Problem Solving Strategies

There are numerous approaches to solving math problems. 'Model Drawing' is the first one that we have introduced because we feel that it has the greatest impact in building children's confidence in dealing with math problems. Most students enjoy visual effects. Seeing abstract relationships, represented by concrete and colourful images, helps in understanding, leading to the solution of the problem. Our section on Model Drawing is by no means exhaustive but it will open a new doorway for the student who has been struggling with math problems. Besides the Model-Drawing Approach there are several other strategies, which are necessary for the student to master, to achieve proficiency in math problem solving. In our next section, we introduce the important and most useful ones. These are: 1) Draw a Picture 2) Look for a Pattern 3) Guess and Check 4) Make a Systematic List 5) Logical Reasoning 6) Work Backwards

The student may also come across problems which may need the use of more than one strategy before a solution can be found.

OTHER PROBLEM-SOLVING

STRATEGIES
Primary 3
Draw a Picture/Find a Pattern Guess & Check Work Backwards Systematic Listing Logical Reasoning

Primary 4
Draw a Picture/Find a Pattern Guess & Check Work Backwards Systematic Listing Logical Reasoning

Primary 5
Draw a Picture

Primary 6
Draw a Picture/Find a Pattern Guess & Check Work Backwards Systematic Listing Logical Reasoning

Guess & Check Work Backwards Systematic Listing Logical Reasoning

These Pages are FREE for online use.

Example of working backwards

Problem Solving Strategies

Working Backwards

Question: Jack walked from Santa Clara to Palo Alto. It took 1 hour 25 minutes to walk from Santa Clara to Los Altos. Then it took 25 minutes to walk from Los Altos to Palo Alto. He arrived in Palo Alto at 2:45 P.M. At what time did he leave Santa Clara? Strategy: 1) UNDERSTAND:

What do you need to find? You need to find what the time was when Jack left Santa Clara. 2) PLAN: How can you solve the problem? You can work backwards from the time Jack reached Palo Alto. Subtract the time it took to walk from Los Altos to Palo Alto. Then subtract the time it took to walk from Santa Clara to Los Altos. 3) SOLVE: Start at 2:45. This is the time Jack reached Palo Alto. Subtract 25 minutes. This is the time it took to get from Los Altos to Palo Alto. Time is: 2:20 P.M. Subtract: 1 hour 25 minutes. This is the time it took to get from Santa Clara to Los Altos.. Jack left Santa Clara at 12:55 P.M.

EXAMPLE OF QUEATIONS OF WORKING BACKWARDS Name: Linda Bach Who is asking: Teacher Level: Elementary Question: I am having problems finding examples of problems that require "Working Backwards" used as a strategy for solving. We are required to give a presentation on Monday, October 25, 1999 in our school districts math class. We are trying to become better problem solvers and how to teach problem solving in the elementary classroom. Help! I can't find anything in my web searches. I am mathematically challenged so I

am also very terrified of any math above 5th grade level. Thank you for your help. Linda Bach Hi Linda, Here is one problem that you can easily modify to include fractions or percentages if those are topics you are dealing with. Mary has some jelly beans. Joan had 3 times as many as Mary but ate 4 and now she has 5. How many jelly beans does Mary have? To solve this problem you work backwards. Joan has 5 jellybeans now so she had 9 before she ate 4. This 9 is 3 times what Mary has, so Mary must have 3. You can introduce another step if you wish. Mary has some jelly beans. Joan had 3 times as many as Mary but ate 4 and now John has 2 more jelly beans that Joan. John has 7 jelly beans, how many does Mary have? A second problem that is a little more complex but is fun to do involves two problem solving strategies, one of which is working backwards. Chris is training Hoppity, her pet rabbit, to climb stairs. It will hop up one or two stairs at a time. If a flight of stairs has ten steps, in how many ways can Hoppity hop up the this flight of stairs? Ten stairs is quite a few so try an simpler problem with fewer stairs. If there is only one stair, then there is only one way to climb this stair.

If there are two stairs, then there are two ways to climb the stairs, by taking two steps or one big step (covering two stairs)

If there are three stairs, then the rabbit can take 3 small steps take a big step and then a small one or a small step followed by a big step.

If there are four stairs, then the rabbit can climb the stairs in four small steps two small steps and a large step one small step, then a large, then a small one large step, then two small steps or two large steps

Thus we have
Number of steps 1234

Number of ways to climb the steps 1 2 3 5

Now look at the four step problem with a "looking backwards" strategy. Suppose the rabbit has just arrived at the top. It got there either by being on the third step and hopping up one step or it was on the second step and got there by hopping up two steps.

From what we did before there are 3 ways to get to step three and 2 ways to get to step two. Thus, there are 3 + 2 = 5 ways to get to step four. Similarly for a 5 step flight of stairs there are 5 ways to get to step four and 3 ways to get to step three and thus there are 5 + 3 = 8 ways to get to step five. So now we have
Number of steps 12345

Number of ways to climb the steps 1 2 3 5 8

The pattern in the bottom row of the table should now be clear. Each number in this row (after the first two) is the sum of the two previous numbers. Thus it is easy to continue this row. 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610, 987, 1597, 2584, 4181, 6765, 10,944,... Hence there are 89 nine ways for the rabbit to climb ten stairs (and 10,944 ways for it to climb 20 stairs!) I hope this helps, Cheers, Penny

Blakes Topic Bank Problem Solving Working Backwards by Sharon Shapiro This unit contains: n Teaching notes n 3 teaching examples n 1 BLM n 18 task cards n Answers UNIT P5 n Problem Solving Upper Primary Blake EducationProblem Solving: Working Backwards 1 THE PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS

It is important that students follow a logical and systematic approach to their problem solving. Following these four steps will enable students to tackle problems in a structured and meaningful way. STEP 1: UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM v Encourage students to read the problem carefully a number of times until they fully understand what is wanted.They may need to discuss the problem with someone else or rewrite it in their own words. v Students should ask internal questions such as, what is the problem asking me to do, what information is relevant and necessary for solving the problem. v They should underline any unfamiliar words and find out their meanings. v They should select the information they know and decide what is unknown or needs to be discovered.They should see if there is any unnecessary information. v A sketch of the problem often helps their understanding. STEP 2: STUDENTS SHOULD DECIDE ON A STRATEGY OR PLAN

Students should decide how they will solve the problem by thinking about the different strategies that could be used.They could try to make predictions, or guesses, about the problem. Often these guesses result in generalisations which help to solve problems. Students should be discouraged from making wild guesses but they should be encouraged to take risks.They should always think in terms of how this problem relates to other problems that they have solved.They should keep a record of the strategies they have tried so that they dont repeat them. Some possible strategies include: v Drawing a sketch, graph or table. v Acting out situations, or using concrete materials. v Organising a list. v Identifying a pattern and extending it. v Guessing and checking. v Working backwards. v Using simpler numbers to solve the problem, then applying the same methodology to the real problem. v Writing a number sentence. v Using logic and clues.

v Breaking the problem into smaller parts. STEP 3: SOLVING THE PROBLEM v Students should write down their ideas as they work so they dont forget how they approached the problem. v Their approach should be systematic. v If stuck, students should reread the problem and rethink their strategies. v Students should be given the opportunity to orally demonstrate or explain how they reached an answer. STEP 4: REFLECT v Students should consider if their answer makes sense and if it has answered what was asked. v Students should draw and write down their thinking processes, estimations and approach, as this gives them time to reflect on their practices.When they have an answer they should explain the process to someone else. v Students should ask themselves what if to link this problem to another.This will take their exploration to a deeper level and encourage their use of logical thought processes. v Students should consider if it is possible to do the problem in a simpler way.

Problem Solving Working Backwards Sharon Shapiro Upper PrimaryThe strategy of working backwards is used to solve

problems that include a number of linked factors or events, where some of the information has not been provided, usually at the beginning of the problem. To solve these problems it is usually necessary to start with the answer and work methodically backwards to fill in the missing information. This strategy is extremely useful in dealing with a situation or a sequence of events.The events occur one after the other and each stage, or piece of information, is affected by what comes next. Students begin at the end, with the final action, and work through the process in reverse order to establish what happened in the original situation. In order to use the strategy of working backwards effectively, students will need to develop the following skills and understanding. USING THE OPPOSITE OPERATION WHEN WORKING BACKWARDS When you are solving a problem by starting at the end and working backwards, any mathematical operations you come across will have to be reversed. This means that if the problem requires you to add

something, then when working backwards you must subtract it, or if multiplying when working forwards, you must divide when working backwards. So if the problem the correct way round is 8 x 2 = 14 then backwards it will be 14 2 x 8 = 56 Or Jack is 35 years younger than Karen. Frank is half of Jacks age. Jennifer is 17 years older than Frank. If Jennifer is 35 years old, how old is Karen? Jennifer is 35. She is 17 years older than Frank. So using the opposite operation plus becomes minus. So Frank is 35 17 = 18 Frank is half Jacks age so the opposite operation is 18 x 2 = 36 Jack is 35 years younger than Karen so 36 + 35 = 71 Therefore Karen is 71 years old. STARTING WITH THE ANSWER AND WORKING BACKWARDS In a problem where you know the final outcome but dont know the starting point, beginning at the end of the problem and working backwards is the best way of arriving at a solution. For example, in a dancing competition all the

contestants started dancing together.After three minutes half the people were eliminated. During the next ten minutes half of the remaining were eliminated.At the 15 minute mark, half again were eliminated, and at the 20 minute mark, half of those still remaining were eliminated. In the last two minutes one more contestant was eliminated leaving a winner of the competition. How many dancers were there in the beginning? You know that there is one winner and that the number of contestants was halved at certain intervals. Using this information, it is possible to work backwards and find out how many dancers entered the competition. Start with the winner 1 person dancing Last 2 minutes 1+1 = 2 dancers After 20 minutes Double = 4 dancers After 15 minutes Double = 8 dancers After 10 minutes Double = 16 dancers After 3 minutes Double = 32 dancers 32 dancers started. Blake EducationProblem Solving: Working Backwards Teaching Notes Working Backwards 2 ?EXAMPLE 1

John is four years younger than Carmel but Jane is 24 years older than Carmel. If Jane is 35, how old is John? Un d e r s t a n d i n g t h e p ro bl em WHAT DO WE KNOW? John is four years younger than Carmel. Jane is 24 years older than Carmel. Jane is 35 years old. WHAT DO WE NEED TO FIND OUT? Questioning: How old is John? Planning and c ommu n i c a t i n g a s o l u t i o n Begin with the information you know, Janes age, and work backwards to calculate Johns age. Jane is 35 years old. She is 24 years older than Carmel. So, 35 24 years = 11. Therefore, Carmel is 11 years old. John is four years younger than Carmel. so, 11 4 = 7 Therefore, John is seven years old. R e f l e c t i n g a n d ge n e r a l i s i n g By starting with the known factor of Janes age we were able to work backwards and calculate the

answer.This strategy can be applied to problems which include a sequence of events where we know the end result but dont know the starting point.You can check you answer by working forwards through the problem to see if you reach the correct end point. Extension Additional people who are older and younger can be added to further complicate the problem. Students can construct their own problems using the ages of their families or friends. Blake EducationProblem Solving: Working Backwards Teaching Examples Working Backwards 3EXAMPLE 2 Four students in the class weighed themselves. Carter was 15 kilograms lighter than Adrian. Gary was twice as heavy as Carter and Jeremy was seven kilograms heavier than Gary. If Jeremy weighed 71 kilograms what was Adrians weight? Un d e r s t a n d i n g t h e p ro bl em WHAT DO WE KNOW? There are four students in the class. Carter was 15 kilograms lighter than Adrian. Gary was twice as heavy as Carter. Jeremy was seven kilograms heavier than Gary.

Jeremy weighed 71 kilograms. WHAT DO WE NEED TO FIND OUT? Questioning: What was Adrians weight? Planning and c ommu n i c a t i n g a s o l u t i o n Start at the end of the problem with Jeremys weight which is 71 kilograms then work back through the sequence of factors to calculate Adrians weight. Begin by working out Garys weight. Jeremy is seven kilograms heavier than Gary, so subtract the seven kilograms from Jeremys weight of 71 kilograms. 71 kg 7 kg = 64 kg. Gary is twice as heavy as Carter. Now that we know Garys weight is 64 kilograms, we can calculate Carters weight. 64 2 = 32 kg. Carters weight is 32 kilograms. Adrians weight is Carters weight + 15 kilograms. 32 kg + 15 kg = 47 kg. Therefore,Adrian weighs 47 kilograms. R e f l e c t i n g a n d ge n e r a l i s i n g By using a step-by-step process, starting with the

known and following a backwards sequence to find the missing information, the solution was easy to calculate.An unmethodical approach could have resulted in the wrong operations being used or steps being missed out.Working backwards and using the opposite operations enabled a systematic approach, which can also be applied to any problem of a similar type. Extension To vary the problem, students could include more than four people in the problem, or add extra operations to the sequence. Blake EducationProblem Solving: Working Backwards Teaching Examples Working Backwards 4EXAMPLE 3 In a spelling competition all the competitors were on stage together.After three minutes, a fifth of the students had made mistakes and were excluded from the competition. In the next five minutes half of those remaining were eliminated by extremely difficult words.Two minutes later four students were found cheating and were sent home.After fifteen minutes of the competition half of the remaining students had made mistakes and left the stage. In the last few minutes one more

competitor made an unfortunate mistake and one contestant was left as the winner of the spelling competition. How many children originally entered the competition? Un d e r s t a n d i n g t h e p ro bl em WHAT DO WE KNOW? Students were participating in a spelling competition. Students who made mistakes or cheated were eliminated. There was one winner at the end of the competition WHAT DO WE NEED TO FIND OUT? Questioning: How many children originally entered the competition? Planning and c ommu n i c a t i n g a s o l u t i o n Start at the end and reverse the process. The winner A few minutes before the end there was one more contestant = 2 spellers Fifteen minutes into the competition, double the number = 4 spellers

Ten minutes into the competition

add four to number

= 8 spellers

Five minutes into the competition double the number = 16 spellers

Three minutes into the competition a fifth of the competitors had been eliminated so 16 spellers = 4 5 of the total. There were 20 children entered in the spelling competition. R e f l e c t i n g a n d ge n e r a l i s i n g By reading the sentences in the problem carefully one at a time and recording all the known information it was possible to begin at the end and by reversing all operations to work backwards to reach a solution. Dont forget to work forward through the problem, once you have the solution, to check your answer. Extension The problem can be made more complicated by asking students to work with a variety of fractions or by including more steps. Blake EducationProblem Solving: Working Backwards

Teaching Examples Working Backwards 5BLM Working Backwards 6 H Understanding the problem What do you know? List the important facts from the problem. Draw a double line under your starting point. H What do you need to find out? What is the problem asking you to do? What are you uncertain about? Do you understand all aspects of the problem? Is there any unfamiliar or unclear language? H Planning and communicating a solution Find your starting point. Work backwards in a logical step-bystep way. How many steps are required? Is all the information necessary? Will using objects to represent the people or places make the problem easier to solve? H Reflecting and generalising Did the strategy work as planned? Is your answer correct? You can check this by working forward through the problem. Will you be able to apply this method of problem solving to other similar problems? Could you have used a different method to solve the problem? H Extension How can this strategy be applied to more complicated problems involving

bigger numbers and additional factors? Blake EducationProblem Solving: Working Backwards This page may be reproduced by the original purchaser for non-commercial classroom use.PROBLEM SOLVING TASK CARDS -Working Backwards Problem 1 When three girls jumped on a weighing scale together, it read 164 kilograms. One girl stepped off and the scale moved down to 104 kilograms. One more girl jumped off and the scale showed 55 kilograms. What was each girls weight? Problem 2 Arnold baked cupcakes over the weekend. Each day during the week he took three cakes to school to share with his friends. On Saturday when he counted there were 18 left. How many had he baked? Problem 3 Daniel has lots of pets. He has four more goldfish than he has turtles. He has one less canary than goldfish. Six of his pets are birds (canaries and parrots). He

has two parrots. How many pets does Daniel have? Blake EducationProblem Solving: Working Backwards This page may be reproduced by the original purchaser for non-commercial classroom use. 7 Level 1 Level 1 Level 1 Measurement Number123 Number123PROBLEM SOLVING TASK CARDS -Working Backwards Problem 4 Jemima has twice as much money as Matthew. Jemima has four times as much money as Sally. Sally has $3 more than Andrew. If Matthew has $14, how much money do Andrew, Sally and Jemima have? Problem 5 Jack, Terence, Sharon and Alex are neighbours. Jack is half as old as Sharon. Sharon is three

years older than Alex. Alexs and Sharons ages added together equal 17 years. Terence is eight. Who is the youngest? Problem 6 A teacher bought five flags of different countries, to use in a class activity. She added them to the flags she already had in the classroom. She borrowed four more flags, but two of these werent used. In the end ten flags were used in the activity. How many flags were there in the classroom already? Blake EducationProblem Solving: Working Backwards This page may be reproduced by the original purchaser for non-commercial classroom use. 8 Level 1 Level 1 Level 1 Number123 Number123 Number123PROBLEM SOLVING TASK CARDS -Working Backwards

Problem 7 Six people entered a block building contest. Lynda built her pile of blocks twice as high as Selwyns. Michelle created a pile that was three times higher than Lyndas pile. Warren built his pile one block higher than Michelles. Janes pile of blocks was six higher than Warrens. If Adrian piled up 27 blocks, which was two blocks higher than Janes pile, how high was each persons pile? How many blocks would be needed altogether? Problem 8 Four girls each caught a fish while at the beach. Teris was double the size of Janes. Janes fish was shorter than Lynns by nine centimetres. Lynns was 18 centimetres longer than Reinas who caught a fish 30 centimetres long. How long were Teris, Janes and Lynns fish? Problem 9 Joshua is five years older than David. Simon is four years older than Joshua and nine years older than David. Simons and Davids ages added together equal 15. How old are the boys? Blake EducationProblem Solving: Working Backwards

This page may be reproduced by the original purchaser for non-commercial classroom use. 9 Level 2 Level 2 Level 2 Space Measurement Number123PROBLEM SOLVING TASK CARDS -Working Backwards Problem 10 At the party Jade ate less than four jelly beans. Nicole ate twice as many jelly beans as Jade. Kahlee had twice as many as Nicole. Chris had two more than Kahlee. Chris ate ten jelly beans. How many jelly beans were eaten at the party? Problem 11 Mark, Neil, Frances and Patrick entered a skipping competition. Patrick skipped eight more times than Mark before his foot caught on the rope. Mark jumped three more times than Neal. Neal skipped half as many

times as Frances. Frances skipped eighty times. How many times did Patrick skip? Problem 12 When Ariella climbs aboard there are already some people sitting the bus. At the next bus stop an additional five people get on and two people get off. Two stops later seven people climb on board. All 15 people get off the bus at the ferry. How many were on the bus when Ariella climbed on? Blake EducationProblem Solving: Working Backwards This page may be reproduced by the original purchaser for non-commercial classroom use. 10 Level 2 Level 2 Level 2 Number123 Number123 Number123PROBLEM SOLVING TASK CARDS -Working Backwards Problem 13 There is an old jar packed full of textas on the table. There are twice as many

red textas as blue and one more yellow than red. Eight textas are either yellow or green. There are three green textas. How many blue textas are in the jar? Problem 14 My new shoes arrived in a rectangular cardboard box. The length of the box was double the width and the width was double the height. The length was 28 centimetres. What was the volume of the shoebox? Problem 15 Three people went strawberry collecting and picked 65 strawberries between them. At the first plant they each picked the same amount of strawberries. At the second plant they each collected three times the amount that they had collected at the first plant. After picking from the third plant they had five times the amount they had after picking strawberries from the first two plants. At the fourth plant they collected only five strawberries altogether. How many strawberries did each person collect at the first bush? Blake EducationProblem Solving: Working Backwards This page may be reproduced by the original purchaser for non-commercial classroom use. 11

Level 3 Level 3 Level 2 Number123 Measurement Number123PROBLEM SOLVING TASK CARDS -Working Backwards Problem 16 Twenty-four ladybirds were sitting at various places around the garden. One sixth of the ladybirds flew away to settle in the garden. Half of the remaining ladybirds sat on a yellow sunflower. Then half of those on the sunflower flew onto a fence post. There were no ladybirds on the hedge, but one fifth of the ladybirds on the sunflower flew onto the lavender bush. If one ladybird was on the grass, how many were on the tree trunk? Problem 17 Heather loves roses. In her rose garden she has half as many pink roses as red, and four times as many red ones as white. There are 36 roses that are either yellow or white.

Twenty are yellow. How many roses are in Heathers garden? Problem 18 Four children were bouncing balls. Jeffs ball bounced eight more times than Michaels. Michaels ball bounced half as many times as Olivias. Olivias bounced eight times. How many times did Jeffs ball bounce? Blake EducationProblem Solving: Working Backwards This page may be reproduced by the original purchaser for non-commercial classroom use. 12 Level 3 Level 3 Level 3 Number123 Number123 Number123P ro bl em 1 The weights of the three girls 3 girls = 164 kg 2 girls = 104 kg 1 girl = 55 kg

2nd girl, 164 104 = 60 kg 3rd girl, 104 55 = 49 kg P ro bl em 2 Number of cupcakes baked by Arnold ? Monday 3 Tuesday 3 Wednesday 3 Thursday 3 Friday 3 Saturday 18 cupcakes left Therefore, working backwards, 18 + (5 x 3) = 33 cupcakes. P ro bl em 3 6 birds 2 parrots = 4 canaries To find the number of goldfish, add 1 to the number of canaries. 4 + 1 = 5 goldfish To find the number of turtles, subtract 4 from the number of goldfish. 5 4 = 1 turtle Therefore, 2 parrots + 4 canaries + 5 goldfish + 1 turtle = 12 pets in total. P ro bl em 4 Matthew $14 Jemima $14 x 2 = $28

Sally $28 4 = $7 Andrew $7 3 = $4 P ro bl em 5 Terence is 8 years old. Sharons and Alexs ages total 17 years. Sharon is 3 years older than Alex. So, 17 3 = 14. 14 2 = 7. Alex is 7. Sharon is 7 + 3 = 10. Jack is half Sharons age so, 10 2 = 5. Therefore, Jack is the youngest. P ro bl em 6 Original number of flags in classroom + 5 flags + (4 2) = 2 flags = 10 flags Therefore working backwards, 10 2 5 = 3 flags in the classroom. P ro bl em 7 Working backwards, Jane 27 2 = 25 Warren 25 6 = 19 Michelle 19 1 = 18 Lynda 18 3 = 6 Selwyn 6 2 = 3

Total number of blocks = 3 + 6 + 18 + 19 + 25 + 27 = 98 P ro bl em 8 Reinas fish 30 cm Lynns fish 30 + 18 = 48 cm Janes fish 48 9 = 39 cm Teris fish 39 x 2 = 78 cm P ro bl em 9 Davids and Simons ages total 15. Simon is 9 years older than David. So 15 9 = 6. 6 2 = 3. Davids age is 3. Simons is 3 + 9 = 12. Joshua is 5 years older than David, so 3 + 5 = 8. Blake EducationProblem Solving: Working Backwards This page may be reproduced by the original purchaser for non-commercial classroom use. Answers to Task Cards 13P ro bl em 1 0 Working backwards, Chris, 10 Kahlee, 10 2 = 8 Nicole, 8 2 = 4 Jane, 4 2 = 2 Total jelly beans eaten = 2 + 4 + 8 + 10 = 24. P ro bl em 1 1

Frances, 80 skips Neil, 80 2 = 40 Mark, 40 + 3 = 43 Patrick, 43 + 8 = 51 P ro bl em 1 2 People on bus at beginning ? Ariella gets on, + 1 1st stop, + 5 2 2nd stop, + 7 Total getting off bus, 15 Working backwards, 15 7 = 8 8+25=5 51=4 Four people were on the bus in the beginning. P ro bl em 1 3 Green textas, 3 Yellow and green = 8 8 3 = 5 yellow textas One more yellow than red, 5 1 = 4 red Twice as many red as blue, 4 2 = 2 blue textas. P ro bl em 1 4 Length 28 cm Length is double the width so, 28 2 = 14 cm

Width is double the height so, 14 2 = 7 cm The volume is length x width x height, 28 x 14 x 7 = 2,744 cm2 . P ro bl em 1 5 Total strawberries 65 Working backwards, 65 5 = 60 60 5 = 12 12 equals the total number of strawberries picked off the first and second plants.To work out how many were picked from the first bush you must divide by four to get four equal parts, one part being what was picked off the first plant and three parts being what was picked off the second plant. Therefore 12 4 = 3. So there were three strawberries picked off the first plant, one by each of the three people. P ro bl em 1 6 Total ladybirds minus 1 6 24 6 = 4

24 4 = 20 ladybirds left in garden Half on sunflower 20 2 = 10 Half flew away onto fence post 10 2 = 5 0 on hedge 1 5 fly onto lavender bush 5 5 = 1 1 on grass Total accounted for, 4 + 10 + 5 + 1 + 1 = 21 So 24 21 = 3 on tree trunk. P ro bl em 1 7 20 roses are yellow 36 are yellow or white 36 20 = 16 white 4 times as many red as white, 16 x 4 = 64 red half as many pink as red 64 2 = 32 pink 32 + 64 + 16 + 20 = 132 roses P ro bl em 1 8 Olivias ball bounced 8 times. Michaels ball bounced half as many times as Olivias, so 8 2 = 4. Jeffs ball bounced 8 more times than Michaels, so 4 + 8 = 12. Blake EducationProblem Solving: Working Backwards

This page may be reproduced by the original purchaser for non-commercial classroom use. 14

Problem Solving Strategy of Working Backwa

Problem Solving website prepared for Problem Solving Strategies for City College course EDUC 6200E, Dr. Moresh

What is Working Backwards in problem solving?

The strategy of working backwards entails starting with the end re reversing the steps you need to get those results, in order to figure out t problem.

When do we use this strategy?

What are real life examples?

There are at least two different types of problems which can best this strategy:

(1) When the goal is singular and there are a variety of alternative routes this situation, the strategy of working backwards allows us to ascertain wh alternative routes was optimal.

An example of this is when you are trying to figure out the best route to t your house to a store. You would first look at what neighborhood the store the optimal route backwards on a map to your home.

(2) When end results are given or known in the problem and you're asked for conditions.

An example of this is when we are trying to figure out how much money we st the beginning of the day, if we know how much money we have at the end of t of the transactions we made during the day.

Sample Problem:
Joe forgot to check how much money he began the day with. During the day, he spent $8.00 on breakfast, withdrew $40.00 from the ATM, got his dry cleaning for $12.00, bought 5 shirts for $22.00 a piece (plus 8% sales tax). At the end of the day, he had $100.00, how much did he start the day with?

Solution:

Rather than letting x = the initial amount and creating algebraic equation, if we use the working backwards str problem is more easily solved. $100 + 1.08($22*5) = $218.80 + $12 - $40 + 8 = $230.80 = $190.80 = $198.80 Initial amount (adding back shirt purchase) (adding back dry cleaning) (subtracting ATM withdrawal) (adding back breakfast)

Joe began the day with $198.80.

Below are more sample problems: Problem #1

Joe gives Nick and Tom as many peanuts as each already has. Then Nick gives Joe and Tom as many peanuts as each of them then has. Finally, Tom gives Nick and Joe as many peanuts as each has. If at the end each has sixteen peanuts, how many peanuts did each have at the beginning?

Solution:

Working backwards, we can start with the end result and step: Joe Peanuts at end: Previous round: 16 8 Nick 16 8 Tom 16 32

(because Tom must have given each half of their 16 peanuts) Previous round: 4 28 16

(because Nick gave each half of their peanuts) Peanuts at start: 26 14 8

(because Joe gave each half of their peanuts)

The answer, therefore, is that Joe began with 26 peanut with 14, and Tom with 8.

Problem #2 I have seven coins whose total value is $0.57. What coins do I have? And, how many of each coin do I have? Solution:

In this problem, we can solve it most easily by working instead of starting with zero and adding the different coins towards a goal of $0.57, we can begin with the en work backwards towards $0.00.

Step 1: There must be 2 pennies. (The only other opti use seven pennies, but that would use up all the coins

Step 2: Now we need to figure out how to use the 5 rem make a total of $0.55. Because 5 dimes is less than $0 at least one quarter.

Step 3: Now we need to use 4 coins to make up the rema this point, all the remaining coins must be dimes and n only possible combination is to use 2 dimes and 2 nicke

Solution: Problem #3

Starting at point B, we work backwards, one intersectio The grid represents our solution table, the number at each intersection den of possible routes to B from that intersection. Each n a section of town the sum of the two numbers north and east of it. with only 2-way streets. You want to go from point A Using this system, we can fill in all the numbers back to point B without we see that there are seventy possible routes. backtracking. How many different routes are possible? (You can 1 1 1 1 B only go north or east at each intersection.) 5 4 3 2 1

15

10

35

20

10

A
70 A 35 15 5 1