Originally Posted by AlexsMom
Originally Posted by ColinsMum
the "greedy algorithm"

OK, I follow how that's done, but without an explicit explanation of how to do it, I don't think I'd have ever come up with it.

Given that the Wikipedia entry on "greedy algorithm" itself says "Greedy algorithms mostly (but not always) fail to find the globally optimal solution," I'm not sure I see any value in teaching it as a rote problem-solving technique to kids, other than as a parlor trick that coincidentally happens to always work with US coins.

From a math perspective, the line of reasoning behind solving problems, is far more important than the mechanical process. This is one reason that some people avoid Kumon, because of the excessive repetitions. Many people even find Saxon overly redundant. But from a practical perspective, everybody can learn how to use coins, without really understanding the math involved.