Problem Solving Reading Guide
The guide is the main path. Read to resolve a named gap, then close the book and produce an artifact. These sources add depth without a second required syllabus.
| Source and locator | Use | Stop when you can |
|---|---|---|
Dromey, How to Solve It by Computer, 1.2.2; local contents/006-1-2-2-gettina-started-on-a-nrohlem.md | Start from a specific instance | Restate and test a plan |
Dromey 1.2.6; 007-1-2-6-general-problem-solving-strategies.md | Compare decompositions | Justify a strategy without naming only a category |
Dromey 1.4.4; 010-1-4-4-debugging-programs.md | Trace and boundary testing | Isolate a failing step |
Dromey 1.5.8; 013-1-5-8-proof-of-termination.md | Invariants and termination | Separate partial correctness from termination |
| Zeller, The Debugging Book, reducing failure-inducing inputs | Optional extension: automated reduction | Explain 1-minimal versus globally minimum |
| Tao, solving mathematical problems | Optional reflection | State a bounded question and an honest unresolved result |
The local Dromey folder is Books/How To Solve It By Computers/. Its filenames
retain OCR errors; scan mathematics against a reliable edition where extraction
is damaged. The four listed chunks were consulted selectively, not audited as
an entire book. Open the book index
and locate headings; the index link is not an exact exercise locator.
Primary online extensions: The Debugging Book for reduction, and Tao's problem-solving advice for exploration. These are optional; no package installation is needed for our labs. Pólya's How to Solve It remains a framework reference, not a guarantee that four phases solve every problem. The local Educative Pólya course is an additional practice inventory, not a reviewed dependency of this upgrade.