Presents 10 rules for effectively using graphs as performance improvement tools. Pie charts, bar graphs, cumulative graphs, and scatter diagrams are discussed, and a case study illustrates how setting goals and using graphs for feedback on performance can be effective. (LRW)

Discusses the importance of accurate graphic presentation and describes graphs available on "LabQuest" computer software. Highlights include graphing conventions; prerequisites for computer graphing; bar graphs; pie graphs; stacked bar graphs; line graphs; x/y graphs; scatter graphs; box plots; stem and leaf graphs; best fit graphs; and…

Discusses how to set the size of the viewing window for a graphing calculator so that it is "user friendly" for all levels of students. Visually correct graphs, numerical interpretation, determining screen size, and setting friendly windows are addressed. (AIM)

Explains the basics of isotopic dating methods and the use of isotopic dating methods in geochronology. Presents irrelevant discussions of a creationist's views on Isochrons. (YDS)

This article suggests a graphic technique that uses P-P plots to show the extent to which two groups differ on two variables. It can be used even if the variables are measured in completely different, noncomparable units. The comparison is symmetric with respect to the variables and the groups. It reflects the differences between the groups over…

General strategies used to help discover, prove, and generalize identities for Fibonacci numbers are described along with some properties about the determinants of square matrices. A matrix proof for identity (2) that has received immense attention from many branches of mathematics, like linear algebra, dynamical systems, graph theory and others…

Reporting effect size plays an integral role in educational and psychological research and is required by many journals. Certainly, the best-known measure of effect size is Cohen's d, which represents a substantial improvement over using p values. But Cohen's d is known to suffer from some fundamental concerns. The author's goal was to illustrate…

A description of the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet simulation, Anharmonicity.xls that can be used to smoothly and continuously switch a plotted function and its quadratic approximation is presented. It can be used in a classroom demonstration or incorporated into a student-centered computer-laboratory exercise to examine the qualitative behavior of…

The power of mathematical inscriptions, such as graphs, is often attributed to the fact that they summarize a lot of information independent of their contextual particulars. There is evidence, however, that even quintessential experts and scientists have difficulties interpreting graphs when they are unfamiliar with the entities represented and…

We introduce resource graphs, a representation of linked ideas used when reasoning about specific contexts in physics. Our model is consistent with previous descriptions of coordination classes and resources. It represents mesoscopic scales that are neither knowledge-in-pieces nor large-scale concepts. We use resource graphs to describe several…

In one of the classic free-fall experiments, a small mass is attached to a strip of paper tape and both are allowed to fall through a spark timer, where sparks are generated at regular time intervals. Students analyze marks (dots) left on the tape by the timer, thereby generating distance-versus-time data, which they analyze to extract the…

We discuss the introduction and teaching of partial differential equations (heat and wave equations) via modeling physical phenomena, using a new approach that encompasses constructing difference equations and implementing these in a spreadsheet, numerically solving the partial differential equations using the numerical differential equation…

In this note, we demonstrate with illustrations two different ways that MS Excel can be used to solve Linear Systems of Equation, Linear Programming Problems, and Matrix Inversion Problems. The advantage of using MS Excel is its availability and transparency (the user is responsible for most of the details of how a problem is solved). Further, we…

This article compares marriage patterns by race, education and religion in the United States during the 20th century, using a variety of data sources. The comparative approach allows several general conclusions. First, racial endogamy has declined sharply over the 20th century, but race is still the most powerful division in the marriage market.…

Over the last decade or so, faculty in a wide range of disciplines have become more interested in and open to the scholarship of teaching and learning. That scholarship has taken many forms, including personal accounts of experimentation and change, descriptions of recommended practices, and quantitative research on students' gains. In this…