Abstract
Much of being a good problem-solver is utilizing clever strategies to make the solution to the problem more accessible. One of the most useful of these strategies is to simplify the problem. There are a number of different simplifications that will lead to progress towards the solution. One of these is to simply restate or rephrase the problem in terms that are more understandable. In mathematics and computer science, you will use techniques described as divide-and-conquer, decrease-and-conquer, and transform-and-conquer, but we’re going to talk about them here under the general banner of “simplify.”
I couldn’t repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.
– Steven Wright
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© 2014 Springer-Verlag London
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Meyer, E.F., Falkner, N., Sooriamurthi, R., Michalewicz, Z. (2014). Simplify!. In: Guide to Teaching Puzzle-based Learning. Undergraduate Topics in Computer Science. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-6476-0_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-6476-0_9
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Publisher Name: Springer, London
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