Abstract: Problem representation is a means of understanding in solving problems. The experimental task of the current research involved an intellectual mathematics problem. By analyzing the results of 34 undergraduate students and the links in their problem representation, the process of problem representation and its effects on problem solving were investigated. The results showed that: (1) A correct problem representation is the prerequisite in problem solving, searching in wrong or incomplete problem space cannot reach the correct answer to the problem. (2) Problem representation is a process of abstracting and understanding the information contained in a problem, the problem rules are very important in problem representation. (3) In the process of problem representation, the factors leading to constructing a wrong or incomplete problem space include: information omitting (failing to abstract all the relative information from the problem), information misunderstanding (wrong analysis and misunderstanding of some problem information), metephor interference (the latent ambiguity of some problem information makes the subjects feel puzzled or has misled their direction of solution).

Key words: Problem representation, problem rules, information omitting, information misunderstanding, metephor interference