Many of us first interact with problems in a primary-school mathematics class. If your experience is anything like mine, it might have gone like this: “Édouard has a swimming pool. One pump can fill the pool in two hours; the…
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Framing your problem correctly is of paramount importance, and yet, it is easy to focus on a wrong problem. Here are some guidelines to stay on the right target. Think about a painting; the frame is a critical part of it,…
This entry is part of a multi-post case study. An effective way to become better problem-solvers is to use cases, so I’ll post problems that we have solved in my class so we can review them. (These are all real…
You embarked in a problem solving process, that requires fact gathering, analysis and communication. You might not know how long it’s going to take you and how much effort will be associated but be sure of one thing: it will…
Avoid describing processes in “how” trees… There are two ways to answer to a “how” question. The first is to describe one particular solution process to reply to the question (e.g. to the question “how to go from NYC to…
It’s like tennis, you can’t become a good problem-solver just by reading about it. You have to practice it. And just like tennis, you’ll become much better if you practice with others rather than by yourself.That’s why my graduate-level problem-solving…
There is no substitute, the successful resolution of a problem requires for you to identify the right problem. Identifying the right problem requires identifying the right key question and its environment. Each problem should have only one key question: the overarching question you…