An example of algorithm for solving a problem

(the linear motion)

- Read the text; make sure you understand each word

- Make a sketch; mark on the sketch all the important moments of time, intervals of motion; locations of a body (bodies); displacements of a body (bodies); velocities; accelerations

- Write for each interval of the motion the equation by using the notations

- Substitute into the formulas all known magnitudes

- Solve the obtained set of equations

- Read the text

- Make a sketch (the body, the direction of its motion, the initial and final position)

- Point on the sketch all the necessary/important instants of time and intervals of motion

- Notate the each specific instant of time, the each specific displacement and the each specific speed

- Wright for each intervals of motion the equation of the linear motion with a constant velocity using the given notations

- Substitute into the formulas all known magnitudes

- Solve the obtained set of equations

Psychology of making of a solution

Technology of making a solution

Logic of making a solution

Reflection of the process of the creating of a solution

General algorithm for creating the solution of a problem in Physics

I. Psychology of creating of a solution

1. Convince yourself that the problem has a solution

2. Convince yourself that you can find/create the solution of the problem; it is not really important can you do it absolutely independently or with engaging of somebody’s help (teacher’s, friend’s)

3. Formulate some simple to perform operations/actions, from which it would be possible to begin a solution, something that is possible to proceed in conditions of a problem

4. Make a chose what the action are you going to do right now and do it ("enter into a cold water"), convince yourself that it is possible to reflect the problem, to think about the problem and to do some actions on the problem

5. Keep acting and acting, make different attempts to obtain any new information from the text of the problem, try various variants of operations, fix their outcomes. If the problem is still not solved, proceed to the algorithm of creating a solution

6. Fix/record the specific gap between the goal of the problem (unknown) and the state achieved in the solution of the problem

7. "Convert your ignorance (lack of knowledge) into a key to a solution ":

- Analyse the reasons/premises for organization of your previous activities, think about why you have been acting like you have been acting (what has forced you to act in that way). The reason for errors were made or for you got stuck lies either in an inaccuracy of your premises, or in their insufficiency (you have made a mistake at some step or you do not have all the necessary information)

- Formulate the new question to the problem, the answer on which could allow you to make a new step in a solution of the problem;

- Locate search areas to find the answer on the question, formulate methods of searching of the answer

- Find the answer on the raised question, formulate additional obtained information

- Formulate a hypothesis on a method of a solution of the problem (determine the sequence of steps which could lead to the solution)

- Check up the hypothesis; proceed the (hypothetical) method of the solution

- Get the result, if not yet, ask yourself the set of questions: Am I really want to solve this problem, Am I sure in my success, Who can assist me in my work, Am I ready to start, Do I get myself in circles doing again and again the same attempts/steps, Why have I started to do this, not that, Because of what premises I proceed my reasoning in this way, How can it be done in a different way, What can I try to do instead of doing this, What is it possible to try to do in order to bypass or to remove an obstacle and why is this?

- Get the result, if not yet, go back to #6

II. Technique for creating a solution

1. Analysis of a situation:

Select (and formulate the reasons for your selection):

- Key objects

- Main interactions between objects

- Main processes happening to objects

- Have you met the similar situation before?

2. Abstractization and schematisation:

- Determine main empirical terms used for the description of the physics situation of the problem

- Make the visual image of the situation (draw a detailed picture)

- Link empirical terms to appropriate physics concepts (locate the appropriate region of physics);

3. Statement of a problem in theoretical language

- Find the correspondence between empirical terms and theoretical terms (“a car” = “an object”, etc)

- Translate the text of the problem from empirical language into theoretical

4. Determination of a model:

- Select main parameters describing the objects and processes (formulate the reasons for the selection)

- Select key parameters describing a situation as a whole

- Determine variables for chosen parameters

- Correlate/compare the chosen variables with the variables for similar physical models

- Determine classes of the phenomena most relevant to the situation described in the problem

- Select models closest to the situation considering to the set of variables standing for key parameters

5. Mathematical description

- Define the correspondence between specific objects, processes, quantities essential to the considered situation and the general (abstract, theoretical) objects, processes, quantities describing the chosen classes of the phenomena and models

- Determine the set of main categories essential to the description of selected classes of the phenomena and corresponding models

- State main laws and definitions relevant to classes of the selected phenomena and models

- Fix/write main algebraic statements/expressions corresponding to the laws and definitions

6. Solution:

- Substitute the given numbers in the stated equations

- Perform the mathematical transformations necessary for determination of the values of the quantities

- Analyze the obtained results in point of view of their reasonableness, naturalness, consider the possible limiting cases

III. Logic of creating a solution

Corresponding to the algorithm described above, the below is mental operations which have to be realised at each stage of the solution; this part of mental work consists of the answers to the following questions:

1. Analysis of a situation:

- What can we say about objects (bodies, things) in the condition of a problem?

- What is happening to the objects, in what processes they are participating, do they experience any changes

- What is having an influence on the objects, do some objects act on another, are there some interactions

2. Abstractization and schematisation:

- What words (usually they are nouns) are used to name the objects/bodies

- What words (usually they are verbs) are used to describe the processes (what is happening to the objects)

- What words (usually they are adjectives) are used to describe/indicate properties of both bodies and processes

- What is the way to represent each object and what is happening to it on a sketch

- What theoretical categories/terms Physicists use to describe the similar objects and processes

- What is a possible "translation" of the text of the problem into a theoretical language?

3. Determination of the type of a model:

- What are main physical quantities (terms, categories) are used for the description of a situation

- What physical phenomena can be described by using the same physical quantities (terms, categories)

- What are main parameters of classification are used to select appropriate model

- What are values of these parameters for our problem?

- What is the name of the physics model/models which have the same values of the same parameters?

4. Mathematical description:

- What are main physical quantities are used for the description of the selected models

- What are main physical quantities from above connected by some physical relations/dependents?

- By what kind of equations are the physical quantities connected

5. Solution:

- What are physical quantities used in the equations which a relevant to the selected model/models

- Can we stand appropriate variables (letters) for the physical quantities using in the model and can we write the equation corresponded to connections between them

- What numerical values can be substituted in the equations for the labels/letters of the quantities (corresponded variables)?

- How many unknowns and algebraic equations are obtained as the result of the substitution?

- How can we solve the obtained set of equations?

- Ether the obtained solutions are reasonable or they contradict to our experience?

IV. Reflection of the process of the creating of a solution

- Analyse the process of the creating of a solution: - about what, in what sequence, for what reason, with what outcome it was necessary to think during a creating a solution; what happened during the reasoning; what problems were overcame; what kind of emotions have been experienced

- Analyse the solution found: - is the method of the creating of the solution applicable to the given problem only or it can be generalized for the class of problems; what indicators determine this class of problems (by using which indicators can a problem been assigned to the given class)

- State a general method for problem solving of the problem from the given class/set of problems

 

The most important part of the mental activity leading to the structuring the developed skills needed for creating the solution of a problem is the reflecting the own activities performed during the problem solving process. Technically, this part of the activities is carried out by answering to a number of the questions pointing to oneself, such as: "Am I really want to solve this problem?", "Am I sure in my success?", "Who can assist me in my work?" , “Am I ready to start?", "Do I get myself in circles doing again and again the same attempts/steps?", "Why have I started to do this, not that? ", "Because of what premises I proceed my reasoning in this way?", "How can it be done in a different way?", "What can I try to do instead of doing this?", "What is it possible to try to do in order to bypass or to remove an obstacle and why is this? " And etc…

 

All the textbooks start the solutions from writing down the necessary equations, which then get applied to solve the problem. Reading this way to solve a problem, students keep being curios, how did the author know what kind of equations to choose? I teach my students that writing down the necessary equations is the final step of analysis! Physics is done after that! Math is starting. The main cause for misunderstanding Physics and for disability to solve Physics problems is the lack of experience of making the analysis which leads to the necessary equations! This is the focus, the main goal and the most valuable result of Physics education.

 

The described algorithm introduces one of the most interesting problems of creating new efficient educational tools, which belong to psychology, neurology and educational science. Any algorithm, as also any written or spoken text, has a sequence of words, which a connected to each other in series. But a brain works out a huge amount of signals simultaneously, a brain do not used to work in series, it used to work in parallel, making “parallel calculations” as such as computer with a lot of parallel working processors. The structure of the information translated to students do not correspond to the structure of information a brain used to deal with. Hence there must be a certain/specific process brain is using for translating one kind of the structure into another. The effectiveness of this kind of translation has to have a direct influence on the effectiveness of the mastering of a subject. Usually this process happens in a natural way without a purposed influence of a teacher. I believe, if researchers could find the ways of working with such translating process it would lead to new approaches for constructing educational tools and organising lessons.