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Polya's Problem-Solving Strategy

Polya's four-step problem-solving strategy involves understanding the problem, devising a plan, carrying out the plan, and reviewing the solution. The document applies this strategy to solve a word problem involving tourists taking trips to Macau and Hong Kong. Variables are defined and equations are set up and solved using elimination to find that four tourists made a side trip to Hong Kong. The solution is then reviewed to check that it satisfies the total amount collected.

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Denise Briones
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3K views

Polya's Problem-Solving Strategy

Polya's four-step problem-solving strategy involves understanding the problem, devising a plan, carrying out the plan, and reviewing the solution. The document applies this strategy to solve a word problem involving tourists taking trips to Macau and Hong Kong. Variables are defined and equations are set up and solved using elimination to find that four tourists made a side trip to Hong Kong. The solution is then reviewed to check that it satisfies the total amount collected.

Uploaded by

Denise Briones
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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POLYA’S PROBLEM-

SOLVING STRATEGY
Polya’s Four-Step Problem-Solving
Strategy

1. Understand the problem.

2. Devise a plan.

3. Carry out the plan.

4. Review the solution.
Solving a tour problem:


An agency charged ₱15, 000 for a 3-day and 2-
night tour in Macau and ₱20, 000 for the same
tour with a side trip to Hong Kong (HK). Ten
persons joined the trip, which enable them to
collect ₱170, 000. How many tourists made a
side trip to Hong Kong?
What’s the first step?

1. Understand the problem.

There are two types of tourists in the situation given.
Some purely stayed in Macau while others made a
side trip to HK. From the total collection, how much
was the amount collected from those who purely
stayed in Macau and how much was collected from
those who made side trips to HK. It is needed to know
how many were bound for Macau who made a side
trip to HK.
What’s the second step?

2. Devise a plan.

Use x and y to represent the two types of tourists.
Define these variables.

Let x be the number of tourists bound for Macau alone
and y be the number of tourists bound for Macau but
who made a side trip to Hong Kong. Hence, we have
the following algebraic equations:
₱15,000x = amount collected
from the tourists bound for
Macau alone
₱20,000y = amount collected
from the tourists bound for
Macau but who made a side trip
to Hong Kong.
What’s the third step?

3. Carry out the plan.

Write the equations and solve using the elimination
method to the system of equations.

Equations:

x + y = 10 (1)

15,000x + 20,000y = 170,000 (2)

3. Carry out the plan.

To find the number of tourists bound for Macau but
who made a side trip to HK, we solve for y.

To do this, we use elimination by substitution.

a. Solve for y in (1)

x + y = 10 (1)

y = 10 – x (3)

3. Carry out the plan.

b. Substitute y = 10 – x in equation (2)
15,000x + 20,000y = 170,000 (2)
15,000x + 20,000(10 – x) = 170,000
15,000x + 200,000 – 20,000x = 170,000
-5,000x = 170,000 – 200,000
-5,000x = -30,000
x=

x=6
Substituting x = 6 in equation (3), y = 10 – 6 = 4.
Therefore, four tourists made a side trip to Hong Kong.
What’s the fourth step?

4. Review the solution.

Since there are a total of 10 tourists, six of them
only stayed in Macau while four made a side
trip to Hong Kong. Now, 15,000(6) + 20,000(4)
= 170,000. This satisfies the condition that the
total amount collected for the whole trip is
₱170,000.

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