The "domain-coloring algorithm" allows us to visualize complex-valued functions on the plane in a single image--an alternative to before-and-after mapping diagrams. It helps us see when a function is analytic and aids in understanding contour integrals. The culmination of this article is a visual discovery and subsequent proof of the…

Financial analysts generally create static formulas for the computation of NPV. When they do so, however, it is not readily apparent how sensitive the value of NPV is to changes in multiple interdependent and interrelated variables. It is the aim of this paper to analyze this variability by employing a dynamic, visually graphic presentation using…

While observing the bounce heights of various kinds of sports balls dropped from different heights onto a variety of surfaces, we thought of the following question: Could measurements of drop and bounce heights of balls of different diameters, but of the same material, falling from different heights, but on the same surface, be expressed by a…

A critical numeracy examination of Benford's Law suggests that our understanding of the integers is faulty. We think of them as equally likely to turn up as the first digit of a random real world number. For many real world data sets this is not true. In many cases, ranging from eBay auction prices to six digit numbers in Google to the…

Descripting Statistics provides methodology and tools for user-friendly presentation of random data. Among the summary measures that describe focal tendencies in random data, the mode is given the least amount of attention and it is frequently misinterpreted in many introductory textbooks on statistics. The purpose of the paper is to provide a…

A heuristic approach to explaining of the Black-Scholes option pricing model in undergraduate classes is described. The approach draws upon the method of protocol analysis to encourage students to "think aloud" so that their mental models can be surfaced. It also relies upon extensive visualizations to communicate relationships that are…

A new methodology is proposed for the simultaneous reduction of units, variables, and occasions of a three-mode data set. Units are partitioned into a reduced number of classes, while, simultaneously, components for variables and occasions accounting for the largest common information for the classification are identified. The model is a…

The Naval Academy has instituted a system of averaging the Scholastic Aptitude Test scores of each applicant rather than using the most recent score alone as an admission criterion, having found that average scores are better predictors of academic success at the institution. (MSE)