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To find patterns in problems we look for things that are the same (or very similar) in each problem. It may turn out that no common characteristics exist among problems, but we should still look.

Patterns exist among different problems and within individual problems. We need to look for both.

Patterns among different problems

To find patterns among problems we look for things that are the same (or very similar) for each problem.

For example, decomposing the task of baking a cake would highlight the need for us to know the solutions to a series of smaller problems:

• what kind of cake we want to bake
• what ingredients we need and how much of each
• how many people we want to bake the cake for
• how long we need to bake the cake for
• when we need to add each ingredient
• what equipment we need

Once we know how to bake one particular type of cake, we can see that baking another type of cake is not that different - because patterns exist.

For example:

• each cake will need a precise quantity of specific ingredients
• ingredients will get added at a specific time
• each cake will bake for a specific period of time

Once we have the patterns identified, we can work on common solutions between the problems.

Patterns within problems

Patterns may also exist within the smaller problems we have decomposed to.

If we look at baking a cake, we can find patterns within the smaller problems, too. For example, for ‘each cake will need a precise quantity of specific ingredients’, each ingredient needs:

• identifying (naming)
• a specific measurement

Once we know how to identify each ingredient and its amount, we can apply that pattern to all ingredients. Again, all that changes is the specifics.