Describes the development of numbers, discussing natural and rational numbers; geometry (inscribing numbers on the number line); smoothness of motion reflected in the geometrical line; square roots; and irrational numbers. Concludes that whatever the ultimate identity of irrational numbers, what is known about them is less important than what is…

A general cubic equation ax[cubed] + bx[squared] + cx + d = 0 where a , b , c , d [is a member of R], a [not equal to] 0 has three roots with two possibilities--either all three roots are real or one root is real and the remaining two roots are imaginary. Dealing with the second possibility this paper attempts to give the geometrical locations of…

Geoff Giles died suddenly in 2005. He was a highly original thinker in the field of geometry teaching. As early as 1964, when teaching at Strathallen School in Perth, he was writing in "MT27" about constructing tessellations by modifying the sides of triangles and (irregular) quadrilaterals to produce what he called "trisides" and "quadrisides".…

Many educators believe that solid modeling software has made teaching two- and three-dimensional visualization skills obsolete. They claim that the visual tools built into the solid modeling software serve as a replacement for the CAD operator's personal visualization skills. They also claim that because solid modeling software can produce…

Counting the number of internal intersection points made by the diagonals of irregular convex polygons where no three diagonals are concurrent is an interesting problem in discrete mathematics. This paper uses an iterative approach to develop a summation relation which tallies the total number of intersections, and shows that this total can be…

In this note, a simple proof of the Generalized Ceva Theorem in plane geometry is presented. The approach is based on the principle of equilibrium in mechanics. (Contains 2 figures.)

The investigation of how a circle and square lying in the same plane could intersect each other is an excellent example of geometric problem-solving. This paper explores three facets of the investigation: (1) finding out how many points of intersection are possible, (2) classifying the different ways of intersection, and (3) determining which ways…

Middle and High school students of the twenty-first century possess surprising powers of spatial reasoning. They are assisted by technologies not available to earlier generations. Both of these assertions are demonstrated by students who are challenged with George Polya's classic Five Planes Problem. (Contains 5 figures.)

Using differentiated instruction in the classroom can be a challenge, especially when teaching mathematics. This book cuts through the difficulties with two powerful and universal strategies that teachers can use across all math content: Open Questions and Parallel Tasks. Specific strategies and examples for grades Kindergarten - 8 are organized…

Geometry is required for many secondary school students, and is often learned, taught, and assessed more in a heuristic image-based manner, than as a formal axiomatic deductive system. Students are required to prove general theorems, but diagrams are usually used. It follows that understanding how students engage in perceiving and reasoning about…

This report makes recommendations for the development of middle-school assessment in mathematics, based on a synthesis of scientific findings in cognitive psychology and mathematics education. The focus is on background research, rather than test specifications or example tasks. Readers interested in early development and pilot efforts associated…

In the study Cabri was used for teaching geometry at 4th grade. To investigate students' geometry level, a semi-experimental method was used. In the test group, geometry subjects are taught using Cabri. A multiple choice test was used to collect data as pre and post test. Answers were assigned as 1 to correct, 0 to wrong answers. Data were…

The purpose of this paper is to present a summary of selected facets of geometry and measurement in elementary school programs and to describe curricula content options designed to demonstrate the feasibility of seeking high level outcomes and meanings for students with learning disabilities. While there are a multitude of published papers…

The objective of this study was to investigate and characterize the geometric thinking and understanding of four pre-service middle and secondary mathematics teachers while considering their spatial ability levels. To investigate the differences, if any, that existed among these pre-service middle and secondary teachers with different spatial…

This is part two of a three-part School Mathematics Study Group (SMSG) textbook. This part includes the index and chapters 6 through 10: (6) Curve Sketching and Locus Problems, (7) Conic Sections, (8) The Line and the Plane in 3-Space, (9) Quadric Surfaces, and (10) Geometric Transformations. (MK)