Presents an interpolation methodology that duplicates and improves the results of mathematical functional relationships useful for designing business enterprise simulations and argues that interpolation is effective over the entire range of production and sales activity. (six references) (EA)

Many students have difficulties in interpreting position versus time graphs. Presents an activity involving calculator-based motion labs that allows students to bring these graphs to life by turning their own motion into a graph that can be analyzed, investigated, and interpreted in terms of how they actually moved. (ASK)

Presents different real-world mathematics activities on data display and data analysis with pie charts from different time periods. (ASK)

Observes that the efficiency case against vouchers in textbook comparisons with income transfers is frequently incorrectly stated, or overstated. Clarifies the debate by deriving the algebraic relations under which a voucher is equivalent to an income transfer, generates no welfare loss, and when conventional views of income transfer superiority…

Presents the results of a series of studies on the production, transformation, and interpretation of graphical representations from grade 8 to professional scientific practice in formal testing situations (inside) and in the course of field/laboratory work (outside). (Author/CCM)

Highlights effective graphical methods for screening and cleaning data, exploring and identifying models, and displaying data in counseling-psychology publications. Argues that graphs are not ancillary to scientific publications but are essential and, in some cases, sufficient expositions of results. (Author/GCP)

Stresses the value of graphing and computer algebra systems calculators when teaching about waves. Discusses how to input data into these calculators. Highlights the Texas Instruments' (TI) Web site at http://www.ti.com. (YDS)

Presents a simple experiment that allows students to determine a slope from a series of measurements rather than from a given equation in which students measure heights and widths for a set of paper rectangles, all with the same width. Students calculate areas and plot area versus height from the data. (Author/ASK)

Sources of observed differences in difficulty between items in graph comprehension performance were studied using 132 items from the Psychometric Entrance Test, an Israeli college entrance examination. Results indicate that item difficulty can be predicted successfully on the basis of item characteristics and task demands. Implications for graph…

Outlines the findings of the Science Teacher Training in an Information Society (STTIS) project concerned with describing the possible difficulties pupils have when reading science textbook pictures on energy. Concludes that reading science textbook pictures is not trivial for pupils and that teachers need to spend time and effort talking through…

Focuses on images of energy that may help to construct key scientific concepts. Analyzes interpretations given by students of documents containing images evoking ideas that are seldom visually explained within a theoretical semiotic frame. Confirms the utility of this frame and suggests some abilities needed for students to correctly interpret…

One of the biggest hurdles in teaching statistics is convincing students that the area under curves has anything to do with all the samples, histograms, and various other indicators to which they have been exposed. Presents two examples to illustrate this phenomenon. (ASK)

Active involvement and infusion of mathematics into familiar, everyday experiences are essential elements in challenging students to engage in true thinking. Presents an investigation on graphing that touches on all representations including tables of values, graphs, and verbal descriptions. (ASK)

The learning process for a user becomes seriously restrictive in trying to discover the relationships between concepts and in searching for a part of concept (called an object) such as a solved example illustrating the concept or the application of the concept. This article presents the theory for building a relational graph that depicts how…

The purpose of this study was to examine students' understanding of and ability to interpret line graphs, using four tasks: two where students constructed a graph and two where students interpreted a given graph. The tasks were unique in that they did not simply involve the explanation of given data but included a language component that looked at…