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How to Solve It suggests the following steps when solving a mathematical problem: . First, you have to understand the problem. [2]After understanding, make a plan. [3]Carry out the plan.
Problem solving is the process of achieving a goal by overcoming obstacles, a frequent part of most activities. Problems in need of solutions range from simple personal tasks (e.g. how to turn on an appliance) to complex issues in business and technical fields.
Szegő (left) and Polya (right) in Berlin, 1925, delivering the original manuscript of Problems and Theorems to Springer. [2]: 63 It was Pólya who had the idea for a comprehensive problem book in analysis first, but he realised he would not be able complete it alone.
Polya begins Volume I with a discussion on induction, not mathematical induction, but as a way of guessing new results.He shows how the chance observations of a few results of the form 4 = 2 + 2, 6 = 3 + 3, 8 = 3 + 5, 10 = 3 + 7, etc., may prompt a sharp mind to formulate the conjecture that every even number greater than 4 can be represented as the sum of two odd prime numbers.
The inventor's paradox is a phenomenon that occurs in seeking a solution to a given problem. Instead of solving a specific type of problem, which would seem intuitively easier, it can be easier to solve a more general problem, which covers the specifics of the sought-after solution.
Polya’s intention is to teach students the art of guessing new results in mathematics for which he marshals such notions as induction and analogy as possible sources for plausible reasoning. The first volume of the book is devoted to an extensive discussion of these ideas with several examples drawn from various field of mathematics.