Problem Solving Guidelines

The following guidelines are based on studies that compare experts and novices1 and use the recorded differences to help students move through the problem-solving process:  A general strategy can be summarized in terms of five steps2. Each step uses information gathered in the previous step to translate the problem into more quantitative terms.

  1. Comprehend the problem. "What's going on?"
    Getting started is the most difficult step. In this step, you need to accurately assess the situation, identify, and comprehend the problem. This enables you to decide what information is important, what information can be ignored, and what additional information may be needed.
    Develop a qualitative description of the problem. Write down a simple statement of what you want to find out. Write down the engineering ideas that might be useful in the problem.
  2. Represent the problem in formal terms. "What are the key concepts and variables?"
    This step, allows you to simplify a complex problem to its essential parts, making the search for a solution easier. Your aim here is to determine the relationships between the unknown and known. Your qualitative understanding from step 1 prepares you for the quantitative solution.
    Simplify the problem situation by visualizing the events described in the problem and then describing it using a sketch or diagram. Restate what you want to find by identifying the desired unknown and naming specific variables.
  3. Plan a solution. "How are we going to solve this?"
    Write down an outline of how you will solve problem to see if it will yield a reasonable solution before you go through the effort of doing any calculations. In many cases, the logical steps can be conveniently expressed mathematically. Select an equation that specifies how the variables are related.
  4. Execute the plan. "What is our answer?"
    In this step, you execute the solution you have planned. Insert all of the known quantities into the solution to determine a value.
  5. Evaluate and interpret the solution. "Is this solution correct and reasonable?"
    How well does the solution resolve the original problem? Check your work to see that it is properly stated, reasonable, and that it answers the question asked. Explain or restate the solution in terms that relate to the original problem.

1  Bransford, J.D., A.L. Brown, and R.R. Cocking (eds.), 1999, Chapter 2, How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. Committee on Developments in the Science of Learning, Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, National Research Council. National Academy Press, Washington D. C. http://books.nap.edu/html/howpeople1/

2 Adapted from: Physics Education Research and Development, University of Minnesota, Cooperative Group Problems Solving, http://www.physics.umn.edu/groups/physed/Research/CGPS/CGPSintro.htm . See also: "The A thru E Approach to Problem Solving in Chemistry" by D. Woodcock, http://people.ouc.bc.ca/woodcock/probsol/ps_A-E.html .

Center for Engineering Learning and Teaching