George pólya

The undisputed father of mathematical problem solving is George Pólya (December 13, 1887 – September 7, 1985), one of the giants of classical analysis in the 20 century. He considered solving problems to be a practical art, one that can be taught and learned. His books on the subject How To Solve It (1945) and the two-volume set Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning (1954), and Mathematical Discovery (1962) are classics. The first, which has been translated into 21 languages, has sold more than a million copies over the years. Pólya’s influence goes far beyond the number of his books that were sold. His books form the basis for enlightened thinking in mathematics education in which student understanding is the goal rather than student memorization. Teachers throughout the world have enthusiastically adopted his suggestions and found that they worked. No one can estimate the number of students who, empowered with Pólya’s methods, have found that they actually can understand what they are doing in solving problems. However, the crusade to have Pólya’s ideas employed has not converted all the “heathens”; there are still strong factions who stress “learning how to do” over all other mathematical virtues.