Engineering applications for demonstrating mathematical problem-solving methods at the secondary education level

A method for teaching problem-solving skills to mathematics students is presented. By subtly incorporating engineering applications, the students are simultaneously exposed to an effective outreach programme. The process includes offering a complex problem that challenges students’ abilities. Before allowing the students to become frustrated, the students are directed to a familiar problem, which involves an intuitive mathematical solution. The process is completed by demonstrating how the complex problem is similar to the familiar problem and solvable by the same mathematical model.