For most first semester students, the definition of a continuous function causes confusion. We discuss a presentation that leaves students with a better intuitive understanding of continuity, as well as an appreciation for the definition. (Contains 3 footnotes.)

This article "opens up" the study of the relationship between quadrilaterals and circles to two sets of quadrilaterals--those that can be drawn either inside (cyclic) or outside (tangential) a circle (or both). Of course, "all" triangles are both cyclic and tangential. Or, to use the traditional Euclidean language for triangles, a unique…

For those instructors lacking artistic skills, teaching 3-dimensional calculus can be a challenge. Although some instructors spend a great deal of time working on their illustrations, trying to get them just right, students nevertheless often have a difficult time understanding some of them. To address this problem, the author has written a series…

The Law of Sines and The Law of Cosines are of paramount importance in the field of trigonometry because these two theorems establish relationships satisfied by the three sides and the three angles of any triangle. In this article, the authors use these two laws to discover a host of other trigonometric relationships that exist within any…

In this article, the author takes up the special trinomial (1 + x + x[squared])[superscript n] and shows that the coefficients of its expansion are entries of a Pascal-like triangle. He also shows how to calculate these entries recursively and explicitly. This article could be used in the classroom for enrichment. (Contains 1 table.)

Trouche's [Third Computer Algebra in Mathematics Education Symposiums, Reims, France, June 2003] presentation at the Third Computer Algebra in Mathematics Education Symposium focused on the notions of instrumental genesis and of orchestration: the former concerning the mutual transformation of learner and artefact in the course of constructing…

The use, learning and transfer of workplace numeracy skills, as well as current understandings of the term numeracy, are examined in this study. It also highlights the importance of numeracy as an essential workplace skill. The report challenges the training system and training organisations to provide numeracy training which makes links directly…

A study examined the calculation of staff:student ratios (SSRs) in nursing and midwifery education in courses validated by the English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (ENB). Data were collected from questionnaires mailed to all 108 colleges of nursing and midwifery and higher education institutions offering ENB-validated…

A pair of experiments, appropriate for the lower division fourth semester calculus or differential equations course, are presented. The second order differential equation representing the equation of motion of a simple pendulum is derived. The period of oscillation for a particular pendulum can be predicted from the solution to this equation. As a…

A study of higher education funding in Nevada, mandated by state law, is reported. The study focuses on the methods used by other states to fund higher education and investigates these methods' appropriateness or usefulness in Nevada. Representatives of the state university system, education experts, and the general public provided background…

This paper analyzes alternative approaches to allocating Chapter I funds for the education of disadvantaged children. The paper begins with a short discussion of the traditional method of distributing funds to districts on the basis of low-income student representation and then considers how changes in the poverty count from the 1970 to the 1980…

Although two-stage testing is not the most efficient form of adaptive testing, it has some advantages. In this paper, linear programming models are given for the construction of two-stage tests. In these models, practical constraints with respect to, among other things, test composition, administration time, and inter-item dependencies play an…

One in a series of core instructional materials for apprentices to use during the first or second years of apprenticeship-related subjects training, this booklet deals with basic mathematics. The first section consists of an outline of the content and scope of the core materials as well as a self-assessment pretest. Covered in the three…

According to a formula developed to measure the adequacy of state educational finance levels, only three of six selected midwestern states provided adequate levels of expenditure per pupil in 1981-82. The formula for determining adequacy, developed by Jerry Miner and Walter McMahon, consists of totaling adequate levels of expenditure in seven…

This is part two of a two-part SMSG text in algebra for students whose mathematical talents are underdeveloped. Additional drill materials are included in this text and terminology is kept to a minimum. Chapter topics include: (1) factors and exponents; (2) radicals; (3) polynomials; (4) rational expressions; (5) truth sets of open sentences; (6)…