I've transferred universities yet again. More on that later. I'm currently in an introduction to Computer Science course and in our first week I read all about the history of CS, what an algorithm is, and various forms of binary. For my first assignment, I had to write an essay defining what a problem is, discuss how I solved a problem in my own life, and provide a general process of how to solve a problem. I did. And it turned out kind of funny, so I'm going to go ahead and post it here. Enjoy!
Applied
Problem Solving Through Refrigerator Malfunction
Mike
Harrell
Regis
University
Abstract
This paper defines what a problem is and provides a
generalized approach to solving any problem of any kind. The process is
illustrated through a personal experience of the author on the day of writing
this paper. On the day in question the author’s refrigerator stopped working,
causing the author to systematically implement the provided generalized approach
to problem solving in order to prevent of his family’s food from going bad. All
parts of the solution are demonstrated and elaborated upon.
Keywords: problem solving, general
solution, potatoes
Everyone
seems to have problems of some kind or another. However, people approach their problems
in very different ways. When reconciliation time approaches, there is one
general pattern that is followed. To solve any kind of problem one must first
define the problem, identify the source of the problem, brainstorm solutions, and
finally alter or fix the source of the problem so that it no longer causes
issues.
A problem can be described as an object or circumstance that
prevents or inhibits optimal progress toward a desired goal. I had such a
circumstance this afternoon. My wonderful wife, Aubrey, was microwaving two
potatoes for dinner when the microwave went on the fritz and most of our major kitchen
appliances suddenly lost power. This included the refrigerator, the microwave, and
the dishwasher.
In order to solve the problem, we first had to define it.
In this case the problem was that some of our appliances had stopped working, most
importantly the refrigerator. We can do without a microwave. We can wash our
dishes by hand. But, in order to lead a happy and productive life, I require
that my perishable food items remain in a state where they retain as much
freshness as possible before I consume them. If the fridge isn’t working, all
of our food will go bad in a day or two, and we can’t really afford to replace
them on such short notice. This was our problem.
To
begin reparations we needed to identify the source of the problem. It seemed
unlikely that a microwave could have directly influenced the refrigerator on a
functional level. We needed to determine was had happened with the electricity
in the room that caused the fridge to cease its regular function. We tried
unplugging the fridge and plugging it back into the wall. This yielded no
change. We then tried plugging in a phone charger into the same socket and
found that it received no charge from the wall either. Thirdly, we plugged the
same phone charger into another wall socket in the kitchen and found that it
did work. The refrigerator had stopped working because there was no power
coming from its regular wall socket.
We
then had to brainstorm potential solutions. In this case, we needed to
determine what could have stopped electricity from flowing to those specific
sockets without affecting the rest of the apartment. We decided to try the circuit
breaker in our apartment and found that one of the little switches was indeed
flipped to the “off” position. This was the source of the problem. The
microwave had blown the fuse, making the breaker disable all of the wall
sockets on that side of the kitchen. In order to restore functionality to our refrigerator,
I would need to move the switch back to the “on” position. I proceeded to do
so, when the little switch broke in half and fell into my hand. It was now
stuck in the “off” position.
At
this point I could no longer manipulate in the switch in any way in order to directly
fix the fuse. Not without potentially electrocuting myself anyway, and that was
off the table. Having identified the solution to the problem but finding myself
without the resources to address it specifically, I had to construct some sort
of workaround. This is often referred to as “treating the symptoms.” I could
not restore power to the wall sockets at the present time but I still needed a
way to keep my perishable food items in an optimally cool and dark state until such
time that I chose to eat them. The key to this workaround would be to find an
alternate source of power until we could call the landlord to come fix it. We couldn’t
do that immediately because he’s a very cute, old, man that lives on the other
side of town and he doesn’t really do anything on short notice. Also, it was
pretty messy in the apartment and we didn’t need to hand him any more
ammunition. Aubrey found this alternate source by plugging our refrigerator into
an extension cord and running it into one of the working sockets on the other
side of the room. This restored power to the refrigerator and provided our food
with a choice environment yet again.
However,
this will prove to be a temporary solution. Tomorrow morning, after we’ve
cleaned up a bit, we will call our landlord who will take the breaker box off
the wall, disconnect the wire to that switch, replace the switch, reattach the
wire, and replace the box to the wall, which will return both the switch and
the wall sockets that our refrigerator, dishwasher, and microwave normally
inhabit to their normal working order. This will restore our appliances to
their typical functionality as well (except maybe the microwave, which may be a
whole other can of worms). We will also no longer have 15 yards of orange
extension cord going across the kitchen floor.
By
defining the problem specifically, identifying the source of the problem, brainstorming
solutions, and fixing the source of the problem so that it no longer inhibits progress,
we were able to solve our refrigerator problem. Or rather, we will tomorrow. In
the meantime we have been able to employ a short term solution so that our food
doesn’t go bad. This same process can be used for any type of problem no matter
how big or small. Simply adapt it to your circumstance.
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