Chapter 1. Chapter

1. Paul was trying to take a screw out of his storm door this morning so he could fix the handle, but he didn’t have a screwdriver. In his pocket was a pair of scissors that could have gotten the job done, but Paul did not think about the scissors as a substitute for a screwdriver. Paul will probably have more difficulty solving this particular problem due to

2. When he gets pinkeye one week, Professor Schultz is extremely bothered to know that he will not be able to attend his usual Thursday night class. His wife encourages him to cancel the class, which he has done in the past when he was very sick, but Professor Schultz solves this problem in a different way. He asks the Audio-Visual experts at his school to set up a camera in his room, and then he is able to meet with his students using an internet video chat program. He is able to deliver his presentation even though he is at home, and this allows his students to avoid getting behind while also avoiding exposing them to a contagious illness. Which problem-solving barrier has Professor Schultz overcome by opting not to cancel his class as he has done in the past?

3. Serena has decided that the carburetor on her car needs to be replaced, and she does not want to pay a mechanic to do the work. She grew up working on cars, so she does the repair on her own using a step-by-step procedure. She knows that if she misses a step or goes out of order she will have a real problem, so she is careful to think about what she is doing. Serena is using a(n) ________ to solve the problem of the bad carburetor in her car.

4. What would you think is the most important first step in solving a problem?

5. Magnus has borrowed the department secretary’s keys so that he can get some office supplies out of their supply closet. He walks up to the door and realizes that he does not know which of the 6 keys on the ring is the correct key. Which of the following problem-solving methods will probably be the most effective for Magnus’s situation?

6. Demetrius loves to cook, and usually prepares at least one rice or pasta dish when he is cooking a whole meal. He knows that the water will take a while to boil, so he now has the general rule, “Put a pot of water on the stove first,” before he does any other cooking. This general rule for how to cook his meals represents a(n) ________.