Patterns of Problem Solving

by Moshe F. Rubinstein

Explores the concepts and methods of problem solving. The text examines qualitative tools, quantitative tools, and human values - and their role in the problem solving process.

544 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Jeff Vandegrift]

I think it was during the gap I took in the middle of my college years that I read this. I recall the book opening with the question: "You're on a boat with your Mother, your Wife, and your Daughter, the ship is sinking and you can only save one... who do you save?". Then the author answers using different cultural norms as the foundation on which to make the decision. I never forgot that. The pragmatic "you can always have more children" vs "respect for elders" vs "you can have multiple wives" vs "the children have the most life ahead of them", etc.

I no longer have the book and am curious whether it's as relevant today (given other books will have been written with the advantage of the past few decades of tech innovation). I became an Engineer a few years after reading the book so I never had the opportunity to use it directly in my career, some of its lessons may have been there during my Engineering phase of college under the surface.

[Ted Laderas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent and clearly written introduction to many types of mathematical problems and systems ideas. It's written at an undergraduate level, but could be a 'gateway book' to a number of interesting theoretical problems. In terms of the coverage, it includes problem solving strategies, fuzzy logic, the discrete logistical equation, optimization, and modeling.

I especially liked the sections on modeling, decision (and game) theory, and dynamical systems. Rubenstein & Firstenberg's examples are clear, and well thought out.