Philippine School of Business Administration

826 R. PAPA STREET, SAMPALOC

3. PROBLEM SOLVING
Inductive and Deductive Reasoning
Inductive Reasoning
- is the process of reaching a general conclusion by examining specific examples. A
conclusion based on inductive reasoning is called a conjecture. A conjecture may or may not be
correct.

EXAMPLE 1 Use Inductive Reasoning to Predict a Number

Use inductive reasoning to predict the next number in each of the following lists.
a. 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, ? b. 3, 6,9, 12, 15, ?

= 35 = 18

Inductive Reasoning is not used to predict the next number in a list.

EXAMPLE 2 Use Inductive Reasoning to Make a Conjecture

Consider the following procedure: Pick a number. Multiply the number by 9, add 15 to
the product, divide the sum by 3, and subtract 5.
Complete the above procedure for several different numbers. Use inductive reasoning to
make a conjecture about the relationship between the size of the resulting number and the size of
the original number.
Given number: 10
SOLUTION: 10 * 9 90 +15 105/3 35-5
= 90 = 105 = 35 ANSWER: 25
 Philippine School of Business Administration
826 R. PAPA STREET, SAMPALOC

EXAMPLE 3
A. During 10 years, a tree has produce plums every other year. Last year, the tree did not
produce plums. So this year, the tree will produce plums.
ANSWER: INDUCTIVE REASONING

Deductive Reasoning
- is the process of reaching a conclusion by applying general assumptions,
procedures, or principles.

EXAMPLE
A. All home improvement cost more than the estimate. The contractor estimated that my
home improvements will cost 150,000. Thus, my home improvement will cost more than
150,000.

B. All cats have a keen sense of smell. Fluffy is a cat, so Fluffy has a keen sense of smell.

Counterexamples
- A statement is a true statement provided it is true in all cases. If you can find
one case in which a statement is not true, called a counterexample, then the statement is a false
statement.

EXAMPLE
Verify that each of the following statements is a false statement by finding a
counterexample for each.
 Philippine School of Business Administration
826 R. PAPA STREET, SAMPALOC

A. x/x= 1 b. x+3/3= x+ 1 c. x2 +16= x + 4

EXERCISES: (INDUCTIVE AND DEDUCTIVE REASONING)

A. 3, 7, 11, 15, 19, 23, ____?

B. All word processors will type the symbol @. I have a word professor. I can type the
symbol @ _______________?
C. All numbers ending in 0 or 5 are divisible by 5. The number35 ends with a 5, so it
must be divisible by 5.
D. Its dangerous to drive on icy streets. The streets are icy now, so it would be
dangerous to drive.
E. All apples are fruits all fruits grow on trees, therefore all apples grow on trees.
F. 4, 8,13,19,26, ____?

Ken Ken Puzzles

- an arithmetic based logic puzzle that was invented by the Japanese mathematics
teacher Tetsuya Miyamoto.
2 1 3 4

3 2 4 1

1 4 2 3

4 3 1 2
 Philippine School of Business Administration
826 R. PAPA STREET, SAMPALOC

EXAMPLE:

6* 2 1 7+ 3 4

3 2 8* 4 1

4* 1 4 2 1- 3

4 3 1 2
 Philippine School of Business Administration
826 R. PAPA STREET, SAMPALOC

EXERCISES:
A.
2* 2 1 64* 3 3

8+ 1 9+

3 3/ 1

4 3 1
 Philippine School of Business Administration
826 R. PAPA STREET, SAMPALOC

B.
160* 45*
5 1 4

20*

20*
15* 3

12+
1 4 4 2/ 2

5
 Philippine School of Business Administration
826 R. PAPA STREET, SAMPALOC

Basic Puzzle Solution Strategies

 Single- Square Cages

 Cages with two squares

 Large or Small Target Numbers

 Duplicate Digit in a Cage

 Remember the Following Rules

 Make a List of Possible Digits

 Guess and Check

TERMINOLOGIES:
A. Counting numbers or Natural numbers
- any counting number n divided by 2 produces a remainder of
0 or 1.

B. Even Counting number

- If n/ 2 has a remainder of 0, then n is even.

C. Odd Counting number

- If n/2 has a remainder of 1, then n is an odd.
 Philippine School of Business Administration
826 R. PAPA STREET, SAMPALOC

D. Prime Number
- a counting number greater than 1 that has no counting number
factors other than itself and 1. The first 15 prime numbers are 2,
3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, and 47.

E. Magic Squares of order n

- an arrangement of numbers in a square such that the sum of
the n numbers in each row, column, and diagonal is the same
number.
 Philippine School of Business Administration
826 R. PAPA STREET, SAMPALOC

ANSWER KEY:
EXERCISE: (INDUCTIVE AND DEDUCTIVE)
A. 27( INDUCTIVE)
B. INDUCTIVE
C. DEDUCTIVE
D. DEDUCTIVE
E. DEDUCTIVE
F. 34 (INDUCTIVE)

EXERCISE: KEN KEN PUZZLE

A.
2* 2 1 64* 4 3 3

8+ 1 9+ 3 2 4

3 4 3/ 1 2

4 2 3 1
 Philippine School of Business Administration
826 R. PAPA STREET, SAMPALOC

B.
160* 2 5 1 4 45* 3

4 1 20* 2 3 5

15* 3 2 5 20* 1 4

1 12+ 3 4 4 5 2/ 2

5 4 3 2 1