get more Each pizza was cut into 4 pieces. Each girl gets 1 piece, and 1 piece left over. Each boy gets piece, and 1 piece left over. The 1 piece left over must be shared by the seven girls, but the one piece left over will be shared by the three boys. So the boys get more.

7/2 = 3.5 and 3/1 = 3. Therefore 3.5 girls will share one pizza and 3 boys will share one pizza. Thus each boy gets more Each pizza is cut into 21 pieces. Each girl will get 6 pieces, and each boy will get 7 pieces. So each boy gets more

Example 8
Mr A solved the inequality 1 2x < 2(6 x) 1 2x < 2(6 x) 1 2x < 12 2x 2x + 2x < 12 1 0 < 11 Here Mr. A got into difficulty. Write down your opinion about Mr. As solution Write down your way of solving this inequality 1 2x < 2(6 x) and your reason

Example 9

1. Find the value of the unit digits in the answer to the following calculation 1 + 1x2 + 1x2x3 + 1x2x3x4 + + 1x2x3x4xx18x19 2. Find the number of zeros at the end of the product 1x2x3x4x5xx99x100

Example 10

A man competing on a game show ran into a loosing streak. First he bet half of his money on one question and lost it. Then he lost half of his remaining money on another question. Then he lost RM300 on another question. Then he lost half of his remaining money on another question. Finally he got a question right and won RM200. At this point the show ended, and he had RM1200 left. How much did he have before his losing streak began?

Example 11
1. Find the product of: (1 1/2)(1 - 1/3)(1 1/4) . . . (1 1/98)(1 1/99)(1 1/100) 2. What is the unit digit of 20022001

Example 12

Seorang pemuda pergi ke sebuah perigi ingin mendapatkan 4 liter air dengan menggunakan dua buah bekas yang tidak bersenggat yang setiap satunya boleh mengisi 3 dan 5 liter air. Bagaimanakah pemuda itu boleh mendapatkan air tepat 4 liter dengan menggunakan bekasbekas itu sahaja?

Example 13

Seorang tua ingin mewasiatkan tanahnya kepada 4 orang anaknya supaya setiap orang anaknya mendapat luas tanah yang sama banyak. Bagaimanakah caranya membahagikan tanah tersebut jika tanah orang tua itu berbentuk seperti rajah berikut:

Thank you

TUTORIAL 1.1

WORKS IN GROUP OF THREE SOLVE THE GIVEN PROBLEMS USING THE STAGES IN THE HEURISTIC PLAN IDENTIFY THE STRATEGY THAT YOU USED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM

PROBLEM 1 The Kings elephant Problem

Once upon a time the king of Siam asked his warriors to measure the weight of an elephant. However the weight of the elephant was too heavy to be measured by the biggest weighing machine available. Your task is to help the warriors to solve the problem

ABU NAWAS PROBLEM

IN ONE OF THE STORIES IN ONE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHT, ABU NAWAS WOULD ONLY ALLOW ANY TRAVELLEER TO FETCH WATER FROM THE ONLY WELL IN THE DESERT AFTER SOLVING THE FOLLOWING PROBLEM: THE TRAVELLERS WERE GIVEN A 3-LITRE CONTAINER AND A 5-LITRE CONTAINER THEY HAVE TO MEASURE EXACTLY FOUR AND SEVEN LITRES OF WATER USING THE ABOVE CONTAINERS. YOU ARE REQUIRED TO HELP THE TRAVELLERS SOLVE THE PROBLEM

CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING

CREATE ANOTHER PROBLEM THAT CAN BE SOLVED USING DIFFERENT STRATEGY/STRATEGIES