Problem Solving Approach

cs.slides.com/colt_steele/problem-solving-patterns

Problem Solving Patterns

Basic approaches, Steps you can take to make it solvable

• define what an algorithm is
• devise a plan to solve algorithms
• compare and contrast problem solving

Algorithm - A process or set of steps to accomplish a certain task.

 

How to improve the skill?

1. Devise a plan for solving Problem
   how do you approach the problem strategies for breaking it down
2. Master common patterns
   identify categories, keep some recipes

Problem Solving

• Understand the Problem
• Explore Concrete Examles
• Break It Down
• Solve/Simplify
• Look Back and Refactor

Recommended Book How To Solve it by George Polya

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Understanding the Problem

 

It is important to take a step back and just make sure understand the task before typing the code.

 

- Restate the problem in my own words

make sure I can restate it back. change it a bit in my own words.

 

- What are the inputs?

 

- What are the outputs?

 

- Can the outputs be determinded from the inputs? enough information to solve the problem?

 

- How should I label the important pieces of data that are part of the problem?

what are the things are really matter the problem? what's the terminology I should use?

 

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Explore Examples

 

come up with examples can help understanding the problem better

User Stories , Unit Test

 

• Start with Simple Examples 
• Progress to More Complex Examples
• Explore Examples with Empty Inputs
• Explore Examples with Invaild Inputs

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Break It Down

 

take the actual steps of the problem and write them down

just basic component of the solution, little comment as a guide for the steps

 

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Solve / Simplify

 

• Find the core difficulty in what I am trying to do
• Temporarily ignore that difficulty
• Write a simplified solution
• Then incorporate that difficulty back in

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Look Back and Refactoring

 

• Can you check the result?
  make sure the code works
• Can you derive the result differently?
  different approaches
• Can yoyu understand it at a glance?
• Can you use the result or method for some other problem?
• Can you improve the performance of your solutoin?
• Can you think of other ways to refactor?
• How have other people solved theis problem?