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| How to Solve It (Penguin Science) | 
| Author: George Polya
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Category: Book
List Price: $20.65
Buy New: $12.56
You Save: $8.09 (39%)
New (6) from $12.56
Avg. Customer Rating:  31 reviews
Sales Rank: 2721438
Media: Paperback
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.8
ISBN: 0140124993
Dewey Decimal Number: 511
EAN: 9780140124996
ASIN: 0140124993
Publication Date: April 26, 1990
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New. Delivery is usually 5 - 8 working days from order, International is by Royal Mail Airmail
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Product Description
A perennial bestseller by eminent mathematician G. Polya, How to Solve It will show anyone in any field how to think straight.In lucid and appealing prose, Polya reveals how the mathematical method of demonstrating a proof or finding an unknown can be of help in attacking any problem that can be "reasoned" out--from building a bridge to winning a game of anagrams. Generations of readers have relished Polya's deft--indeed, brilliant--instructions on stripping away irrelevancies and going straight to the heart of the problem.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 26 more reviews...
 How To Solve It, Polya July 14, 2008
Very interesting book on how to solve problems, which can be applied to both mathematical and real-life problems. It contains general themes of problem-solving, attitudes one should have towards problems, and detailed methods of how to go about solving problems. It also discusses the optimal teacher-student relationship in the context of problem-solving.
Problem Solving Methods - Excellent Book on Heuristics June 22, 2008
Every teacher and parent should read this book. Every person interested in problem solving should also read it.
This book is not just about mathematical methods, mathematical problem solving, or teaching mathematics. It is about solving problems. It presents concrete methods (or heuristics) and illustrates by guiding the reader using these methods through clear and cogent examples.
The problem solving insight this book provides is extremely useful. It is about how to go about solving a problem. There are many different ways to approach a difficult problem and often in complex problem solving one does not know where to begin to even think about the problem.
I recall Andrew Wiles, the mathematician who proved Fermat's Last Theorem (a very famous, long-lasting, and seemingly unproven theorem - unproven for centuries), discussed how during his initial work on the problem, work which ultimately took Wiles about seven years to figure out how to prove, and then to go ahead and prove the theorem, had to study problem solving methodologies just to know how to approach the problem. He needed to learn how to attack the problem - where to begin.
This book is great for learning the different approaches to problem solving. One method discussed in detail is to work similar problems or simpler problems that are similar to the main problem. This allows one to start gauge the issues surrounding the problem and the assist the mind in thinking about the problem and its boundaries.
Anyone interested in becoming a better problem solver, a better teacher, or a parent trying to teach or help their children learn mathematics or science (or to help them with their homework - but to do so by teaching advanced problem solving methods implicitly), then this book is for you. It is not a difficult book and you do not have to be an expert in mathematics or mathematically inclined.
Not just for academics February 25, 2008
There is a reason that this book has been in print for decades. It should be required reading for teachers, students, and anybody interested in thinking. Problem-solving is a useful skill that can be learned. Polya does the teaching.
 Actually tried it October 28, 2007
9 out of 17 found this review helpful
I actually tried the techniques in this book while taking freshman physics at Harvard. They weren't all that helpful. I remember it sounding good, but being fairly useless when it came to attacking challenging textbook and recitation problems (which are a far cry from actual scientific questions). What I eventually learned was that the key to such so-called "problems" is to understand the problem writers and the choices they make. Polya operates in some idealistic and trivial world, as if being methodical were sufficient to win that game. People who find this book helpful may feel unprepared when they step it up a notch.
how to become a genius September 14, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
If you want instructions on how to become a genius, read and practice this book. If you don't want to become a genius, but want to become a killer engineer, accountant, physicist, doctor, scientist, teacher or any other professional using math, read and practice this book.
Modern Math texts cite this book constantly. They elevate the 5 step process to the word of the (something). Unfortunately, the rest of the text is about performing step 3, solving the algebraic equation. Step 2, writing the equation is the harder part for most students. Practice step 2 every day, and you will become master of time and space. We got computers to do step 3, that's not the hard part.
I tell students this book is about how to solve word problems. It is not about math, but how to use it.
I found a copy of it in a stack of books in a sandwich shop on Main street. It belongs in every stack of books everywhere. It will improve the world.
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