Every application of integration by parts can be done with a tabular method. The trick is to identify and consider each new integral in the table before deciding how to proceed. This paper supplements a classic introduction to integration by parts with a particular tabular method called Row Integration by Parts (RIP). Approaches to tabular methods…

In this paper we discuss the important Abel's summation formula, which is a very powerful tool for analysing series of real or complex numbers. We derive from it an integral test which may be useful in cases where the classical integral test may not be applied. We also discuss how this new integral test may be used when one is dealing with…

This paper reports the results of three questionnaires applied to sixty-seven students preparing to become university-level mathematics teachers; the questionnaires were focused on knowing their conceptions and their mastery of the representations of functions in the development of power series. The theoretical and methodological background rests…

The attainment and retention of later algebra skills in high school has been identified as a factor significantly impacting students' postsecondary success as STEM majors. Researchers maintain that learners develop meaning for algebraic procedures by forming connections to the basic number system properties. In the present study, the connections…

A new application of logarithmic differentiation is presented, which provides an alternative elegant proof of two basic rules of differentiation: the product rule and the quotient rule. The proof can intrigue students, help promote their critical thinking and rigorous reasoning and deepen their understanding of previously encountered concepts. The…

The main purpose of this note is to present and justify proof via iteration as an intuitive, creative and empowering method that is often available and preferable as an alternative to proofs via either mathematical induction or the well-ordering principle. The method of iteration depends only on the fact that any strictly decreasing sequence of…

We investigate the possibility of approximating the value of a definite integral by approximating the integrand rather than using numerical methods to approximate the value of the definite integral. Particular cases considered include examples where the integral is improper, such as an elliptic integral. (Contains 4 tables and 2 figures.)

There has been a lot of material written about logarithmic spirals of golden proportion but this author states that he has never come across an article that states the exact equation of the spiral which ultimately spirals tangentially to the sides of the rectangles. In this article, the author intends to develop such an equation. (Contains 5…

A method for generating sums of series based on simple differential operators is presented, together with a number of worked examples with interesting properties.

In this note, using the method of undetermined coefficients, we obtain the power series for exp ( f ( x )) and ln ( f ( x )) by means of a simple recursion. As applications, we show how those power series can be used to reproduce and improve some well-known results in analysis. These results may be used as enrichment material in an advanced…

This paper is written on a level accessible to college/university students of mathematics who are taking second-year, algebra based, mathematics courses beyond calculus I. This article combines material from geometry, trigonometry, and number theory. This integration of various techniques is an excellent experience for the serious student. The…