PROBLEM – SOLVING

November 2021
Instructor: Ms. Marie Cris A. Bulay-og
Inductive vs. Deductive reasoning

• Inductive reasoning:
Think of it like a
We start with specifics and move to generalities

• Deductive reasoning:
Think of it like a
We start with generalities and move to specifics
INDUCTIVE REASONING DEDUCTIVE REASONING
- from specifics to general - from general to specifics

Ex. 1: Diana, Mildred, and Alexa are all Ex. 1: All dancers are thin. Diana is a
thin. They are dancers. Therefore, all dancer. Therefore, Diana is thin.
dancers are thin.

Ex. 2: Parrots, eagles, and doves are Ex. 2: All birds can fly. Parrot is a bird.
birds. They can all fly. Therefore, all Therefore, parrots can fly.
birds can fly.
Inductive reasoning

Ex. 1: Find the next item in the sequence:

1.) December, November, October, … September

2.) 3, 6, 9, 12, … 15

3.) ←, ↑, →, … arrow down

Ex. 2: The teacher used PowerPoint in the last few classes. Therefore,
the teacher will use the PowerPoint tomorrow.
Inductive reasoning
Exercise: Use inductive reasoning to come up with a conclusion.

1.) You had a quiz in MMW every Friday for the past 4 weeks.
Today is Friday. Therefore, you will have a quiz in MMW.

2.) On the past 5 algebra quizzes, James got a 90% grade. James
had an algebra quiz today. Therefore, James will get a 90% grade in his Algebra quiz today.

3.)
Deductive reasoning

Ex. 1: The school policy states that all entering freshmen must
take a mathematics placement test.

You are an entering freshman.

Conclusion: You will have to take a mathematics placement test.

Deductive reasoning

Ex 2: The law says that we must wear a face mask when going outside.

I am going to the market.

Conclusion: I must wear a face mask.

Laws of Deduction

 Law of Detachment
 Law of Syllogism
 Law of Contrapositive
Law of Detachment (also known as modus ponens)

Basic form: 𝑷 → 𝑸
An example of 𝑷.
Therefore, 𝑸.

Example:
P

𝑃 → 𝑄: If an MMW student got 75% on his/her final exam,

then he/she will pass the course. Q
𝑃: Mila got 75% on her final exam in MMW.

𝑄: Therefore, she will pass the course.

Law of Syllogism (also known as chain rule)
𝑷→𝑸
𝑸→𝑹
Therefore, 𝑷 → 𝑹.

Example:
P Q
𝑃 → 𝑄: If it rains today, then Aldrick will not play dota. R
𝑄 → 𝑅: If Aldrick does not play dota, then he will not see his friends.
Q
𝑃 → 𝑅: Therefore, if it rains today, then Aldrick will not see his friends.
Law of Contrapositive (also known as modus tollens)

𝑷→𝑸
~𝑸
Therefore, ~𝑷.

Example:
P Q
𝑃 → 𝑄: If May has a crush on John, then she’ll think about him a lot.
~ 𝑄: May is not thinking about John a lot.
not Q
~ 𝑃: Therefore, she has no crush on John.
Exercises:

1.) A gardener knows that if it rains, the garden will be watered.

It is raining. Therefore, the garden will be watered. by Law of Detachment

2.) If a number is prime, then it does not have repeated factors.

If a number does not have repeated factors, then it is not a
perfect square. Therefore, if a number is prime, then it is not a perfect square. by Law of Syllogism

3.) If I live in Carcar, then I will eat lechon everyday.

I do not eat lechon everyday. Therefore, I do not live in Carcar. by Law of Contrapositive
Conjecture
- an unproved statement that appears to be true
- an educated guess
- a conclusion or claim based on incomplete information, for
which no proof has been found
 Example:
Decide if the conjecture seems true or false. If the conjecture is false, give a
counterexample.

False 1. Every USC student is a Filipino.

True 2. If a number is divisible by 9, then it is a multiple of 3.
True 3. The sum of an odd number and an even number is odd.
 Warm-up
How many squares of any size can be found on an
8x8 square grid, similar to the chessboard?
 Warm-up
How many squares of any size can be found on an
8x8 square grid, similar to the chessboard?
 Warm-up
How many squares of any size can be found on an
8x8 square grid, similar to the chessboard?
size horizontal vertical Positions
positions positions
1x1 8 8 64
2x2 7 7 49
3x3 6 6 36
4x4 5 5 25
5x5 4 4 16
6x6 3 3 9
7x7 2 2 4
8x8 1 1 1
Total: 204
• George Pólya, a prolific researcher and enthusiastic
teacher, was interested in discovering and explaining
solutions to problems.

• His classic book How to Solve It (1957) is a systematic

study of methods for discovery and solving problems.
More than 1 million copies have sold in 21 languages. His
ideas still affect how elementary grade students, teachers,
and mathematicians approach problem solving.

• He identified four phases of problem solving and listed

strategies suitable for the elementary mathematics. This
proven process relies on simple principles that will
increase your likelihood of solving mathematical
problems.
Four
 Polya’s Problem Solving Strategies

Look for a pattern backward

Work Background
Use direct reasoning or
Make a table or an orderly list
Logic
Solve an equivalent
Guess and Check problem or similar
problem
Use a formula or solve an
Draw a diagram or use a model
equation
Solve a simpler problem or
Eliminate possibilities
consider special cases
Look for a pattern
Clary was trying to finish all her math homework on Friday. She did
3 problems the first 30 minutes, 4 problems the next 30 minutes, 6
problems the next 30 minutes, 9 problems the next 30 minutes,
and so on. If she continues to work at this rate, how many
problems will she have done in 4 hours?
# of problems solved

1st 30 min  3
+1
2nd 30 min  4
+2
3rd 30 min  6
+3
4th 30 min  9
5th 30 mins -----> 13
6th 30 mins -----> 18 Total no. of solved problems = 108
7th 30 mins -----> 24
8th 30 mins -----> 31
 Make a table or an orderly list

Jace has 24 marbles. Each marble is blue or red. For every blue
marble, Jace has 3 red marbles. How many red marbles does Jace
have? 18 red marbles

5 6

15 18

20 24
Guess and Check
Draw a diagram or use a model

100 people are asked if they can

sing and/or dance. Sing Dance

34 people cannot sing or dance

46 people can sing
50 can dance 16 30 20
30 can both sing and dance

How many people can sing but not

dance? 16 people 34
Solve a simpler problem or consider special cases
What is the units digit of the sum of 1335 , 5730 , and 3433 ?
0 7 + 9 + 4 = 20
Listed below are some powers of 13, 57 and 34, respectively.
Powers of 13 Powers of 57 Powers of 34
131 = 13 571 = 57 341 = 34
132 = 169 572 = 3249 342 = 1156
133 = 2,197 573 = 185193 343 = 39304
134 = 28,561 574 = 10556001 344 = 1336336
135 = 371,293 575 = 601692057
13^6 = 4,826,809
The units digit, say 3, repeats after every 4th power.

Hence,

units digit of 13^35 = units digit of 13^3

=7
Work backward

8 1.) Think of a number (1 to 9).

11 2.) Add 3.
22 3.) Double that.
18 4.) Subtract 4.
9 5.) Divide the number by 2.
1 6.) Subtract your original number.
What is the result? 1
What is the original number? 8
Use direct reasoning or logic
Mr. and Mrs. Perez have 2 sons. Each son has three sisters.
How many children do Mr. and Mrs. Perez have altogether?
Use a Formula
1.) What is the area of a circle of radius 2𝑥?
2.) What is the volume of a sphere of radius 5?
Eliminate Possibilities
Tony is younger than 60 years of age. When you add the digits
of his age, the sum is 9. His age lies between two prime
numbers. If his age is a multiple of 6, how old is he?
 Exercises
For each number, follow the strategy given:
1.) There are 7 players in a ping-pong tournament. Each player plays
every other player exactly once. How many games will be played?
(Look for a pattern)

2.) The first week of USC chess club had 0 students. The second week
had 4. The third week had 10 and the fourth week had 18. If the
pattern continues, how many students will show up in the eighth
week? (Make a table or an orderly list)

3.) Which four consecutive addends will give you a sum of 86?
(Guess and check)
 Exercises
For each number, follow the strategy given:
4.) A farmer built a rectangular fence. Each corner of the rectangle had
a post. The shorter sides of the fence each had four equally spaced
posts, while the longer sides each had six equally spaced posts. How
many posts did she use? (Draw a diagram or use a model)

5.) What is the sum of 𝑖 2017 , 𝑖 2018 , and 𝑖 2019 where 𝑖 = −1 ?

(Solve a simpler problem or consider special cases)
 Exercises
For each number, follow the strategy given:
6.) You have a barrel of water, an 8-quart pail, a 5-quart pail, and an
empty barrel. You need to measure 11 quarts of water. Describe how to
measure exactly 11 quarts of water using these two pails. Assume you
have a large container that will hold as much water as you need.
(Use direct reasoning or logic)

7.) I thought of a number and added three to it. I then squared the
result and subtracted 7 from it. Lastly, I divided the new number by 7
and obtained 6. What was the number I started with?
(Working backwards)
 Exercises
For each number, follow the strategy given:
8.) The perimeter of a rectangular outdoor patio is 5454 ft. The length
is 33 ft. greater than the width. What are the dimensions of the patio?
(Use a formula)

9.) Mary, Mario, and Maria had breakfast together. Each chose a
different item: a breakfast tapsilog, bangusilog, and longsilog. Use the
information to match each person with his or her breakfast.
• Mary sat next to the person who ate the tapsilog.
• Mario does not like tapa and fish.
References:

 http://alisenberde.blogspot.com/2016/01/deductive-reasoning-
examples.html
 Images are retrieved from Google.
 Some notes are from my colleagues in the Math Section.