In this paper we deal with a geometric machine that has gone somewhat unnoticed in mathematics education: the Perfect Compass. It allows conics to be drawn using a special two aperture compass, based on Apollonius' conic sections. Proposed in the 10th century, it seems that it was never built in medieval times--at least no archaeological remains…

In many mechanical engineering undergraduate curriculums, there are topics that are vital to the students' future careers in the manufacturing and design workforce that are not taught in-depth. As one of those topics, Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing, or GD&T, is vital to companies who develop and manufacture products because it allows…

This study aims at elaborating a well-established theoretical framework that distinguishes three modes of thinking in linear algebra: the analytic-arithmetic, the synthetic-geometric, and the analytic-structural mode. It describes and analyzes the bundle of signs produced by an engineering student during an interview, where she was asked to recall…

Strategies are proposed that promote use of an Integrated Applied Mathematics (IAM) approach to enhance teaching of advanced problem-solving and analysis skills. Three scenarios of 1-dimensional transport processes are presented that support using Error Function analyses when considering short time/small penetration depths in finite geometries.…

Spatial geometry is one of the multi-purpose fields of mathematics and is tightly linked to the development of mathematical and intellectual thinking. Spatial thinking is necessary in various areas of life such as civil engineering, mechanical engineering, interior design, graphic design and other. At present, teaching spatial geometry is mainly…

The use of CO[subscript 2] laser cutters/engravers in technology and engineering education "allows even beginning students to produce professional parts in a very short time [and] empowers and motivates students, helping to bring out their creativity" (Flowers, 2000, p. 11). They are fast, accurate, fun to use, and they facilitate…

Mulla Sadra's philosophy has an ontological approach. However, his explicit texts or philosophical foundations in social issues such as education and especially the curriculum and its relationship with learning methods can be extracted. Mulla Sadra's different approach to learning has distinguished his educational system from other educational…

In this exploratory work, the discourse of first-year computer engineering undergraduate students of graph theory was analyzed with the aim of improving the teaching of this branch of mathematics. The theoretical framework used is the theory of commognition, specifically, we focus on commognitive conflicts because they are learning opportunities…

Humans are arguably the most interesting subjects in computer vision. Modeling human 3D geometry from images captured by highly sophisticated production level cameras (10-100 cameras with precise calibration) enable a number of applications, e.g. telepresence, virtual try-on, motion analysis, etc. Despite its production level quality, the…

In this paper a class of regular surfaces, generated by rotation and twist of a rigid line segment, is considered. Firstly a complete description of those surfaces by means of local charts is obtained and then its orientability is characterized in terms of the number of half-twists, taking into account their direction (clockwise or…

The Three Little Pigs launched a lesson in which kindergarten students were challenged with designing a house out of materials such as marshmallows and toothpicks that could withstand the Big Bad Wolf. Students engaged in the engineering design process and geometry standards while building and testing their models.

In this article, the authors explain how they leveraged the popularity of the "Star Wars" franchise to introduce a task steeped in popular culture as a fun way to engage their students in investigating complex mathematics that have real-life connections to careers in toy design and engineering design in general. The authors share various…

Technological advancements are pushing new simulation and analytical tools, driving the research fields in design forward. In this environment, for introducing new modeling, simulation, and analytic tools, the pre-training aspect becomes important, presenting the ideas behind the tools and preparing the students to structure their already grasped…

The School of Engineering of the Polytechnic of Porto (ISEP) has embraced the DrIVE-MATH project, since September 2017. Active-learning (AL) techniques were implemented in several Math courses, namely Linear Algebra and Analytic Geometry, Probability and Statistics, Statistical Models, Computational Mathematics, and Differential and Integral…

This study investigated the impact of integrating design-technological activities on developing mathematical competencies among construction engineering students. A mixed methods approach compared curriculum delivery with and without digital tools across universities in Kazakhstan and Turkey. First, semi-structured interviews of faculty provided…