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How to Solve Math Problems

Last Updated: April 15, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Daron Cam . Daron Cam is an Academic Tutor and the Founder of Bay Area Tutors, Inc., a San Francisco Bay Area-based tutoring service that provides tutoring in mathematics, science, and overall academic confidence building. Daron has over eight years of teaching math in classrooms and over nine years of one-on-one tutoring experience. He teaches all levels of math including calculus, pre-algebra, algebra I, geometry, and SAT/ACT math prep. Daron holds a BA from the University of California, Berkeley and a math teaching credential from St. Mary's College. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 594,016 times.

Although math problems may be solved in different ways, there is a general method of visualizing, approaching and solving math problems that may help you to solve even the most difficult problem. Using these strategies can also help you to improve your math skills overall. Keep reading to learn about some of these math problem solving strategies.

Understanding the Problem

Step 1 Identify the type of problem.

  • Draw a Venn diagram. A Venn diagram shows the relationships among the numbers in your problem. Venn diagrams can be especially helpful with word problems.
  • Draw a graph or chart.
  • Arrange the components of the problem on a line.
  • Draw simple shapes to represent more complex features of the problem.

Step 5 Look for patterns.

Developing a Plan

Step 1 Figure out what formulas you will need to solve the problem.

Solving the Problem

Step 1 Follow your plan.

Joseph Meyer

When doing practice problems, promptly check to see if your answers are correct. Use worksheets that provide answer keys for instant feedback. Discuss answers with a classmate or find explanations online. Immediate feedback will help you correct your mistakes, avoid bad habits, and advance your learning more quickly.

Expert Q&A

Daron Cam

  • Seek help from your teacher or a math tutor if you get stuck or if you have tried multiple strategies without success. Your teacher or a math tutor may be able to easily identify what is wrong and help you to understand how to correct it. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • Keep practicing sums and diagrams. Go through the concept your class notes regularly. Write down your understanding of the methods and utilize it. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

steps to solve a problem in math

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Do Math Proofs

  • ↑ Daron Cam. Math Tutor. Expert Interview. 29 May 2020.
  • ↑ http://www.interventioncentral.org/academic-interventions/math/math-problem-solving-combining-cognitive-metacognitive-strategies
  • ↑ http://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/Extras/StudyMath/ProblemSolving.aspx
  • ↑ https://math.berkeley.edu/~gmelvin/polya.pdf

About This Article

Daron Cam

To solve a math problem, try rewriting the problem in your own words so it's easier to solve. You can also make a drawing of the problem to help you figure out what it's asking you to do. If you're still completely stuck, try solving a different problem that's similar but easier and then use the same steps to solve the harder problem. Even if you can't figure out how to solve it, try to make an educated guess instead of leaving the question blank. To learn how to come up with a solid plan to use to help you solve a math problem, scroll down! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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The algebra section of QuickMath allows you to manipulate mathematical expressions in all sorts of useful ways. At the moment, QuickMath can expand, factor or simplify virtually any expression, cancel common factors within fractions, split fractions up into smaller ('partial') fractions and join two or more fractions together into a single fraction. More specialized commands are on the way.

What is algebra?

Algebra is the branch of elementary mathematics which uses symbols to stand for unknown quantities. In a more basic sense, it consists of solving equations or manipulating expressions which contain symbols (usually letters, like x, y or z) as well as numbers and functions. Although solving equations is really a part of algebra, it is such a big area that it has its own section in QuickMath.

This part of QuickMath deals only with algebraic expressions. These are mathematical statements which contain letters, numbers and functions, but no equals signs. Here are a few examples of simple algebraic expressions :

-1

-2x+1

+3a b-5ab

+1

 + 
-1

The expand command is used mainly to rewrite polynomials with all brackets and whole number powers multiplied out and all like terms collected together. In the advanced section, you also have the option of expanding trigonometric functions, expanding modulo any integer and leaving certain parts of the expression untouched whilst expanding the rest.

Go to the Expand page

The factor command will try to rewrite an expression as a product of smaller expressions. It takes care of such things as taking out common factors, factoring by pairs, quadratic trinomials, differences of two squares, sums and differences of two cubes, and a whole lot more. The advanced section includes options for factoring trigonometric functions, factoring modulo any integer, factoring over the field of Gaussian integers (just the thing for those tricky sums of squares), and even extending the field over which factoring occurs with your own custom extensions.

Go to the Factor page

Simplifying is perhaps the most difficult of all the commands to describe. The way simplification is performed in QuickMath involves looking at many different combinations of transformations of an expression and choosing the one which has the smallest number of parts. Amongst other things, the Simplify command will take care of canceling common factors from the top and bottom of a fraction and collecting like terms. The advanced options allow you to simplify trigonometric functions or to instruct QuickMath to try harder to find a simplified expression.

Go to the Simplify page

The cancel command allows you to cancel out common factors in the denominator and numerator of any fraction appearing in an expression. This command works by canceling the greatest common divisor of the denominator and numerator.

Go to the Cancel page

Partial Fractions

The partial fractions command allows you to split a rational function into a sum or difference of fractions. A rational function is simply a quotient of two polynomials. Any rational function can be written as a sum of fractions, where the denominators of the fractions are powers of the factors of the denominator of the original expression. This command is especially useful if you need to integrate a rational function. By splitting it into partial fractions first, the integration can often be made much simpler.

Go to the Partial Fractions page

Join Fractions

The join fractions command essentially does the reverse of the partial fractions command. It will rewrite a number of fractions which are added or subtracted as a single fraction. The denominator of this single fraction will usually be the lowest common multiple of the denominators of all the fractions being added or subtracted. Any common factors in the numerator and denominator of the answer will automatically be cancelled out.

Go to the Join Fractions page

Introduction to Algebraic Functions

The notion of correspondence is encountered frequently in everyday life. For example, to each book in a library there corresponds the number of pages in the book. As another example, to each human being there corresponds a birth date. To cite a third example, if the temperature of the air is recorded throughout a day, then at each instant of time there is a corresponding temperature.

The examples of correspondences we have given involve two sets X and Y. In our first example, X denotes the set of books in a library and Y the set of positive integers. For each book x in X there corresponds a positive integer y, namely the number of pages in the book. In the second example, if we let X denote the set of all human beings and Y the set of all possible dates, then to each person x in X there corresponds a birth date y.

We sometimes represent correspondences by diagrams of the type shown in Figure 1.17, where the sets X and Y are represented by points within regions in a plane. The curved arrow indicates that the element y of Y corresponds to the element x of X. We have pictured X and Y as different sets. However, X and Y may have elements in common. As a matter of fact, we often have X = Y.

steps to solve a problem in math

A function f from a set X to a set Y is a correspondence that assigns to each element x of X a unique element y of Y. The element y is called the image of x under f and is denoted by f(x). The set X is called the domain of the function. The range of the function consists of all images of elements of X.

Earlier, we introduced the notation f(x) for the element of Y which corresponds to x. This is usually read "f of x." We also call f(x) the value of f at x. In terms of the pictorial representation given earlier, we may now sketch a diagram as in Figure 1.18. The curved arrows indicate that the elements f(x), f(w), f(z), and f(a) of Y correspond to the elements x, y, z and a of X. Let us repeat the important fact that to each x in X there is assigned precisely one image f(x) in Y; however, different elements of X such as w and z in Figure 1.18 may have the same image in Y.

steps to solve a problem in math

Solution As in Example 1, finding images under f is simply a matter of substituting the appropriate number for x in the expression for f(x). Thus:

steps to solve a problem in math

Many formulas which occur in mathematics and the sciences determine functions. As an illustration, the formula A = pi*r 2 for the area A of a circle of radius r assigns to each positive real number r a unique value of A. This determines a function f, where f(r) = pi*r 2 , and we may write A= f(r). The letter r, which represents an arbitrary number from the domain off, is often called an independent variable. The letter A, which represents a number from the range off, is called a dependent variable, since its value depends on the number assigned tor. When two variables r and A are related in this manner, it is customary to use the phrase A is a function of r. To cite another example, if an automobile travels at a uniform rate of 50 miles per hour, then the distance d (miles) traveled in time t (hours) is given by d = 50t and hence the distance d is a function of time t.

We have seen that different elements in the domain of a function may have the same image. If images are always different, then, as in the next definition, the function is called one-to-one.  

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steps to solve a problem in math

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5 Easy Steps to Solve Any Word Problem in Math

  • February 27, 2021

Picture this my teacher besties.  You are solving word problems in your math class and every student, yes every student knows how to solve word problems without immediately entering a state of confusion!  They know how to attack the problem head-on and have a method to solve every single problem that is presented to them.  

tips-to-solve-word-problems-in-math

How Do You Solve Word Problems in Math?

Ask yourself this, what do you think is the #1 phrase a student says as soon as they see a word problem? 

You guessed it, my teacher friend,  I don’t know how to do this!  I think the most common question I get when I’m teaching my math classes, is how do I solve this?  

Students see word problems and immediately enter freak-out mode!  Let’s take solving word problems in the classroom and make it easier for students to SOLVE the problem!

problem-solving-strategies-in-math

How to Solve Word Problems Step by Step 

There are so many methods   that students can choose from when learning how to solve word problems.  The 4 step method is the foundation for all of the methods that you will see, but what about a variation of the 4 step method that every student can do just because they get it. 

Students are most likely confused about how to solve word problems because they have never used a consistent method over the years.   I’m all about consistency in my classroom.  Fortunately, in my school district, I get to teach most of the students year after year because of how small our class sizes are.   So I’m going to give you a method based on the 4 step method, that allows all students to be successful at solving word problems.  

Even the most unmotivated math student will learn how to solve word problems and not skip them!

steps-to-solving-word-problems-in-mathematics

Tips, Tricks, and  Teaching Strategies to Solving Word Problems in Math

Going back to the 4 step method just in case you need a refresher.  If you know me at all a little reminder of “oh yeah I remember that now” always helps me!  

4 steps in solving word problems in math:

  • Understand the Problem
  • Plan the solution
  • Solve the Problem 
  • Check the solution

This 4 step method is the basis of the method I’m going to tell you all about.  The problem isn’t with the method itself, it is the fact that most students see word problems and just start panicking!

Why can they do an entire assignment and then see a word problem and then suddenly stop?  Is there a reason why books are designed with word problems at the end? 

These are questions that I constantly have asked myself over the last several years.  I finally got to the point where my students needed a consistent approach to solving word problems that worked every single time.  

The first thing I knew I needed to start doing was introducing students to word problems at the beginning of each lesson.

Once students first see the word problems at the beginning of the lesson, they are less likely to be scared of them when it comes time to do it by themselves! 

This also will increase their confidence in the classroom.  In case you missed it, I shared all about how I increase my students’ confidence in the classroom.  

Wonder how increasing their confidence will help keep them motivated in the classroom?

So confident motivated students will see word problems that could be on their homework, any standardized test, and say I GOT THIS! 

steps-to-solving-word-problems-in-mathematics

Steps to Solving Word Problems in Mathematics

We are ready to SOLVE any word problem our students are going to encounter in math class.  

Here are my 5 easy steps to SOLVE any word problem in math:

  • S – State the objective
  • O – Outline your plan
  • L – Look for Key Details – Information 
  • V –  Verify and Solve
  • E – Explain and check your solution

Do you want to learn how to implement this 5 steps problem-solving strategy into your classroom?  I’m hosting a FREE workshop all about how to implement this strategy in your classroom!  

problem-solving-strategies-for-math

I am so excited to be offering a workshop to increase students’ confidence in solving word problems.  The workshop is held in my Facebook Group The Round Robin Math Community. It also will be sent straight to your inbox and you can watch it right now!

If you’re interested, join today and all the details will be sent to you ASAP!

I will see you there!

PS.  Need the SOLVE method for your bulletin board for your students’ math journals/notebooks?  Check out this bulletin board resource here:

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Love, Robin

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Hi, I'm Robin!

 I am a secondary math teacher with over 19 years of experience! If you’re a teacher looking for help with all the tips, tricks, and strategies for passing the praxis math core test, you’re in the right place!

I also create engaging secondary math resources for grades 7-12! 

Learn more about me and how I can help you here .

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Solve Math Problems Essily with Our Math Solver & Math Calculator

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July 1, 2024

The Biggest Problem in Mathematics Is Finally a Step Closer to Being Solved

Number theorists have been trying to prove a conjecture about the distribution of prime numbers for more than 160 years

By Manon Bischoff

Abstract purple lines funnelling towards the right with white dotted light sources becoming smaller towards the right.

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The Riemann hypothesis is the most important open question in number theory—if not all of mathematics. It has occupied experts for more than 160 years. And the problem appeared both in mathematician David Hilbert’s groundbreaking speech from 1900 and among the “Millennium Problems” formulated a century later. The person who solves it will win a million-dollar prize.

But the Riemann hypothesis is a tough nut to crack. Despite decades of effort, the interest of many experts and the cash reward, there has been little progress. Now mathematicians Larry Guth of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and James Maynard of the University of Oxford have posted a sensational new finding on the preprint server arXiv.org. In the paper, “the authors improve a result that seemed insurmountable for more than 50 years,” says number theorist Valentin Blomer of the University of Bonn in Germany.

Other experts agree. The work is “a remarkable breakthrough,” mathematician and Fields Medalist Terence Tao wrote on Mastodon , “though still very far from fully resolving this conjecture.”

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The Riemann hypothesis concerns the basic building blocks of natural numbers: prime numbers, values only divisible by 1 and themselves. Examples include 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, and so on.

Every other number, such as 15, can be clearly broken down into a product of prime numbers: 15 = 3 x 5. The problem is that the prime numbers do not seem to follow a simple pattern and instead appear randomly among the natural numbers. Nineteenth-century German mathematician Bernhard Riemann proposed a way to deal with this peculiarity that explains how prime numbers are distributed on the number line—at least from a statistical point of view.

A Periodic Table for Numbers

Proving this conjecture would provide mathematicians with nothing less than a kind of “periodic table of numbers.” Just as the basic building blocks of matter (such as quarks, electrons and photons) help us to understand the universe and our world, prime numbers also play an important role, not just in number theory but in almost all areas of mathematics.

There are now numerous theorems based on the Riemann conjecture. Proof of this conjecture would prove many other theorems as well—yet another incentive to tackle this stubborn problem.

Interest in prime numbers goes back thousands of years. Euclid proved as early as 300 B.C.E. that there are an infinite number of prime numbers. And although interest in prime numbers persisted, it was not until the 18th century that any further significant findings were made about these basic building blocks.

As a 15-year-old, physicist Carl Friedrich Gauss realized that the number of prime numbers decreases along the number line. His so-called prime number theorem (not proven until 100 years later) states that approximately n / ln( n ) prime numbers appear in the interval from 0 to n . In other words, the prime number theorem offers mathematicians a way of estimating the typical distribution of primes along a chunk of the number line.

The exact number of prime numbers may differ from the estimate given by the theorem, however. For example: According to the prime number theorem, there are approximately 100 / ln(100) ≈ 22 prime numbers in the interval between 1 and 100. But in reality there are 25. There is therefore a deviation of 3. This is where the Riemann hypothesis comes in. This hypothesis gives mathematicians a way to estimate the deviation. More specifically, it states that this deviation cannot become arbitrarily large but instead must scale at most with the square root of n , the length of the interval under consideration.

The Riemann hypothesis therefore does not predict exactly where prime numbers are located but posits that their appearance on the number line follows certain rules. According to the Riemann hypothesis, the density of primes decreases according to the prime number theorem, and the primes are evenly distributed according to this density. This means that there are no large areas in which there are no prime numbers at all, while others are full of them.

You can also imagine this idea by thinking about the distribution of molecules in the air of a room: the overall density on the floor is somewhat higher than on the ceiling, but the particles—following this density distribution—are nonetheless evenly scattered, and there is no vacuum anywhere.

A Strange Connection

Riemann formulated the conjecture named after him in 1859, in a slim, six-page publication (his only contribution to the field of number theory). At first glance, however, his work has little to do with prime numbers.

He dealt with a specific function, the so-called zeta function ζ( s ), an infinitely long sum that adds the reciprocal values of natural numbers that are raised to the power of s :

The zeta function

Even before Riemann’s work, experts knew that such zeta functions are related to prime numbers. Thus, the zeta function can also be expressed as a function of all prime numbers p as follows:

The zeta function as a function of all prime numbers

Riemann recognized the full significance of this connection with prime numbers when he used not only real values for s but also complex numbers. These numbers contain both a real part and roots from negative numbers, the so-called imaginary part.

You can imagine complex numbers as a two-dimensional construct. Rather than mark a point on the number line, they instead lie on the plane. The x coordinate corresponds to the real part and the y coordinate to the imaginary part:

The coordinates of z = x + iy illustrate a complex number

Никита Воробьев/Wikimedia

The complex zeta function that Riemann investigated can be visualized as a landscape above the plane. As it turns out, there are certain points amid the mountains and valleys that play an important role in relation to prime numbers. These are the points at which the zeta function becomes zero (so-called zeros), where the landscape sinks to sea level, so to speak.

A visual mapping of the zeta function looks like a mountainscape with peaks and troughs

The colors represent the values of the complex zeta function, with the white dots indicating its zeros.

Jan Homann/Wikimedia

Riemann quickly found that the zeta function has no zeros if the real part is greater than 1. This means that the area of the landscape to the right of the straight line x = 1 never sinks to sea level. The zeros of the zeta function are also known for negative values of the real part. They lie on the real axis at x = –2, –4, –6, and so on. But what really interested Riemann—and all mathematicians since—were the zeros of the zeta function in the “critical strip” between 0 ≤ x ≤ 1.

The dark blue area demarcates a stretch along the x axis where the Riemann zeta function contains nontrivial zeros

In the critical strip (dark blue), the Riemann zeta function can have “nontrivial” zeros. The Riemann conjecture states that these are located exclusively on the line x = 1/2 (dashed line).

LoStrangolatore/Wikimedia ( CC BY-SA 3.0 )

Riemann knew that the zeta function has an infinite number of zeros within the critical strip. But interestingly, all appear to lie on the straight line x = 1 / 2 . Thus Riemann hypothesized that all zeros of the zeta function within the critical strip have a real part of x = 1 / 2 . That statement is actually at the crux of understanding the distribution of prime numbers. If correct, then the placement of prime numbers along the number line never deviates too much from the prime number set.

On the Hunt for Zeros

To date, billions and billions of zeta function zeros have now been examined— more than 10 13 of them —and all lie on the straight line x = 1 / 2 .

But that alone is not a valid proof. You would only have to find a single zero that deviates from this scheme to disprove the Riemann hypothesis. Therefore we are looking for a proof that clearly demonstrates that there are no zeros outside x = 1 / 2 in the critical strip.

Thus far, such a proof has been out of reach, so researchers took a different approach. They tried to show that there is, at most, a certain number N of zeros outside this straight line x = 1 / 2 . The hope is to reduce N until N = 0 at some point, thereby proving the Riemann conjecture. Unfortunately, this path also turns out to be extremely difficult. In 1940 mathematician Albert Ingham was able to show that between 0.75 ≤ x ≤ 1 there are at most y 3/5+ c zeros with an imaginary part of at most y , where c is a constant between 0 and 9.

In the following 80 years, this estimation barely improved. The last notable progress came from mathematician Martin Huxley in 1972 . “This has limited us from doing many things in analytic number theory,” Tao wrote in his social media post . For example, if you wanted to apply the prime number theorem to short intervals of the type [ x , x + x θ ], you were limited by Ingham’s estimate to θ > 1 / 6 .

Yet if Riemann’s conjecture is true, then the prime number theorem applies to any interval (or θ = 0), no matter how small (because [ x , x + x θ ] = [ x , x + 1] applies to θ = 0).

Now Maynard, who was awarded the prestigious Fields Medal in 2022 , and Guth have succeeded in significantly improving Ingham’s estimate for the first time. According to their work, the zeta function in the range 0.75 ≤ x ≤ 1 has at most y (13/25)+ c zeros with an imaginary part of at most y . What does that mean exactly? Blomer explains: “The authors show in a quantitative sense that zeros of the Riemann zeta function become rarer the further away they are from the critical straight line. In other words, the worse the possible violations of the Riemann conjecture are, the more rarely they would occur.”

“This propagates to many corresponding improvements in analytic number theory,” Tao wrote . It makes it possible to reduce the size of the intervals for which the prime number theorem applies. The theorem is valid for [ x , x + x 2/15 ], so θ > 1 / 6 = 0.166... becomes θ > 2 ⁄ 15 = 0.133...

For this advance, Maynard and Guth initially used well-known methods from Fourier analysis for their result. These are similar techniques to what is used to break down a sound into its overtones. “The first few steps are standard, and many analytic number theorists, including myself, who have attempted to break the Ingham bound, will recognize them,” Tao explained . From there, however, Maynard and Guth “do a number of clever and unexpected maneuvers,” Tao wrote.

Blomer agrees. “The work provides a whole new set of ideas that—as the authors rightly say—can probably be applied to other problems. From a research point of view, that’s the most decisive contribution of the work,” he says.

So even if Maynard and Guth have not solved Riemann’s conjecture, they have at least provided new food for thought to tackle the 160-year-old puzzle. And who knows—perhaps their efforts hold the key to finally cracking the conjecture.

This article originally appeared in Spektrum der Wissenschaft and was reproduced with permission.

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The most rigorous math program you've never heard of.

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Math-M-Addicts students eagerly dive into complex math problems during class.

In the building of the Speyer Legacy School in New York City, a revolutionary math program is quietly producing some of the city's most gifted young problem solvers and logical thinkers. Founded in 2005 by two former math prodigies, Math-M-Addicts has grown into an elite academy developing the skills and mindset that traditional schooling often lacks.

"We wanted to establish the most advanced math program in New York," explains Ruvim Breydo, co-founder of Math-M-Addicts. "The curriculum focuses not just on mathematical knowledge, but on developing a mastery of problem-solving through a proof-based approach aligned with prestigious competitions like the International Mathematical Olympiad."

From its inception, Math-M-Addicts took an unconventional path. What began as an attempt to attract only the highest caliber high school students soon expanded to offer multiple curriculum levels. "We realized we couldn't find enough kids at the most advanced levels," says Breydo. "So we decided to develop that talent from an earlier age."

The program's approach centers on rigor. At each of the 7 levels, the coursework comprises just a handful of fiendishly difficult proof-based math problems every week. "On average, we expect them to get about 50% of the solutions right," explains instructor Natalia Lukina. "The problems take hours and require grappling with sophisticated mathematical concepts."

But it's about more than just the content. Class sizes are small, with two instructors for every 15-20 students. One instructor leads the session, while the other teacher coordinates the presentation of the homework solutions by students. The teachers also provide customized feedback by meticulously reviewing each student's solutions. "I spend as much time analyzing their thought processes as I do teaching new material," admits instructor Bobby Lee.

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Lee and the Math-M-Addicts faculty embrace an unconventional pedagogy focused on developing logic, creativity, and a tenacious problem-solving mindset over procedures. "We don't dumb it down for them," says Breydo. "We use technical math language and allow students to struggle through the challenges because that's where real learning happens."

Impressive results of Math-M-addicts students in selective math competitions highlight their ... [+] preparation and dedication.

For the Math-M-Addicts team, finding the right teachers is as essential as shaping brilliant students. Prospective instructors go through a rigorous multi-stage vetting process. "We seek passionate mathematical problem solvers first," says program director Sonali Jasuja. "Teaching experience is great, but first and foremost, we need people who deeply understand and enjoy the reasoning behind mathematics."

Even exceptional instructors undergo extensive training by co-teaching for at least a year alongside veteran Math-M-Addicts faculty before taking the lead role. "Our approach is different from how most US teachers learned mathematics," explains instructor Tanya Gross, the director of Girls Adventures in Math (GAIM) competition. "We immerse them in our unique math culture, which focuses on the 'why' instead of the 'how,' empowering a paradigm shift."

That culture extends to the students as well. In addition to the tools and strategies imparted in class, Math-M-Addicts alumni speak of an unshakable confidence and camaraderie that comes from up to several thousands of hours grappling with mathematics at the highest levels alongside peers facing the same challenges.

As Math-M-Addicts ramps up efforts to expand access through online classes and global partnerships, the founders remain devoted to their core mission. "Math education should not obsess with speed and memorization of math concepts," argues Breydo. "This is not what mathematics is about. To unlock human potential, we must refocus on cognitive reasoning and problem-solving skills. We are seeking to raise young people unafraid to tackle any complex challenge they face"

Julia Brodsky

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The Hechinger Report

Covering Innovation & Inequality in Education

Why schools are teaching math word problems all wrong

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CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. — When Natalia Molina began teaching her second grade students word problems earlier this school year, every lesson felt difficult. Most students were stymied by problems such as: “Sally went shopping. She spent $86 on groceries and $39 on clothing. How much more did Sally spend on groceries than on clothing?”

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Both Molina, a first-year teacher, and her students had been trained to tackle word problems by zeroing in on key words like “and,” “more” and “total”  — a simplistic approach that Molina said too often led her students astray. After recognizing the word “and,” for instance, they might mistakenly assume that they needed to add two nearby numbers together to arrive at an answer.

Some weaker readers, lost in a sea of text, couldn’t recognize any words at all.

“I saw how overwhelmed they would get,” said Molina, who teaches at Segue Institute for Learning, a predominantly Hispanic charter school in this small city just north of Providence.

So, with the help of a trainer doing work in Rhode Island through a state grant, Molina and some of her colleagues revamped their approach to teaching word problems this winter — an effort that they said is already paying off in terms of increased student confidence and ability. “It has been a game changer for them,” Molina said.

steps to solve a problem in math

Perhaps no single educational task encompasses as many different skills as the word problem. Between reading, executive functioning, problem solving, computation and vocabulary, there are a lot of ways for students to go wrong. And for that reason, students perform significantly worse overall on word problems compared to questions more narrowly focused on computation or shapes (for example: “Solve 7 + _ = 22” or “What is 64 x 3?”).

If a student excels at word problems, it’s a good sign that they’re generally excelling at school. “Word-problem solving in lower grades is one of the better indicators of overall school success in K-12,” said Lynn Fuchs, a research professor at Vanderbilt University. In a large national survey , for instance, algebra teachers rated word-problem solving as the most important among 15 skills required to excel in the subject.

Teacher takeaways

  • Don’t instruct students to focus mainly on “key words” in word problems such as “and” or “more” 
  • Mix question types in any lesson so that students don’t assume they just apply the same operation (addition, subtraction) again and again
  • Teach students the underlying structure — or schema — of the word problem

Yet most experts and many educators agree that too many schools are doing it wrong, particularly in the elementary grades. And in a small but growing number of classrooms, teachers like Molina are working to change that. “With word problems, there are more struggling learners than non-struggling learners” because they are taught so poorly, said Nicole Bucka, who works with teachers throughout Rhode Island to provide strategies for struggling learners.

Too many teachers, particularly in the early grades, rely on key words to introduce math problems. Posters displaying the terms — sum, minus, fewer, etc. — tied to operations including addition and subtraction are a staple in elementary school classrooms across the country.

Key words can be a convenient crutch for both students and teachers, but they become virtually meaningless as the problems become harder, according to researchers. Key words can help first graders figure out whether to add or subtract more than half of the time, but the strategy rarely works for the multi-step problems students encounter starting in second and third grade. “With multi-step problems, key words don’t work 90 percent of the time,” said Sarah Powell, a professor at the University of Texas in Austin who studies word problems and whose research has highlighted the inefficacy of key words . “But the average kindergarten teacher is not thinking about that; they are teaching 5-year-olds, not 9-year-olds.”

Many teachers in the youngest grades hand out worksheets featuring the same type of word problem repeated over and over again. That’s what Molina’s colleague, Cassandra Santiago, did sometimes last year when leading a classroom on her own for the first time. “It was a mistake,” the first grade teacher said. “It’s really important to mix them up. It makes them think more critically about the parts they have to solve.”

steps to solve a problem in math

Another flaw with word problem instruction is that the overwhelming majority of questions are divorced from the actual problem-solving a child might have to do outside the classroom in their daily life — or ever, really. “I’ve seen questions about two trains going on the same track,” said William Schmidt, a University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University. “First, why would they be going on the same track and, second, who cares?”

Schmidt worked on an analysis of about 8,000 word problems used in 23 textbooks in 19 countries. He found that less than one percent had “real world applications” and involved “higher order math applications .”

“That is one of the reasons why children have problems with mathematics,” he said. “They don’t see the connection to the real world … We’re at this point in math right now where we are just teaching students how to manipulate numbers.”

He said a question, aimed at middle schoolers, that does have real world connections and involves more than manipulating numbers, might be: “Shopping at the new store in town includes a 43% discount on all items which are priced the same at $2. The state you live in has a 7% sales tax. You want to buy many things but only have a total of $52 to spend. Describe in words how many things you could buy.”

Schmidt added that relevancy of word problems is one area where few, if any, countries excel. “No one was a shining star leading the way,” he said. 

In her brightly decorated classroom one Tuesday afternoon, Santiago, the first grade teacher, gave each student a set of animal-shaped objects and a sheet of blue paper (the water) and green (the grass). “We’re going to work on a number story,” she told them. “I want you to use your animals to tell me the story.”

“ Once upon a time,” the story began. In this tale, three animals played in the water, and two animals played in the grass. Santiago allowed some time for the ducks, pigs and bears to frolic in the wilds of each student’s desk before she asked the children to write a number sentence that would tell them how many animals they have altogether.

Some of the students relied more on pictorial representations (three dots on one side of a line and two dots on the other) and others on the number sentence (3+2 = 5) but all of them eventually got to five. And Santiago made sure that her next question mixed up the order of operations (so students didn’t incorrectly assume that all they ever have to do is add): “Some more animals came and now there are seven. So how many more came?”

One approach to early elementary word problems that is taking off in some schools, including Segue Institute, has its origins in a special education intervention for struggling math students. Teachers avoid emphasizing key words and ask students instead to identify first the conceptual type of word problem (or schema, as many practitioners and researchers refer to it) they are dealing with: “Total problems,” for instance, involve combining two parts to find a new amount; “change problems” involve increasing or decreasing the amount of something. Total problems do not necessarily involve adding, however.

steps to solve a problem in math

“The schemas that students learn in kindergarten will continue with them throughout their whole career,” said Powell, the word-problem researcher, who regularly works with districts across the country to help implement the approach. 

In Olathe, Kansas — a district inspired by Powell’s work — teachers had struggled for years with word problems, said Kelly Ulmer, a math support specialist whose goal is to assist in closing academic gaps that resulted from lost instruction time during the pandemic. “We’ve all tried these traditional approaches that weren’t working,” she said. “Sometimes you get pushback on new initiatives from veteran teachers and one of the things that showed us how badly this was needed is that the veteran teachers were the most excited and engaged — they have tried so many things” that haven’t worked.

In Rhode Island, many elementary schools initially used the strategy with students who required extra help, including those in special education, but expanded this use to make it part of the core instruction for all, said Bucka. In some respects, it’s similar to the recent, well publicized evolution of reading instruction in which some special education interventions for struggling readers  — most notably, a greater reliance on phonics in the early grades — have gone mainstream.

There is an extensive research bas e showing that focusing on the different conceptual types of word problems is an effective way of teaching math, although much of the research focuses specifically on students experiencing difficulties in the subject. 

Molina has found asking students to identify word problems by type to be a useful tool with nearly all of her second graders; next school year she hopes to introduce the strategy much earlier.

steps to solve a problem in math

One recent afternoon, a lesson on word problems started with everyone standing up and chanting in unison: “Part plus part equals total” (they brought two hands together). “Total minus part equals part ” (they took one hand away) .

It’s a way to help students remember different conceptual frameworks for word problems. And it’s especially effective for the students who learn well through listening and repeating. For visual learners, the different types of word problems were mapped out on individual dry erase mats.

The real work began when Molina passed out questions, and the students— organized into the Penguin, Flower Bloom, Red Panda and Marshmallow teams — had to figure out which framework they were dealing with on their own and then work toward an answer. A few months ago, many of them would have automatically shut down when they saw the text on the page, Molina said.

For the Red Pandas, the question under scrutiny was: “The clothing store had 47 shirts. They sold 21, how many do they have now?”

“It’s a total problem,” one student said.

“No, it’s not total,” responded another.

“I think it’s about change,” said a third.

None of the students seemed worried about their lack of consensus, however. And neither was Molina. A correct answer is always nice but those come more often now that most of the students have made a crucial leap. “I notice them thinking more and more,” she said, “about what the question is actually asking.”

This story about word problems was produced by The Hechinger Report , a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the Hechinger newsletter .

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In the last example of the word problem involving the shirts would the teacher have been fine with either explanation. One thought would be that there is a total number of shirts (41) with one part being sold (21) leaving the other part on hand (26). Another way of thinking about the problem would be a change happening with the beginning number of (47) shirts being reduced or changed by the number being taken away (21), leaving the rest (26).

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Beginning in the 2024-2025 school year, we will be launching an initiative called NYC Solves. The goal is to ensure that all New York City students develop math skills, a critical requirement for educational, career, and lifetime success. Based on extensive research, NYC Solves will ensure that students use high-quality curricula taught by well-trained and coached teachers .

Phasing in over the next few years, NYC Solves will require high school math classrooms to adopt a single, uniform curriculum called Illustrative Mathematics. For middle schools, districts will choose from a list of pre-approved curricula.

Why is this important?

Too many of our high school and middle school students are not meeting grade level proficiency in math. Two-thirds of Black and Latino students are not performing at grade level in math, and students in temporary housing and other students who have formal gaps in their education can fall behind when moving to a new school using a different curriculum.

As we have seen with NYC Reads, standardizing curriculum options across all New York City Public School Districts, ensures that all students have access to the tools they need to build strong math skills and that instruction is consistent from grade to grade and school to school, offering our city's students a more level playing field. Using a standard curriculum allows teachers to collaborate easily with their peers and superintendents and principals to do professional development effectively while ensuring consistent quality class-to-class and school-to-school.

What are the goals of this program?

Our goal is to ensure that every student in every classroom has access to quality, research-based curricula selected through collaboration between superintendent and principals that is supported by deep, intensive training and support. Teaching our children to be skilled mathematicians is an absolutely essential step in ensuring each New York City Public Schools student graduates on a pathway to a rewarding career and long-term economic security, equipped to be a positive force for change.

About the Curricula

A curriculum is how standards, or learning goals, for every grade and subject are translated into day-to-day activities. As part of the NYC Solves initiative, all high schools will use Illustrative Mathematics and districts will choose a comprehensive, evidence-based curricula for middle school math instruction from an approved list.

Each curriculum has been reviewed and recommended by EdReports, a nationally recognized nonprofit organization. In addition to the EdReports endorsement, each selected curriculum has undergone a formal review by a committee of New York City Public school educators including school leaders, central staff with expertise in mathematics, special education and multilingual learners and district-based mathematics specialists. This NYCPS review was based on alignment with the NYCPS Shifts in Mathematics , quality of mathematical tasks, strength of math language development, engagement of and accessibility for diverse learners, and alignment with CR-SE principles .

You can learn more about the high school curriculum by accessing the Illustrative Mathematics website.

How are Superintendents selecting which curriculum to use?

Superintendents are engaging their communities and are in discussion with their principals and will make their decision based on the feedback they receive.

Which High School Districts have already begun implementation?

All 11 High School Superintendencies participated in the implementation of Illustrative Mathematics in 2023-2024. By the end of 2024-2025 the majority of high schools across all superintendencies will be using Illustrative Mathematics for Algebra 1.

Which Middle School Districts will be involved in NYC Solves in 2024-2025?

2, 7, 11, 12, 14, 15, 26, and 32.

How were these districts selected?

Community districts participating in 2024-2025 are all districts that have already widely adopted Illustrative Mathematics in their middle schools.

The Division of School Leadership met with superintendents one-on-one to discuss this new policy and superintendents opted in to participate in this phase of the rollout.

Will this take away teacher autonomy?

No. A curriculum provides the framework of what to teach and offers research-backed pedagogy to support the teaching of the content, but a strong educator must bring their added value, strategies, personality, and knowledge of their students to the work as well.

Meeting the Needs of Every NYC Student

NYC Solves aims to provide every student with the tools they need to become successful mathematicians, and ensure that both our students and staff have the support that they need.

Are these curricula adapted for Students with Disabilities (SwDs) and Multilingual Learners (MLLs)/English Language Learners (ELLs)?

New York City Public Schools will support the implementation of the core curriculum through our existing collection of resources that demonstrate how to make grade-level content (e.g., ELA, math) accessible for English Language Learners (ELLs). These resources are designed with a commitment to valuing students' real languages, experiences, and histories-both in what the lessons are about and how they are taught.

New York City Public Schools provides teachers with professional learning and educator resources designed for use with the core curriculum that demonstrate how to support English Language Learners (ELLs) in the classroom and help to ensure equitable, inclusive, and culturally responsive instruction for all students.

Resources for Families

There are many resources available for families to continue promoting math education at home, and to ensure that your child is getting solid math instruction.

  • Attend an Open House: take opportunities to engage with your school to learn more about what your child is doing in the classroom.
  • We encourage parents to attend Open House nights and other opportunities to engage with the school and school leadership so they can ask questions like, is my child receiving regular instruction in math? How often and when? What support is the school providing when my child needs extra help? How can I support them with their learning at home?
  • Ask your child about their work: Check in with your child and ask if they are enjoying math and if they understand what they are learning.
  • Can your child explain what they are working on in mathematics?
  • If you ask them why they solved a problem the way they did or how they know if their answer is right, can they explain their thinking to you?
  • Do the Math! When children see other members of their family use mathematics in daily life, they are more excited about learning. Think out loud with them as you schedule your day, double a recipe, budget at the grocery store, etc. We also believe that seeing other members of the family using mathematics is a great way to encourage students in these skills outside of the classroom.

For more resources to support mathematics at home, visit our Family Math Engagement Resources which provides activities and ideas to help students continue learning beyond the classroom.

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The Biggest Problem in Mathematics Is Finally a Step Closer to Being Solved, Scientific American

Number theorists have been trying to prove a conjecture about the distribution of prime numbers, called the Riemann hypothesis, for more than 160 years. Now, mathematicians Larry Guth of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and James Maynard of the University of Oxford have posted a sensational new finding on the preprint server arXiv.org that could be a breakthrough in making progress on resolving the conjecture.

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3 Steps to Cultivate an Innovator’s Mindset

  • Soren Kaplan

steps to solve a problem in math

Embracing curiosity, engaging in continuous learning, and fostering collaboration can help fast-track your career.

If you want to move up the corporate ladder, you need to do more than meet deadlines and produce strong results. Employees who quickly move up often have an innovator’s mindset. These people ultimately position themselves as valuable assets by questioning assumptions and pushing their organizations to stay competitive. By consistently bringing fresh ideas to the table and demonstrating a proactive approach to problem-solving, they naturally attract the attention of higher-ups. Anyone can build an innovator’s mindset by embracing curiosity, engaging in continuous learning, and fostering collaboration among their team members.

Imagine you’re playing a video game where you must overcome challenges and unlock rewards in order to move up to the next level. Climbing the corporate ladder at work is similar, but instead of battling dragons or building cities, you’re navigating office politics and aiming to deliver on goals. You’re also not going at it alone. Your peers are often competing alongside you for the next promotion.

  • Soren Kaplan  is the author of Experiential Intelligence ,  founder of InnovationPoint, and an affiliate at the Center for Effective Organizations at USC’s Marshall School of Business.

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A block upper triangular preconditioner with two parameters for saddle-point problems

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Bibliometrics & citations, view options, recommendations, preconditioners for generalized saddle-point problems.

\noindent We propose and examine block-diagonal preconditioners and variants of indefinite preconditioners for block two-by-two generalized saddle-point problems. That is, we consider the nonsymmetric, nonsingular case where the (2,2) block is small in ...

Variants of the accelerated parameterized inexact Uzawa method for saddle-point problems

In this paper, based on the SOR and SSOR splittings of the (1,1) part of saddle-point coefficient matrix, some variants of the accelerated parameterized inexact Uzawa (VAPIU) method are proposed for solving nonsingular and singular saddle-point ...

A class of Uzawa-SOR methods for saddle point problems

In this paper, we consider a class of Uzawa-SOR methods for saddle point problems, and prove the convergence of the proposed methods. We solve a lower triangular system per iteration in the proposed methods, instead of solving a linear equation Az=b. ...

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Pergamon Press, Inc.

United States

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Author tags.

  • Saddle-point problems
  • GSOR method
  • Iterative methods
  • Optimal parameters
  • Convergence factor
  • Research-article

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  29. A block upper triangular preconditioner with two parameters for saddle

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