Problem-Solving Strategies
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Algorithms: An algorithm is a step-by-step procedure that will
always produce a correct solution. A mathematical formula is a good example of
a problem-solving algorithm. While an algorithm guarantees an accurate answer,
it is not always the best approach to problem solving. This strategy is not
practical for many situations because it can be so time-consuming. For example,
if you were trying to figure out all of the possible number combinations to a
lock using an algorithm, it would take a very long time.
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Heuristics: A
heuristic is a mental rule-of-thumb strategy that may or may not work in
certain situations. Unlike algorithms, heuristics do not always guarantee a
correct solution. However, using this problem-solving strategy does allow
people to simplify complex problems and reduce the total number of possible
solutions to a more manageable set.
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Trial-and-Error: A trial-and-error approach to problem-solving
involves trying a number of different solutions and ruling out those that do
not work. This approach can be a good option if you have a very limited number
of options available. If there are many different choices, you are better off
narrowing down the possible options using another problem-solving technique
before attempting trial-and-error.
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Insight: In some cases, the solution to a problem can appear
as a sudden insight. According to researchers, insight can occur because you
realize that the problem is actually similar to something that you have dealt
with in the past, but in most cases the underlying mental processes that lead
to insight happen outside of awareness.
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