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Analogy - a friend or fiend when solving math problems?

Publication at Faculty of Education |
2015

Abstract

The paper focuses on the strategy of analogy in problem solving. It points at its advantages but also the dangers it bears if used in teaching mathematics.

Selected problems are used to document that analogy can be a good servant but also a bad master in solving. The difficult task for the solver when using analogy is to find an appropriate problem that will at the same time be analogical to the original problem but also useful for its solution.

The presented problems are from a conducted experiment and are used to show how to proceed if analogy is used.