Several examples are given of a variety of nonstandard problems, not ordinarily found in texts or courses, now accessible to students who have programmable calculators. These include: (1) finding limits; (2) evaluating infinite series; (3) calculating finite series; (4) computing variable length products; (5) solving equations; (6) searching for…

An activity for secondary schools is presented and discussed which may be explored with a programmable calculator. The activity is non-standard and could not be easily explored without the use of a programmable calculator. Related activities are also discussed. Flow charts and programs for different programmable calculators are presented. (MP)

The application of the programmable calculator to evaluating complicated formulas is illustrated by considering the formula for finding the area of any triangle when only the lengths of the three sides are known. Other advantages of the programmable calculator are discussed such as freeing the student to explore more challenging problems and…

An exploration approach with calculators that promotes student investigation and development of mathematical processes and concepts is highlighted. The presentation helps to highlight the enormous potential of calculators to facilitate new and imaginative approaches to certain areas of number work, and shows how student interest is promoted. (MP)

The message of this article is that there are many types of problems ordinarily requiring advanced techniques or special insight to solve which can now be done as simple programming exercises on inexpensive programmable calculators. Several examples appropriate for the secondary school curriculum are given. These are: (1) evaluating polynomials;…

Provides pathological examples for which graphing calculators sometimes give surprising, misleading, or incorrect results. Investigates some of the more interesting of these examples encountered while using the TI-85 in a variety of undergraduate courses including calculus and matrix theory. (DDR)

The Comprehensive School Mathematics Program (CSMP) materials presented here were in the process of development at the time of publication. It is noted that children generally classified as slow learners are, in many cases, pupils who have had unhappy experiences with learning. The instructional approach is designed to: (1) inspire pupils with a…

This material is the result of 1 year of experimental work during the 1976-77 school year with pupils at the fifth-grade level. Once a week students participated in half-hour, small-group sessions in addition to their regular classroom mathematics period. It is felt that the activities described might be appropriate for additional grade levels. It…

Presents several types of functions which fit a given set of data and create opportunities for classroom discussion comparing different kinds of functions and identifying some of the potential hazards associated with extrapolation from best-fit functions. (DDR)