Republic of the Philippines

PALAWAN STATE UNIVERSITY

PSU-PCAT
Cuyo, Palawan

MATH 16 – PROBLEM SOLVING, MATHEMATICAL INVESTIGATION AND MODELING

CHAPTER 2: PROBLEM SOLVING HEURISTICS

INSTRUCTOR: JASON L. TORIO, LPT, MAEM

Learning Outcomes
After going through this module, you should have:
1. Identify patterns from a systematic exploration of a problem situation and
formulate conjectures.
2. Make a diagram to clarify understanding of non-routine problems.

Let’s Solve These!

Becky bought five pencils and pens at a total cost of P29. A pencil costs P4
while a pen costs P7. How many pens did Becky buy?

Lesson 1 Search for a Pattern and formulate Conjecture

A pattern is a regular, systematic repetition, and which often occurs in problems where
there is a progression of data. Patterns may be numerical, verbal, spatial/visual, patterns
in time or patterns in sound.

When student use this problem solving strategy, they are encouraged to analyze patterns
in data by decoding rules that create the pattern and make predictions and generalizations
based on their analysis. The rules or formulas developed or discovered point to the
solution. Students then must check the generalization against the information in the
problem and possibly make a prediction from, or extension of, the given information.

By identifying the pattern, one can predict what will come next and will happen again and
again in the same way. Looking for patterns is a very important strategy for problem
solving, and is used to solve many different kinds of problems. Sometimes one can solve
a problem just by recognizing a pattern, but often he or she will have to extend a pattern
to find a solution. Making a table often reveals patterns, and for this reason it is frequently
used in conjunction with this strategy.

Example Problem
Dots are arranged in triangular patterns as shown below

Triangle Triangle Triangle

1 2 3
a. Draw the pattern of dots for Triangles 4 and 5

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 b. How many dots are there in the 7th pattern
c. Come up with a rule or formula to determine the number of dots in the nth
pattern

Solution:
a. If we continue the pattern, Tringles 4 and 5 would be look like the following:

Triangle Triangle
4 5

b. To determine the number of dots in the 7 th pattern and in the nth pattern, we construct
a table
Pattern 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 n
Number of Dots 1 3 6 10 15

Observe that the number of dots form a pattern such as 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, and so on. There
is one dot in the first pattern. To get the number of dots in the second pattern, we add 2
to which makes it 3. To get the number of dots in 3rd pattern, add 3 to 3 to get 6. To get
the number of dots in the 4th pattern, add 4 to 6 to make 10. It means, we are adding 2,
3, 4, 5 and so on to the number of dots to get the next. Therefore, the 6 th pattern has 15
(5th pattern) +6 = 21 dots; the 7th pattern has 21 + 7 = 28 dots.

Pattern 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 n
Number of Dots 1 3 6 10 15 21 28

c. By analyzing the data presented in the table, a rule may be formulated to find the
number of dots in the nth pattern that is

𝑛(𝑛+1)
Number of dots in the nth pattern = 2

Lesson 2 Make a Diagram

Drawing a diagram, picture, or model is one of the most helpful strategies for
understanding a problem and of obtaining ideas for a solution. Pupils represent problem
situations with drawings to help them see the relationship between the components in a
problem. The use of drawing provides a method for organizing information that could
lead to the selection of another problems solving strategy. Students are encouraged to
draw only the essential details that would make the problem clearer and easier to
understand.

Example Problem
Jeena bought eight marbles from Roden. Roden told Jeena, “these eight marbles
look alike but one is slightly heavier than the others. I will give you these marbles for free

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if by using a balance scale, you can determine the heavier one in exactly 3 weighing.”
Jeana was so happy to take home her free marbles. How did she do it?

Solution:
This problem may also be solved by acting out. However, using drawing can be more
convenient without sacrificing the clarity of the process.
We start by representing the 8 marbles with small circles numbered 1 to 8.
For the first weighing, group the marbles into two groups by placing marbles 1 – 4
at the left of the balance scale and marbles 5-8 at the right.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

If the left side of the scale goes down, then the heavier marble is among marbles 1-
4. If the right side goes down, then the heavier one is among marbles 5 – 8.

Assuming that the left side of the balance scale goes down, then we separate marbles
1 and 2 from 3 and 4 and place them on the opposite ends of the balance scale

1 2 3 4

Let’s assume, this time, that the right side of the balance scale goes down. Then the
heavier marble is between 3 and 4. Finally, we place 3 and 4 on opposite sides of the
balance scale.

3 4

If the left side goes down, then marble 3 is heavier marble. On the other hand, if the
right side goes down, then it’s marble 4 which is the heavier one. So in three weighing, we
were able to identify the heavier marble among eight marbles.

Lesson 3 Organize Data and Use Logic

In this strategy, data or information are organized by listing them or recording
them systematically in tables. The data are then analyzed to discover relationship and
patterns and to draw out generalizations or solutions to the problem. Using this strategy
provides the student an opportunity to practice constructing tables, collecting
information, and recording them in tables where they decide the number of columns,
rows, and labels. This strategy is often used in conjunction with the strategy of finding
patterns, making a simpler problem, and even guess and check.
Logical reasoning is a very useful strategy which may be used in all problem
solving situations. It may also be used together with other strategies like Guess and
Check, Draw a Diagram, and Find a Pattern, to name a few. Moreover, the strategy of
elimination is commonly used by people in everyday life. In a problem-solving context,

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students list and then eliminate possible solutions based upon information presented in
the problem.
The act of selecting a problem-solving strategy is an example of the elimination
process. It can result in the elimination of incorrect answers, particularly in “if-then”
situations, and in problems with a listable number of possible solutions. In instances
when the students has many options to choose from, he may start by eliminating choices
that are obviously wrong. By so doing this, he narrows down the choices which makes it
a lot easier for him to make the final decision.

Example Problem
Dyeo, Mike, and Sperv could each be a dancer, a mechanic, or a singer. None has
a job that starts with the same letter as his name. Dyeo recently had his car repaired by
the mechanic. Who has which job?

Solution:
This problem can be solved using logical reasoning or process of elimination.
However, similar but more complicated problems might be too difficult to solve without
the aid of a table. So let us use a table for this problem.

Dancer Mechanic Singer

Dyeo
Mike
Sperv

The first clue is that “None has a job that starts with the same letter of his name.”
So we place an “X” on the appropriate space to eliminate those possibilities.

Dancer Mechanic Singer

Dyeo X
Mike X
Sperv X
The next clue is “Dyeo recently had his car repaired by the mechanic. “It is then
implied in this statement that Dyeo is not the mechanic. So we can place an “X” on that
space.
Dancer Mechanic Singer
Dyeo X X
Mike X
Sperv X

With this done, we can now have two definite answer. First: since Dyeo is neither
a dancer nor a mechanic, then surely he is the singer. Second: since the mechanic is
neither Dyeo nor Mike, then he must be Sperv.

Dancer Mechanic Singer

Dyeo X X /
Mike X
Sperv / X

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 If there is already a check in a row or in a column, the rest of the spaces in that
row or column would already be an X.

Dancer Mechanic Singer

Dyeo X X /
Mike X X
Sperv X / X

We already identified that Dyeo is the singer and Sperv is the mechanic. This
leaves Mike as the dancer.
Dancer Mechanic Singer
Dyeo X X /
Mike / X X
Sperv X / X

Therefore, Dyeo is the singer, Mike is the dancer, and Sperv is the mechanic.

Reference.
1. Mayormente, JJ. Math 16 – Problem Solving, Mathematical Investigation and
Modeling

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