COLEGIO DE SAN FRANCISCO JAVIER OF RIZAL,

ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE, INC.

MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD

III. PROBLEM SOLVING

Module 7 INDUCTIVE AND DEDUCTIVE REASONING
Problem Solving with Patterns
Problem-Solving Strategies

OBJECTIVES

 At the end of this module, the student would be able to:

1. Use different types of reasoning to justify statements and arguments made about mathematics and
mathematical concepts (K).
2. Write clear and logical proofs (K).
3. Solve problems involving patterns and recreational problems following Polya’s four steps (S).
4. Organize one’s methods and approaches for proving and solving problems (V).

INTRODUCTION
Most occupations require good problem – solving skills. For instance, architects and engineers must solve many
complicated problems as they design and construct modern buildings that are aesthetically pleasing, functional, and that
meet stringent safety requirements. Two goals of this chapter are to help you become a better problem solver and to
demonstrate that problem solving can be an enjoyable experience.
One problem that many have enjoyed is the Monty Hall (host of the game show Let’s Make a Deal) problem,
which is stated as follows. The grand prize in Let’s Make a Deal is behind one of three doors. Less desirable prizes (for
instance, a goat and a box of candy) are behind the other two doors. You select one of the doors, say door 1. Monty Hall
reveals one of the less desirable prizes behind one of the other doors. You are then given the opportunity either to stay
with your original choice or to choose the remaining closed door.

Marilyn vos Savant, author of the “Ask Marilyn” column featured in Parade Magazine, analyzed this problem,
claiming that you double your chances of winning the grand prize by switching to the other closed door. Many readers,
including some mathematicians, responded with arguments that contradicted Marilyn’s analysis.
What do you think? Do you have a better chance of winning the grand prize by switching to the other closed door
or staying or staying with your original choice?
Of course there is also the possibility that it does not matter, if the chances of winning are the same with either
strategy.

CONTENT DISCUSSION
Inductive and Deductive Reasoning

The type of reasoning that forms a conclusion based on the examination of specific examples is called inductive
reasoning. The conclusion formed by using inductive reasoning is conjecture, since it may or may not be correct.

Inductive Reasoning
Inductive Reasoning is the process of reaching a general conclusion by examining specific examples.
 When you examine a list of numbers and predict the next number in the list according to some pattern you have observed, you
are Length of pendulum, in Period of pendulum, in using inductive reasoning.
units heartbeats
1
4
1
2
Example 1: Use Inductive Reasoning to Predict a
Number
Use 9 3 inductive reasoning to predict the next number in each of
the 16 4 following lists.
25 5
a. 36 6 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, ? b. 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, ?
Solution:
a. Each successive number is 3 larger than the preceding number. Thus we predict that the next number in the list is 3
larger than 15, which is 18.
b. The first two numbers differ by 2. The second and the third numbers differ by 3. It appears that the difference between
any two numbers is always 1 more than the preceding difference since 10 and 15 differ by 5, we predict that the next
number in the list will be 6 larger than 15, which is 21.

Example 2: Use Inductive Reasoning to Make a Conjecture

Consider the following procedures:
1. Pick a number.
2. Multiply the number by 8
3. Add 6 to the product
4. Divide the sum by 2 and subtract 3.

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.

Solution:
Suppose we pick 5 as our original number. Then the procedure the following results.

Original Number: 5
Multiply by 8: 8 ×5 = 40
Add 6: 40 + 6 = 46
Divide by 2: 46 ÷ 2=23
Subtract 3: 23 – 3 = 20

We started with 5 and followed the procedure 20. Starting with 6 as our original number produces a final result of 24.
Starting with 10 produces a final result of 40. Starting with 100 produces a final result of 400. In each of these cased the resulting
number is four times the original number. We conjecture that following the given produces a number that is four times the original
number.

Scientists often use inductive reasoning. For instance, Galileo Galilei (1564 –
1642) used inductive reasoning to discover that the time required for a pendulum to
complete one swing, called the period of pendulum, depends on the length of the pendulum.
Galileo did not have a clock, so he measured that periods of pendulum in “heartbeats.” The
following table shows some results obtained for pendulums of various lengths. For the
sake or convenience, a length of 10 inches has been designated as 1 unit.

Example 3: Use Inductive Reasoning to Solve an Application

Use the data in the above table and inductive reasoning to answer each of the following questions.
a. If a pendulum has a length of 49 units, what is its period?
b. If the length of a pendulum is quadrupled, what happens to its period?

Solution:
a. In the table, each pendulum has a period that is the square root of its length. Thus, conjecture that a pendulum with a
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 length of 49 units will have a period of 7 heartbeats.
b. In the table, a pendulum with a length of 4 units has a period that is twice that of a pendulum with a length of 1 unit. A
pendulum with a length of 16 units has a period that is twice that of a pendulum with a length of 4 units. It appears that
quadrupling the length of a pendulum doubles its period.

Conclusions based on inductive reasoning may be incorrect. As an illustration, consider the circles shows below. For each circle, all
possible line segments have been drawn to connect each dot ion the circle with all other dots on the circle.

The maximum numbers of regions formed by connecting dots on a circle.

For each circle, count the number of regions formed by the line segments that connect the dots on the circle. Your results
should agree with the results in the following table.
Number of dots 1 2 3 4 5 6
Maximum number of regions 1 2 4 8 16 ?

There appears to be a pattern. Each additional dot seems to double the number of regions. Guess
the maximum number of regions you except. Guess the maximum number of regions you expect for
a circle with six dots. Check your guess by counting the maximum number of regions formed by the
line segments that connect six dots on a large circle. Your drawing will show that for six dots. The
maximum number of regions is 31 (see figure at the right), not 32 as you may have guessed. With
seven dots the maximum number of regions is 57. This is a good example to keep in mind. Just
because a pattern holds true for a few cases, it does not mean the pattern will continue. When you
use inductive reasoning, you have no guarantee that your conclusion is correct.

Counterexamples

A statement is a true statement provided that it is true in all cases. If you can find one case for which a statement is not
true, called counterexample, then the statement is a false statement. In example 4 we verify that each statement is false
statement by finding a counterexample for each.

Example 4: Find a counterexample

Verify that each of the following statements is a false statement by finding a counter-example.
For all numbers x:
1. |x|>0
2
2. x >x
3. √ x 2=x

Solution:
A statement may have many counterexamples, but we need only find one counter example to verify that the statement is
false.

1. Let x = 0. Then |0|=0 . Because 0 is not greater than 0, we have found a counterexample. Thus “for all numbers x, |x|>0 ”
is a false statement.
2. For x = 1 we have 12=1. Since 1 is not greater than 1, we have found a counterexample. Thus “for all numbers x, x 2> x ” is
a false statement.
√
3. Consider x = -3. Then (−3)2= √ 9=3. Since 3 is not equal to -3, we have found a counterexample. Thus “for all numbers
x, √ x =x ” is a false statement.
2

Another type of reasoning is called deductive reasoning. Deductive reasoning is distinguished from inductive reasoning in that it is
the process of reaching a conclusion by applying general principles and procedures.

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

Example 5: Use Deductive Reasoning to Establish a Conjecture

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Use deductive reasoning to show that the following procedure produces a number that is four times the original number.

Procedure:
1. Pick a number
2. Multiply the number 8
3. Add 6 to the product
4. Divide the sum by 2
5. Subtract 3

Solution:
Let n represent the original number.

Multiply the number by 8: 8n

Add 6 to the product: 8n + 6
8 n+6
Divide the sum by 2: =4 n+3
2
Subtract: 4n + 3 – 3 = 4n

We started with n and ended with 4n. The procedure given in this example produces a number that is four times the original
number.

INDUCTIVE REASONING VS. DEDUCTIVE REASONING

In example 6 below, we analyze arguments to determine whether they use inductive reasoning or deductive reasoning.

Example 6: Determine Types of Reasoning

Determine whether each of the following arguments is an example of inductive reasoning or deductive reasoning.
a. During the past 10 years, a tree has produced plums every other year. Last year the tree did not produce plums, so this
year the tree will produce plums.
b. All home improvements cost more than the estimate. The contractor estimated that my home improvement will cost
$35,000. Thus my home improvement will cost more than $35,000.

Solution:
a. This argument reaches a conclusion based on specific examples, so it is an example of inductive reasoning.
b. Because the conclusion is a specific case of a general assumption, this argument in an example of deductive reasoning.

Logic Puzzles
Logic puzzles, similar to the one in Example 7, can be solved by using deductive reasoning and a chart that enables us to
display the given information in a visual manner.

Example 7: Solve a Logic Puzzle

Each of four neighbors, Sean, Maria, Sarah, and Brian, has a different occupation (editor, banker, chef or dentist). From
the following clues, determine the occupation of each neighbor.
1. Maria gets home from work after the banker but before the dentist.
2. Sarah, who is the last to get home from work, is not the editor.
3. The dentist and Sarah leave for work at the same time.

Solution:
From clue 1, Maria is not the banker or the dentist. In the following chart, write X1 (which stands for “ruled out by clue 1”) in the
Banker and the Dentist columns of Maria’s row.
Editor Banker Chef Dentist
Sean
Maria X1 X1
Sarah
Brian

From clue 2, Sarah is not the editor. Write X2 (rules out by clue 2) in the Editor column of Sarah’s row. We know from clue 1 that
the banker is not the last to get home, and we know from clue 2 that Sarah is the last to get home; therefore, Sarah is not the
banker. Write X2 in the banker column of Sarah’s row.
Editor Banker Chef Dentist
Sean
Maria X1 X1
Sarah X2 X2
Brian

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From clue 3, Sarah is not the dentist. Write X3 for this condition. There are now Xs for three of the four occupations in Sarah’s row;
therefore, Sarah must be chef. Place a / in that box. Since Sarah is the chef, none of the other three people can be the chef. Write
X3 for these conditions. There are now Xs for three of the four occupations in Maria’s row, therefore, Maria must be the editor.
Insert a / to indicate that Maria is the editor, and write X3 twice to indicate that neither Sean nor Brian is the editor.

Editor Banker Chef Dentist

Sean X3 X3
Maria / X1 X3 X1
Sarah X2 X2 /
Brian X3 X3

From clue 4, Brian is not the banker. Write X4 for this condition. See the following table. Since there are three Xs in the Banker
column. Sean must be the banker. Place a / in that box. Thus Sean cannot be the dentist. Write X4 in that box. Since there are 3
Xs in the Dentist column, Brian must be the dentist. Place a / in that box.
Editor Banker Chef Dentist
Sean X3 / X3 X4
Maria / X1 X3 X1
Sarah X2 X2 / X3
Brian X3 X4 X3 /

Since is the banker, Maria is the editor, Sarah is the chef, and Brian is the dentist.

REFERENCES
Aufmann R. N, et al, Mathematics Excursions 14th Edit

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