Articles

• Solving mathematical problems by using Maple factorization algorithms

  293-297

  Mária Princz

  Views:

  32

  Computer algebra gives methods for manipulating mathematical expression. In this paper we use the Maple software to solve some elementary problems. Computeraided approach in the instruction of mathematics helps to impart problem solving skills to students.

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• Charakteristische Dreieckpunkte in der projektiv-erweiterten hyperbolischen Ebene

  299-315

  Ana Sliepčević

  Ivanka Babić

  Views:

  9

  Some basic planimetric constructions regarding segments, angles and triangles are shown in the Cayley-Klein model of the hyperbolic plane. Relationship with the situation in the Euclidean plane is given. H-triangles are classified considering the location of their vertices and sides with respect to the absolute. There are 28 types of triangles. It is shown that there exist 12 pairs of dual triangles, while 4 types of triangles are dual to themselves. For every type of triangle the existence and number of the characteristic points are determined. Few examples of triangles with construction of their characteristic points, incircles and circumcircles are given.

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• Teaching XML

  317-335

  Péter Jeszenszky

  Views:

  31

  The author has been teaching XML at the Faculty of Informatics, University of Debrecen since the end of the nineties. This paper gives an overview of XML technology from an educators viewpoint that is based on the experience that the author has gained teaching XML over the years. A detailed description of the XML course is provided. Methodological issues are also discussed.

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• Über ähnliche Aufsatzdreiecke einer Strecke

  337-348

  Oswald Giering

  Views:

  28

  In this article we investigate (with methods of school geometry) a figure (PQ,ABC) consisting of three given similar triangles PQA, PQB, PQC with side PQ in common (Figure 1). We combine other triangles with this figure such as triangle ABC which is proved to be similar to the given triangles. The incircles of three additional triangles adjacent to triangle ABC will be determined.

  PDF (German)

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• Das Konzept des Analysisunterrichts von Professor Igor Kluvánek – einige Ergebnisse der qualitativen Forschung

  349-361

  Ján Gunčaga

  Views:

  30

  A renowned Slovak mathematician Professor Igor Kluvanek (1931-1993) during his affiliation with the University of Adelaide in Australia (1968-1990) has worked out a unique course of mathematical analysis for future high school teachers of mathematics. The course has been tested in its conceptual form but, as a whole, it still awaits its publication in the form of a monograph. Along these lines, our aim is to present the way he has introduced some key notions of differential calculus and to discuss its advantages. Central is the continuity of a function via which the limit and the derivative of a function at a point is defined.

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• Constructing the disk method formula for the volume obtained by revolving a curve around an axis with the help of CAS

  363-376

  Muharrem Aktümen

  Tolga Kabaca

  Views:

  32

  Calculus concepts should have been taught in a carefully designed learning environment, because these concepts constitute a very important base for almost all applied sciences. The integral, one of the fundamental concepts of Calculus, has a wide application area. This paper focuses on constructing the disk method formula for the volume obtained by revolving a curve around an axis with the help of a CAS.
  In this study, a semi-structured interview was carried out. In this interview, we tried to construct the disk method formula.
  The levels of constructing the disk method formula in this study are:
  • Introducing the concept: evaluating the volume of an Egyptian pyramid.
  • Evaluating the volume of a cone obtained by revolution (using Maple worksheet).
  • Designing their own ring and evaluating its price (using Maplet).
  In this study, the interview has been presented as a dialog between teacher and students. When we look at feedback from students, we see that such a teaching method effects students in a positive way and causes them to gain conceptual understanding directed towards the concepts of approximation and volume.

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• From Newton’s fluxions to virtual microscopes

  377-384

  Jacques Bair

  Valerie Henry

  Views:

  35

  The method of fluxions was originally given by Newton among others in order to determine the tangent to a curve. In this note, we will formulate this method by the light of some modern mathematical tools: using the concept of limit, but also with hyperreal numbers and their standard parts and with dual numbers; another way is the use of virtual microscopes both in the contexts of classical and non standard analysis.

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• Typical mistakes in Mental Cutting Test and their consequences in gender differences

  385-392

  Brigitta Németh

  Csilla Sörös

  Miklós Hoffmann

  Views:

  20

  Spatial ability of first year university students is measured and evaluated in this paper. We used standard Mental Cutting Test (MCT), where a body is given by perspective view and correct cross section has to be chosen. While gender differences in MCT are reported by several papers including our earlier results, much less known are the reasons of these differences. Here we show that typical mistakes (answers to problems which are close to be correct) can be one of the possible reasons, since female students made typical mistakes in some cases more frequently than males.

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• WMI2: interactive mathematics on the web

  393-405

  Zoltán Kovács

  Views:

  12

  After 5 years of experiments and feedback we decided to continue the software development on WebMathematics Interactive, a web-based e-learning tool, rewriting it from scratch. The demonstration version of WebMathematics Interactive 2 (WMI2) has been shown to the expert audience on the CADGME conference. In this article we summarize the development goals and results.

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• Blind versus wise use of CAS

  407-417

  Zoltán Kovács

  Views:

  7

  During my courses for mathematics major students I often use technology linked to the arising problems. In such cases I noted that some students were used to learn just some procedures, which made them able to solve (partially) some problems and when they got the result, they accepted it passively and did not relate it to the initial problem.
  In this paper I outline a strategy and investigate some simple exercises about how to develop a critical attitude towards the results obtained by technology in an introductory course to CAS.
  I believe that wise use of technology offers an effective method in teaching mathematics, without reducing the students' mental contribution.

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• Herschel's heritage and today's technology integration: a postulated parallel

  419-430

  Kenneth Ruthven

  Views:

  26

  During the early 20th century, advocacy of a range of mathematical technologies played a central part in movements for the reform of mathematical education which emphasised ‘practical mathematics' and the ‘mathematical laboratory'. However, as these movements faltered, few of the associated technologies were able to gain and maintain a place in school mathematics. One conspicuous exception was a technology, originally championed by the mathematician Herschel, which successfully permeated the school mathematics curriculum because of its:
  • Disciplinary congruence with influential contemporary trends in mathematics.
  • External currency in wider mathematical practice beyond the school.
  • Adoptive facility of incorporation in classroom practice and curricular activity.
  • Educational advantage of perceived benefits outweighing costs and concerns.
  An analogous perspective is applied to the situation of new technologies in school mathematics in the early 21st century. At a general level, the cases of calculators and computers are contrasted. At a more specific level, the educational prospects of CAS and DGS are assessed.

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