“How not to solve it”: I really wanted to like Polya’s classic how-to-math book, but like @DRMacIver I got little/nothing out of it.
Why hasn’t anyone written anything better? (Is there something better I don’t know about?)https://twitter.com/DRMacIver/status/1063841518656602118 …
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I thought it was okay - glad I read it. Better books: Lakatos's "Proofs and Refutations". There was a book of (I think) Putnam problems-and-solutions that I found very helpful to work through, and a few similar. I really think mathematical problem-solving is best learnt by doing
It's much like writing in that way. You can read 20+ books on writing, and if you're not writing seriously, they won't help. If you are writing seriously, the good ones will help a tiny bit each. But (like writing) it adds up...
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Ah, this is the book I liked: https://www.amazon.com/Problem-Solving-Through-Problems-Problem-Mathematics/dp/0387961712/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542476113&sr=8-1&keywords=problem+solving+through+problems … Spent a few hundred hours with it. Basic problem-solving is only a small part of mathematics, of course, but it's so essential, and I found working through this book immensely helpful.
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I actually really like the young Terence Tao’s book on thishttps://www.amazon.com/Solving-Mathematical-Problems-Personal-Perspective/dp/0199205604 …
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