Page 19 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 and 10: Technological Education, 2009 (revised)

THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 AND 10 | Technological Education
Divide and Conquer
“Divide and conquer” is the technique of breaking down a problem into subproblems, then breaking the subproblems down even further until each of them is simple enough to be solved. Divide and conquer may be applied to allow groups of students to tackle sub- problems of a larger problem, or when a problem is so large that its solution cannot be visualized without breaking it down into smaller components.
Extreme Cases
Considering “extreme cases” – envisioning the problem in a greatly exaggerated or great- ly simplified form, or testing using an extreme condition – can often help to pinpoint a problem. An example of the extreme-case method is purposely inputting an extremely high number to test a computer program.
Trial and Error
The trial-and-error method involves trying different approaches until a solution is found. It is often used as a last resort when other methods have been exhausted.
The Design Process
In many technological fields, open-ended problem-solving processes that involve the full planning and development of products or services to meet identified needs are often referred to as the “design process”. A design process involves a sequence of steps, such as the following:
Analyse the context and background, and clearly define the problem or challenge.
Conduct research to determine design criteria, financial or other constraints, and availability of materials.
Generate ideas for potential solutions, using processes such as brainstorming and sketching.
Choose the best solution.
Build a prototype or model.
Test and evaluate the solution.
Repeat steps as necessary to modify the design or correct faults. Reflect and report on the process.
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