Mathematics and technology serve the health sciences as demonstrated in this article, cowritten by one of our calculus students. Creating a lesson based on dosing an antibiotic allows teachers and students to see the immediate value of high school calculus and technology.

In Pre-Calculus courses, students are taught the composition and combination of functions to model physical applications. However, when combining two or more functions into a single more complicated one, students may lose sight of the physical picture which they are attempting to model. A block diagram, or flow chart, in which each block…

Dynamic/interactive graphing applets can be used to supplement standard computer algebra systems such as Maple, Mathematica, Derive, or TI calculators, in courses such as Calculus, Differential Equations, and Dynamical Systems. The addition of this type of software can lead to discovery learning, with students developing their own conjectures, and…

In algebra and precalculus courses, students are often asked to find extreme values of polynomial functions in the context of solving an applied problem; but without the notion of derivative, something is lost. Either the functions are reduced to quadratics, since students know the formula for the vertex of a parabola, or solutions are…

Uses parametric equations and a graphing calculator to investigate the connections among the algebraic, numerical, and graphical representations of functions. (MKR)

For over a decade mathematics instructors have been using graphing calculators in courses ranging from developmental mathematics (Beginning and Intermediate Algebra) to Calculus and Statistics. One of the key functions that make them so powerful in the teaching and learning process is their ability to find curves of best fit. Instructors may use…

Presents an activity for constructing and solving radical equations which can be done with or without the use of graphing calculators. Highlights one method that two students used to solve radical equations. (ASK)

This paper merges state-of-the-art calculator technology with examples drawn from the Harvard Consortium Calculus Curriculum. A brief rationale for selection of the Harvard project and the TI-85 is provided, and four different mathematical situations are examined using different capabilities of the TI-85. Two short TI-85 programs are given.…

The advent of calculators for graphing and function plotters is changing the way college algebra and calculus are taught. This paper illustrates how the machines are used for teaching the following: (1) domain and range; (2) product and quotient inequalities; and (3) the solving of equations. Instructional hints are provided for each topic with…

Mathematics software can be a great aid in understanding difficult mathematics concepts at all levels. This paper presents nine exercises on calculus concepts by using different software used in mathematics education. Each exercise includes instruction on how to use software in order to highlight a specific concept in mathematics. This paper also…

Presents activities which use graphing calculators to explore parametric equations of spirals, circles, and polygons. (MKR)