LAW OF CONSERVATION OF MASS AS A BASIS FOR MODELING THE COOK’S THINKING IN SOLVING PROBLEM SITUATIONS

Abstract

The article reveals the possibility of applying the law of mass conservation as a methodological basis for modeling the thinking of a cook in the process of solving problembased production situations. In the scientific and technical aspect, this law is expressed through the material balance, which ensures the correspondence between the amount of input and output components in the technological process. In the pedagogical context, this principle is transformed into a means of organizing the specialist’s thinking. Two models of a cook’s thinking activity are proposed ‒ for ordinary and extreme working conditions. The first model reproduces the logic of the material balance during food preparation, where thinking is aimed at determining resources, predicting losses, calculating output, and verifying the correspondence of results with expectations. The second, invariant model, is intended for extreme conditions and includes the following sequence: identification of resources, detection of shortages, search for transformations, search for substitutes, redistribution, and verification of results. It reflects the universal logic of the law of mass conservation, which ensures the stability and flexibility of professional thinking even under resource shortages, goal shifts, or uncertainty of working conditions. The article presents an example of solving a problem-based production situation in which the law of mass conservation is used as the basis for modeling the cook’s thinking. The variable thinking model demonstrates the specifics of decision-making when the number of consumers suddenly increases and food supplies are insufficient. Based on it, an algorithm for solving the problem-based situation has been developed, reflecting the logic of thinking under critical conditions ‒ from the awareness of shortage to achieving balance between available capabilities and actual needs. The proposed approach demonstrates how an abstract natural-scientific law can be pedagogically interpreted and applied as an effective tool for developing professional thinking, adaptability, and resilience of a cook in professional activity under extreme conditions.