How Do You Solve a Problem?

In class we focused on problem solving. To practice problem solving and learn different strategies, we had to solve three different problems: Save Fred, the chop stick challenge, and all aboard...

 

The problem in "Saving Fred" was that Fred's boat flipped over, and he luckily managed to stay on the top of the boat, but his life preserver is stuck under the boat. We had to get the life preserver from under the boat, then put it on fred, only using 4 paper clips! The strategies we used to solve this problem, is very simple, but it worked. All we did was to make a plan on how to get the life preserver from underneath the boat. After doing that we just tried different ways, and if we failed we would try a different way.

 

The next experiment that we did called the chop stick challenge, had a simple problem. The problem was that we had to build in a four person group a 1cm cubed based tower, using chop sticks, without having it break. The strategy that we used was very different from the other groups, but that was okay, because we still won the challenge. Our strategy that we used was: we first made a really bad plan, but it didn't work. So we came up with a new one; to have everybody build their own tower, and if one tower broke, then we would try to build the other towers remaining.

The last problem that we had to solve, was a disaster! It is called "All Aboard", we use one medium sized table, turn it up side down, (to become a "boat"), then the whole class has put at least put on foot and most of their body weight on the boat! Our class had NO strategy at all. All we did was scream at each other, and everybody kept on trying to do their own thing. Next time, if we ever get to do this again, we should ALWAYS make up a plan first, because this time it was just to loud and busy, so we didn't get anywhere.