Presents two real world applications that use derivatives and are related to computing the distance required to stop an airplane. Examines the curve-fitting techniques used to develop an equation for braking force and develops equations for the deceleration and speed. (DDR)

Discusses three different writing assignments used in calculus courses. The assignments represent personal, informational, and blended purposes. (Author/MM)

Presents an exploration of conversation in a single episode of a 12th grade girls' calculus class. Analyzes Habermasian communicative competence which requires students to show critical thinking and the ability to express their views. Explains learning outcomes by teachers' mode of questioning, cooperative endeavor by students, instructional…

Describes a two-semester numerical methods course that serves as a research experience for undergraduate students without requiring external funding or the modification of current curriculum. Uses an engineering problem to introduce students to constrained optimization via a variation of the traditional isoperimetric problem of finding the curve…

Discussed is the tendency of students to equate the concepts of continuity and connected graphs based on their lack of an understanding of such concepts as limit points, closed sets, and connected sets. Included is a theorem with three lemmas with their proofs. (KR)

Discussed is the problem of inscribing a rectangle of maximum area in a given right triangle. Answered is whether there is an advantageous orientation and whether a corner of the rectangle of maximum area can lie on the midpoint of a leg of the triangle. (KR)

Describes a successful remedial calculus program targeted at Black and Hispanic students at the University of California at Berkeley designed to resemble an honors program that has been replicated at three other institutions. The program emphasizes collaborative study. (FMW)

Describes the behavior of five calculus professors and their students based on observations of calculus classes. Results showed that the dominant mode of instruction was lecture and students were usually not actively engaged in doing mathematics. (14 references) (Author/MKR)

Gives a general description of reformed calculus efforts and describes experiences with two reformed calculus programs together with traditional calculus. Also provides comparisons between these three programs using teaching evaluations and student journals. (Author/MKR)

Researchers examined the effect of university math classes on students' grades in economics. Student surveys, files, and TUCE-III exam data indicated that students' learning of economics was not enhanced by having completed introductory calculus, though students had to study less if they completed the business math series before taking economics.…

Discusses two answers to the question of why we teach calculus in the college mathematics curriculum: (1) calculus is used in real mathematical applications across a variety of disciplines; and (2) the historical development of calculus exposes students to the foundation of the scientific world view. (MDH)

Describes numerical differentiation and the central difference formula in numerical analysis. Presents three computer programs that approximate the first derivative of a function utilizing the central difference formula. Analyzes conditions under which the approximation formula is exact. (MDH)

Argues that the derivation of the area of a circle using integral calculus is invalid. Describes the derivation of the area of a circle when the formula is not known by inscribing and circumscribing the circle with regular polygons whose areas converge to the same number. (MDH)

Provides diagrams and text to describe the procedures and results of an experiment used to introduce students to parametric resonance. (ZWH)

Describes a course designed by Moravian College, Pennsylvania, to integrate precalculus topics as needed into a first calculus course. The textbook developed for the course covers the concepts of functions, Cartesian coordinates, limits, continuity, infinity, and the derivative. Examples are discussed. (MDH)