Introducing any new initiative into teaching involves professional development and training. This paper investigates the reactions of three teachers to the introduction of graphics calculators into their department. Each teacher was followed through one academic year. They were interviewed formally on two occasions and also met informally with the…

Many popular mathematical software products including Maple, Mathematica, Derive, Mathcad, Matlab, and some of the TI calculators produce incorrect graphs because they use complex arithmetic instead of "real" arithmetic. This article expounds on this issue, provides possible remedies for instructors to share with their students, and demonstrates…

Building physical models relative to a concept can be an important activity to help students develop and manipulate abstract ideas and mental models that often prove difficult to grasp. One such concept is "time". A method for helping students understand the cyclical nature of time involves the construction of a Time Zone Calculator through a…

The velocity of sound in a gas depends on its temperature, molar mass, and [lambda] = C[subscript p]/C[subscript v], ratio (heat capacity at a constant pressure to heat capacity at constant volume). The [lambda] values for air, oxygen, nitrogen, argon, and carbon dioxide were determined by measuring the velocity of the sound through the gases at…

This paper was developed with the goal of enhancing the mathematical preparation of secondary school teachers in the technological paradigm. It shows how two-variable inequalities can be utilized as models for the construction of geometric objects using the software Graphing Calculator 3.5 (produced by Pacific Tech) as a relation grapher. An…

This research examines students' use of graphics calculators and investigates the extent to which the students' use meets their teachers aim when using graphics calculators in the classroom. The teacher's use of her graphics calculator was analysed over a week using Key Record software. The teacher was questioned about her aims and expectations…

This paper provides an instrumental account of precalculus students' graphical process for solving polynomial inequalities. It is carried out in terms of the students' instrumental schemes as mediated by handheld graphing calculators and in cooperation with their classmates in a classroom setting. The ethnographic narrative relays an instrumental…

An eighth grade algebra class used graphing calculators to simulate ecosystems. One simulation introduced mathematical chaos. The activities exposed the students to nonlinear patterns and modeling. The rate-of-change investigations related the ideas of intercept and slope to the changing equilibrium. The chaotic model intrigued them and was useful…

This article offers an engaging application that adds meaning to the binomial theorem. (Contains 8 figures.)

Describes a study in which fifth-graders learned how to operate electronic calculators and used them on a mathematics achievement test. The results indicated that the children with calculators outperformed the control children on the straight computational problems but did more poorly than the controls on thought problems. (JMB)

Five activities are presented in this student workbook on using the electronic calculator. Following the directions for using the machine, problems are given on multiplying and dividing, finding percentages, calculating the area of assorted polygons, changing fractions to decimals, and finding squares and square roots. (JH)

Students in three mathematics classes were assessed on two aptitudes, field independence and general reasoning, and randomly assigned to either an expository or a discovery treatment. The expository treatment used a deductive sequence of instruction and provided maximal guidance for the students. The discovery group used an inductive sequence with…

Illustrated is the use of pocket calculators for solving the Francis formula for rectangular, triangular, and V-notched weirs. (CS)

The calculator is used to determine the formula for computing annual yield from a savings account. (MP)