How to Solve It
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George Polya's 1945 book How to Solve It (ISBN 0691080976) is a small volume describing methods of problem-solving. It suggests the following steps when solving a mathematical problem:
- First, you have to understand the problem.
- After understanding, then make a plan.
- Carry out the plan.
- Look back on your work. How could it be better?
His book contains a dictionary-style set of strategies, but is not a cook-book. For example:
- Working backward from the goal to the start.
- Looking for a similar problem.
See also
More information can be found at: http://www.math.utah.edu/~alfeld/math/polya.html