A teacher in a large suburban elementary school in East Tennessee found that her fourth grade students had poor number sense and relied almost solely upon algorithmic procedure to solve math problems. Therefore, mental math was difficult for these students, so the daily number talks method was employed to strengthen number sense. However, no…

This study was designed to derive the distribution of a test statistic based on normal probability plots. The first purpose was to provide an empirical derivation of the critical values for the Line Test (LT) with an extensive computer simulation. The goal was to develop a test that is sensitive to a wide range of alternative distributions,…

A common cause of failure in accounting is student inability to mentally perform basic arithmetic computations. The first step toward solving the problem of arithmetic deficiencies would be to make a calculator available to all students, especially since they will be working in a numerical, machine-dominated world. (SC)

Investigated the development of informal addition in Dioula (A Moslem ethnic group from West Africa) from childhood to adulthood and the effect of schooling on mental arithmetic. Compares these data with results from a study of children from the United States. (MK)

Changes in children's cognitive strategies for solving simple subtractions were studied by analyzing verbal reports given immediately after each problem. The development of children's cognitive processes involved a gradual shift from more primitive and less demanding memory strategies to reconstructive memory processes to retrieval processes.…

Describes a program written for a programmable pocket calculator that computes the frequency response of linear systems. (Author)

A sample run is given of a BASIC program used to determine possible genetic characteristics of offspring of parents with known genetic characteristics. (MK)

Presents an activity that concerns children's reasoning about counting from the perspectives of informal mathematics, work center mathematics, and cardboard box mathematics. (ASK)

Presents some known and lesser-known features of the number 11. (KHR)

Discusses an algorithm from Vedic mathematics that has similarities to FOIL and the standard algorithm for multiplication. (Author/NB)

Describes how 7th grade students were transitioned from using informal, conceptual methods to solving proportion problems using a formal procedure. (YDS)

Suggests that strategy choice is a misleading characterization of efficient mental calculation and that teaching mental calculation methods as a whole is not conducive to flexibility. Proposes an alternative in which calculation is thought of as an interaction between noticing and knowledge. Presents an associated teaching approach to promote…

The article identifies five incorrect beliefs about mathematics often held by students who have difficulty with mathematics. They include: the relative size of numbers is more important than the relationships between quantities; computation problems must be solved by using a step-by-step algorithm; mathematics problems have only one correct…

A distinction is made between statistics based on scientific theory and theory-free statistics. This distinction is discussed in the contexts of hypothesis testing, Bayesian inference, a priori planned contrasts, a new simple computational method, and alternative data interpretations. (TJH)

A principle is presented to show that, if the time of passage of light is expressible as a function of discrete variables, one may dispense with the more general method of the calculus of variations. The calculus of variations and the alternative are described. The phenomenon of mirage is discussed. (Author/KR)