There is a long-standing tradition in mathematics education to look to history to inform instruction. An historical analysis of the genesis of a mathematical idea offers insight into: (i) the contexts that give rise to a need for a mathematical construct; (ii) the ways in which available tools might shape the development of that mathematical idea;…

In this article, we discuss the use of client-driven projects--projects that are posed by business, government, and non-profit organizations and based upon real problems facing the organization. Although client-driven projects have long been used in business and engineering education, their use in the mathematics classroom is rare. Client-driven…