Although most calculus students are comfortable with the Cartesian equations of curves and surfaces, they struggle with the concept of parameters. A multivariable calculus course is really the time to nail this concept down, once and for all, since it provides an easy way to represent many beautiful and useful surfaces, and graph them using a…

Computer technology, as an effective means for precisely simulating mathematical concepts and problems, could meet the need for new visual approaches to mathematics education. Computer generated imagery can not only accurately display two- and three-dimensional illustrations from mathematical models, but high precision images are economically…

This paper examines the effect of applying symbolic computation and graphics to enhance students' ability to move from a visual interpretation of mathematical concepts to formal reasoning. The mathematics topics involved, Approximation and Interpolation, were taught according to their historical development, and the students tried to follow the…