Description
Book SynopsisCrossing the River with Dogs: Problem Solving for College Students, 3rd Edition promotes the philosophy that students learn best by working in groups and the skills required for real workplace problem solving are those skills of collaboration. The text aims to improve students' writing, oral communication, and collaboration skills while teaching mathematical problem-solving strategies. Focusing entirely on problem solving and using issues relevant to college students for examples, the authors continue their approach of explaining classic as well as non-traditional strategies through dialogs among fictitious students. This text is appropriate for a problem solving, quantitative reasoning, liberal arts mathematics, mathematics for elementary teachers, or developmental mathematics course.
Table of ContentsPreface vii
Instructor Resources x
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
1 Draw a Diagram 11
2 Make a Systematic List 27
3 Eliminate Possibilities 47
4 Use Matrix Logic 73
5 Look for a Pattern 115
6 Guess and Check 145
7 Identify Subproblems 175
8 Analyze the Units 199
9 Solve an Easier Related Problem 233
10 Create a Physical Representation 267
11 Work Backwards 297
12 Draw Venn Diagrams 323
13 Convert to Algebra 351
14 Evaluate Finite Differences 383
15 Organize Information in More Ways 417
16 Change Focus in More Ways 447
17 Visualize Spatial Relationships 473
Appendix 503
Unit Analysis
Adding, Subtracting, Multiplying, and Dividing Fractions
Area and Volume Formulas
Properties of Triangles
Properties of Numbers
Glossary 511
Bibliography 519
Index of Problem Titles 521
General Index 529
Photo Credits 539
Answers to More Practice Problems 541
