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• Cooperative learning in teaching mathematics: the case of addition and subtraction of integers

  117-136

  Ileana Mate

  Views:

  31

  In the course of teaching and learning mathematics, many of the problems are caused by the operations with integers. My paper is a presentation of an experiment by which I tried to make the acquisition of these operations easier through the use of cooperative methods and representations. The experiment was conducted in The Lower-Secondary School of Paptamási from Romania, in the school year 2009-2010. I present the results of the experiment.

• The sum of the same powers of the first n positive integers and the Bernoulli numbers

  91-105

  István Molnár

  Views:

  29

  The first part of this paper presents a method to calculate the sum of the same powers of the first n positive integers which is non-recursive and easy to express algorithmically. The application is demonstrated through several problems, for example by calculating the sum of arithmetic progression of degree p. The second part of the paper shows that the discussed procedure can also be used to calculate the Bernoulli numbers, and then, with the help of a known theorem, a link is established between the sum of the same powers of the first n positive integers and the Bernoulli numbers.

• The Frobenius exchange problem on competitions and in classroom

  203-218

  Géza Kiss

  Views:

  10

  Let a_1, ..., a_n be relatively prime positive integers. The still unsolved Frobenius problem asks for the largest integer which cannot be represented as Σ x_i a_i with non-negative integers xi, and also for the number of non-representable positive integers. These and several related questions have been investigated by many prominent mathematicians, including Paul Erdős, and a wide range of partial results were obtained by various interesting methods differing both in character and difficulty. In this paper we give a self-contained introduction to this field through problems and comments suitable also for treatment in a class of talented students.