The African Data Initiative started as a crowd-sourced campaign to improve the teaching of statistics in African universities. The analysis of climate data provides one suitable context to illustrate ideas that lead to a radical new form of teaching. The problem within the context comes first, the technicalities are largely reduced -- mathematics…

Simulations make it possible to explore physical and biological phenomena, where conducting the real experiment is impracticable or difficult. The implementation of a software program describing and simulating a given physical situation encourages the understanding of a phenomenon itself. Fifty-nine students, enrolled at the Mathematical Methods…

Discusses the use of computer programs in science and mathematics. Provides examples of how computation offers a new means of describing and investigating scientific and mathematical systems and how computer simulation can be used to examine new kinds of models for natural phenomena. (JN)

Presents algorithms for the simulation and motion display of the three basic kinematic devices: (1) four bar linkages; (2) the slider crank; and (3) the inverted slider crank mechanisms. The algorithms were implemented on a Commodore-VIC 20 microcomputer system with 6500 bytes of available memory. (Author/JN)

Monitoring student performance on microcomputer drill and practice programs over time provides evidence that students learn from the programs at different rates and that programs differ in the rates at which they impart learning to students. Implications of these and other findings for science teaching are addressed. (JN)

In this paper are described some features of the intensive use of math software, primarily Derive, in the context of modeling in an introductory university course in differential equations. Different aspects are detailed: changes in the curriculum that includes not only course contents, but also the sequence of introduction to various topics and…

Demonstrating petroleum engineering concepts in undergraduate laboratories often requires expensive and time-consuming experiments. To eliminate these problems, a graphical simulation technique was developed for junior-level laboratories which illustrate vapor-liquid equilibrium and the use of mathematical modeling. A description of this…

Explains a proposed block of instruction that would give students in industrial engineering, operations research, systems engineering, and applied mathematics the basic understanding required to begin more advanced courses in simulation theory or applications. (DDR)

Discusses the value of student-designed, in-depth, modeling projects in a differential equations course and how to prepare students. Provides excerpts from worksheets, a list of computer software for Macintosh that can be used in teaching differential equations, and an annotated bibliography. (Author/ASK)

Outlines a course at the University of Glamorgan in the United Kingdom in which a computer algebra system (CAS) teaches mathematical modeling. The format is based on continual assessment of group and individual work stating the problem, a feature list, and formulation of the models. No additional mathematical word processing package is necessary.…

The critical role of computers in scientific advancement is described in this panel report. With the growing range and complexity of problems that must be solved and with demands of new generations of computers and computer architecture, the importance of computational mathematics is increasing. Multidisciplinary teams are needed; these are found…

Investigated the effect of the choice of a model's medium (algebraic expression or computer program) on the performance of students. Student programers did not transfer the qualities of a computer program approach to their algebraic models. Provides items for five tests. (YP)

Cabri3D is a potentially very useful software for learning and teaching 3D geometry. The dynamic nature of the digital diagrams produced with it provides a useful aid for helping students to better develop concept images of geometric concepts. However, since any Cabri3D diagram represents three-dimensional objects on the two dimensional screen of…

An important topic presented in introductory statistics courses is the estimation of population parameters using samples. Students learn that when estimating population variances using sample data, we always get an underestimate of the population variance if we divide by n rather than n-1. One implication of this correction is that the degree of…

A necessary prerequisite to the operational use of item response theory (IRT) in any testing program is the investigation of the feasibility of such an approach. This report presents the results of such research for the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). Despite the fact that GMAT data appear to violate a basic assumption of the…