Problem Solving Through Problems

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1. stevesimmonsNov 2020
   "Problem-Solving Through Problems" by Loren C Larsen (1983) was my favorite at high school.

   The sections headings of Chapter 1 on Heuristics give a flavor of its approach: Search for a pattern; Draw a figure; Formulate an equivalent problem; Modify the problem; Choose effective notation; Exploit symmetry; Divide into cases; Work backward; Argue by contradiction; Pursue parity; Consider extreme cases; Generalize.

   Links:

   * Official Springer book web site: https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9780387961712

   * Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Problem-Solving-Through-Problems-Prob...

   * Poor quality scanned PDF: https://math.la.asu.edu/~ifulman/spring13/mat194/problem-sol...

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2. jacobolusFeb 2018
   Even more useful as a first step in my opinion is to think about problem solving per se. E.g. see:

   Mason, Burton, & Stacey, Thinking Mathematically

   Pólya, How to Solve It; Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning (2 vols); Mathematical Discovery (2 vols)

   Schoenfeld, Mathematical Problem Solving

   Larson, Problem-Solving Through Problems

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3. gambling8ntMay 2008
   If you are looking for a physical book, try Problem Solving Strategies (http://www.amazon.com/Problem-Solving-Strategies-Problem-Boo...) or Problem Solving Through Problems (http://www.amazon.com/Problem-Solving-Through-Problems-Larso...).
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