Everything About ___
Live briefing

Everything about Problem solving

Process of achieving a goal by overcoming obstacles

Problem solving is the use of logical reasoning, cognition, and past experiences to find a solution. The process of problem solving can be split into three parts: identifying a problem, developing a strategy, and following through with a strategy to achieve a solution. Problems in need of solutions range from simple personal tasks to complex issues in business and technical fields. The former is an example of simple problem solving (SPS) addressing one issue, whereas the latter is complex problem solving (CPS) with multiple interrelated obstacles. Another classification of problem-solving tasks is into well-defined problems with specific obstacles and goals, and ill-defined problems in which the current situation is troublesome but it is not clear what kind of resolution to aim for. Similarly, one may distinguish formal or fact-based problems requiring psychometric intelligence, versus socio-emotional problems which depend on the changeable emotions of individuals or groups, such as tactful behavior, fashion, or gift choices. Wikipedia →

🧭 Start here: a 6-step reading path

  1. Read the overview: Problem solvingA 5-minute orientation
  2. Skim a recent paper: Honey Badger Algorithm: New metaheuristic algorithm for solving optimization problemsInfluential work since 2022
  3. Pick up a classic book: Artificial intelligenceThe most-reprinted book on the subject
  4. Read the landmark paper: Physics-informed neural networks: A deep learning framework for solving forward and inverse problems involving nonlinear partial differential equationsCited 20,983 times
  5. Go sideways: Alan LesgoldA closely related topic
  6. Go sideways: John Robert Anderson (psychologist)A closely related topic

📖 Definitions

Verb present participle of problem solve

Noun Alternative form of problem-solving.

🗂️ The subject at a glance

  1. Definition
  2. Processes
  3. Problem-solving strategies
  4. Problem-solving methods
  5. Common barriers
  6. Dreaming: problem solving without waking consciousness
  7. Cognitive sciences: two schools
  8. Characteristics of complex problems
  9. Collective problem solving

🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)

🆕 Influential since 2022

📚 Books worth reading

Ranked by number of editions on Open Library, a rough measure of how lasting a book is.

🔗 Related topics