POLYA’S 4 STEP IN

PROBLEM SOLVING
 POLYA: “THE FATHER OF
PROBLEM SOLVING”

• George Pólya was a Hungarian

mathematician.
• He made fundamental contributions
to combinatorics, number theory,
numerical analysis and probability
theory.
 POLYA'S PROBLEM SOLVING
TECHNIQUES
• In 1945 George Polya 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 book he identifies four basic
principles of problem solving.
 1. UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM

• 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 diagram that
might help you understand the problem?
• Is there enough information to enable you to
find a solution? 4
 2. DEVISE A PLAN

• There are many reasonable ways to

solve problems.
• The skill lies in choosing an appropriate
strategy.
• This best learned by solving many
problems. You will find choosing a
strategy increasingly easy.

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 3. CARRY OUT THE PLAN

• This step is usually easier than devising the

plan. In general, all you need is care and
patience, given that you have the necessary
skills.
• Persist 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.
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 4. LOOK BACK

• 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.

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 PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGIES

• Guess and check • Use a model

• Look for a pattern • Work backwards
• Make an orderly list • Use direct reasoning
• Draw a picture • Use a formula
• Eliminate • Solve an equation
possibilities • Be ingenious
• Solve a simpler
problem
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 PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGY 1
GUESS AND CHECK

Making a guess and check to see if it

satisfies the demands of the problem.
If it doesn't, alter the guess
appropriately and check again. Keep
doing this until you find a solution.

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 PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGY 1
GUESS AND CHECK
Example:
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 1: Understanding the problem

We are given in the problem that there are 25 chickens and
cows.
All together 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. 10
PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGY 1
GUESS AND CHECK
Step 2: Devise a plan
Going to use Guess and test along with making a tab
Many times the strategy below is used with guess and
check.
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.

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PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGY
GUESS AND CHECK
Step 3: Carry out the plan:
Number of chicken Number of cow Total number of
Chickens Cows feet feet feet
20 5 40 20 60
21 4 42 16 58
15 10 30 40 70
12 13 24 52 76

Step 4: Looking back:

Check: 12 + 13 = 25 heads
24 + 52 = 76 feet.

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PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGY
LOOKING FOR A PATTERN
A sequence is a pattern involving an ordered
arrangement of numbers.
We first need to find a pattern.

Example: 10, 7, 4, 1, -2… find the next 2 numbers.

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PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGY
LOOKING FOR A PATTERN

In this sequence, the numbers are decreasing

by 3. 
So the next 2 numbers would be -5,-8
-2
. -3 = -5
-5 – 3 = -8

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PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGY
WORKING BACKWARDS
If you are given an answer, and the steps that
were taken to arrive at that answer, you
should be able to determine the starting
point.

Example:
Karen is thinking of a number. If you double
it, and subtract 7, you obtain 11. What is
Karen’s number?
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PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGY
WORKING BACKWARDS

1. We start with 11 and work backwards.

2. The opposite of subtraction is addition. We
will add 7 to 11. We are now at 18.
3. The opposite of doubling something is
dividing by 2. 18/2 = 9
4. This should be our answer. Looking back:
9 x 2 = 18 -7 = 11

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Thank you
and
God bless!
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