 Problem solving in three steps. The first step is to understand the problem. Then we strategize and then we implement the strategy or set of strategies that we have chosen. Let us look at these three steps more carefully. Understanding the problem requires that we ask ourselves what is the unknown? What am I looking for? Otherwise it is like asking Johnny, hey Johnny go grab me that from over there. What is Johnny going to get and where is he gonna get it from? So we must understand what it is that we're looking for. Also what is the given information? Do I understand every definition given? Do I understand the properties that I'm given? Am I familiar with these properties? Are the measurements given in units that I understand? Or do I need to go back and study a little more before I am able to understand this problem and hence develop a strategy? And also what are the restrictions? Am I talking about time, distance? And I know that time cannot be negative or distance cannot be negative or other restrictions that might be implicit in the problem. Then come strategizing. Once you understand the problem or think you understand the problem, you develop a strategy. There are 10 basic strategies that we can use. Number one is logical reasoning. Pattern recognition. Working backwards. Adopting a different point of view. Considering extreme cases. Solving a simpler analogous problem. Organizing data. Making a visual representation. Accounting for all possibilities. And intelligent guessing and testing. We will look at each of these strategies individually in separate videos. Then comes the implementation phase. Once we have chosen a strategy or a set of strategies, we now try to implement this strategy. That requires that we perform operations. Do any calculations that might be required. This is in other words getting your hands dirty. And it's also very important to keep an accurate record of what we are doing. Sometimes just keeping that accurate record helps us to reveal the answer when we go back and we notice, oh, this is how I get this. And also checking our reasoning at every step to make sure that our reasoning is sound. Now let us look also at the problem solving cycle. Don't get the impression that this is just a one, two, three step process and you're done. It is more of a cycle. It has three phases. It has three stages. You understand the problem. You develop, you choose a strategy and then you implement those strategies. As you implement those strategies, you gain more understanding. And that understanding might help you to choose a different strategy. And as you choose that other strategy or set of strategies and implement them, you may gain even more understanding of the problem. And this keeps going on until hopefully you find a solution. Now there are problems that have been open like Goldback's conductor have been open for hundreds of years. So you won't necessarily find a solution, but you are on the right track to find one. This is problem solving in three steps. Make sure you watch the next videos.