PROBLEM SOLVING AND

REASONING

Reference: Mathematics Excursion

Mathematics in the Modern World, C&E Publication
 OBJECTIVES

1. Distinguish inductive from deductive reasoning

2. Give examples of inductive and deductive processes of
inference
3. Use either inductive or deductive reasoning to solve
practical problems.
INDUCTIVE AND DEDUCTIVE REASONING

General principle

Pattern

Specific statement Specific statement

Pattern

General principle
 INDUCTIVE/DEDUCTIVE REASONING

Argument 1: The sum of two odd integers is an even number

m and n are odd integers
Thus, m + n is even.

Argument 2: 3+ 5 = 8, 7+11= 18, 9 +21= 30

Therefore, the sum of two odd integers is even.
 INDUCTIVE REASONING

It is the process of reaching a general conclusion by examining

specific examples.
Ex. 3, 6, 9, 12, ___, ____
1, 3, 6, 10, 15, _____
2, 5, 10, 17, 26, _____
1. Examining a list of numbers and then predicting the
next number
 INDUCTIVE REASONING

2. We also use inductive reasoning to make a conjecture

about arithmetic procedure.
Example:
1. Pick a number. Multiply the number by 8. Add 6 to the
product. Divide the sum by 2. and subtract 3.
2. Pick a number. Multiply the number by 9. Add 15 to the
product. Divide the sum by 3 and subtract 5.
 INDUCTIVE REASONING
3. Scientists often use inductive reasoning. For instance, Galileo
Galilei (1564– 1642) used inductive reasoning to discover that
the time required for a pendulum to complete one swing,
called the period of the pendulum, depends on the length of
the pendulum. Galileo did not have a clock, so he measured
the periods of pendulums in “heartbeats.”
 INDUCTIVE REASONING
The following table shows some results obtained for pendulums
of various lengths. For the sake of convenience, a length of 10
inches has been designated as 1 unit.

Length of pendulum, Period of pendulum,

in units in heartbeats
1 1
4 2
9 3 The period of a pendulum is the
time it takes for the pendulum to
16 4 swing from left to right and back
25 5 to its original position.
36 6
 DEDUCTIVE REASONING
▼ Deductive reasoning is the process of reaching a conclusion
by applying general assumptions, procedures, or principles.
1. Use a deductive reasoning to establish a conjecture.
Ex.
Use deductive reasoning to show that the following procedure
produces a number that is four times the original number.
➢ Pick a number. Multiply the number by 8, add 6 to the
product, divide the sum by 2, and subtract 3.
 DEDUCTIVE REASONING
Pick a number. Multiply the number by 8, add 6 to the product,
divide the sum by 2, and subtract 3.
Sol.
Let n represent the original number.
 DEDUCTIVE REASONING
2. Pick a number. Multiply the number by 6, add 10 to the
product, divide the sum by 2, and subtract 5. Hint: Let n
represent the original number. Use deductive reasoning to
show that the procedure produces a number that is three times
the original number.
 INDUCTIVE VS DEDUCTIVE REASONING
Ex. Determine whether each of the following arguments is an
example of inductive reasoning or deductive reasoning.
a. During the past 10 years, a tree has produced plums every
other year. Last year the tree did not produce plums, so this
year the tree will produce plums.
b. b. All home improvements cost more than the estimate. The
contractor estimated that my home improvement will cost
P85,000. Thus my home improvement will cost more than
P85,000.
 LOGIC PUZZLES
Logic Puzzles can be solved by using deductive reasoning
and a chart that enables us to display the given information
in a visual manner.
 LOGIC PUZZLES
Each of four neighbors, Sean, Maria, Sarah, and Brian, has a
different occupation (editor, banker, chef, or dentist). From
the following clues, determine the occupation of each
neighbor.
1. Maria gets home from work after the banker but before
the dentist.
2. Sarah, who is the last to get home from work, is not the
editor.
3. The dentist and Sarah leave for work at the same time.
4. The banker lives next door to Brian.
 PROBLEM SOLVING WITH PATTERNS
An ordered list of numbers such as
5, 14, 27, 44, 65, ….
is called a sequence. The numbers in a sequence that are
separated by commas are the terms of the sequence. In the
above sequence, 5 is the first term, 14 is the second term, 27
is the third term, 44 is the fourth term, and 65 is the fifth term.
The three dots “...” indicate that the sequence continues
beyond 65, which is the last written term.
 PROBLEM SOLVING WITH PATTERNS
It is customary to use the subscript notation 𝑎𝑛 to designate
the nth term of a sequence. That is,
𝑎1 represents the first term of a sequence.
𝑎2 represents the second term of a sequence.
𝑎3 represents the third term of a sequence.
.
.
.
𝑎𝑛 represents the nth term of a sequence.
 PROBLEM SOLVING WITH PATTERNS
Example:
1. 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, . . .
2. 5, 14, 27, 44, 65, …
3. 2, 7, 24, 59, 118, 207, …
 NTH TERM FORMULA FOR A SEQUENCE
In some cases we can use patterns to predict a formula,
called an 𝑛𝑡ℎ -term formula, that generates the terms of a
sequence.
𝑎𝑛 = 𝑎1 + 𝑛 − 1 𝑑
 NTH TERM FORMULA FOR A SEQUENCE
Assume the pattern shown by the square tiles in the following
figures continues.
a. What is the nth-term formula for the number of tiles in the
nth figure of the sequence?
b. How many tiles are in the eighth figure of the sequence?
c. Which figure will consist of exactly 320 tiles?
 NTH TERM FORMULA FOR A SEQUENCE
Example:
1. What is the 8th term of the arithmetic sequence 7, 11, 15,
19, …?
2. Find the first term of the arithmetic sequence whose fifth
term is 49 and the common difference is 13.
 PROBLEM-SOLVING STRATEGIES
Objectives:
1. Apply Polya’s four-step problem solving strategy in solving
certain problems.
2. Use Polya’s four-step problem solving strategy to design
model solutions to practical problems that arise in nature
 POLYA’S PROBLEM-SOLVING STRATEGY
1. Understand the problem
2. Devise a plan
3. Carry out the plan
4. Review the solution (look back)
 POLYA’S PROBLEM-SOLVING STRATEGY
1. Understand the problem
-what is the unknown
- what are the given
- condition, is it possible to satisfy
 POLYA’S PROBLEM-SOLVING STRATEGY
2. Devise a plan
- have you seen it before or seen the same problem in a
slightly different form.
- do you know a theorem that could be useful
 POLYA’S PROBLEM-SOLVING STRATEGY
4. Look Back
- review your solution. Go back to the original problem
and check if the obtained solution is sufficient and consistent
with what is asked.
 POLYA’S PROBLEM-SOLVING STRATEGY
Example 1
During a family gathering last Christmas, Matthew was
able to collect 12 monetary bills consisting of P20 bills and
P50 bills from her Titos and Titas. She received a total of P390
from them. How many of each bill did Matthew receive?
 POLYA’S PROBLEM-SOLVING STRATEGY
Example:
1. GSW basketball team won three out of their last six games.
In how many different orders could they have attained three
wins and three losses in six games?
 POLYA’S PROBLEM-SOLVING STRATEGY
Example:
2. An agency charged P15,000 for a 3-day & 2-night tour in
Macau and P20,000 for the same tour with a side trip to
Hongkong. Ten persons joined the trip, which enabled them
to collect P170,000. How many tourists made a side trip to
Hongkong?
 POLYA’S PROBLEM-SOLVING STRATEGY
Example:
3. During a family gathering last Christmas, Angel was able to
collect 12 monetary bills consisting of P20 bills and P50 bills
from her Titos and Titas. She received a total of P390 from
them. How many of each bill did Angel receive?