Describes an inquiry into students' uses of graphics calculators in the Tertiary Entrance Examination of Calculus in Western Australia for 1998. Discusses a comparative analysis of boys' and girls' performances. Indicates that the main areas of difficulty for students are interpreting graphing calculator outputs and knowing when use of graphing…

Addresses three issues of Calculator-based Ranger (CBR) activities on graphing abilities: (a) the effect of CBR activities on graphing abilities; (b) the extent to which prior knowledge about graphing skills affects graphing ability; and (c) the influence of instructional styles on students' graphing abilities. Indicates that CBR activities are…

Presents examples to illustrate that iteration and recursion are useful pedagogical tools that can be used in many areas of mathematics, make models traditionally taught in upper levels accessible in grades 9-14, and provide alternative problem solving approaches less dependent upon ready-made formulas. (Author/MM)

Presents a mathematics activity using hand-held technology that can be used with elementary school students. Uses graphing calculators and calculator-based laboratories in this activity. (Contains 11 references.) (ASK)

Uses the random-number generator and list features on the TI-83 graphing calculator to generate lists of sample means to help illustrate the concepts discussed in introductory statistics courses. (ASK)

Introduces a lesson that incorporates numeric, graphic, and algebraic approaches as well as a strong verbal communication component into the maximizing problem. (ASK)

This article details an exploration of exponential decay and growth relationships using M&M's and dice. Students collect data for mathematical models and use graphing calculators to make sense of the general form of the exponential functions. (Contains 10 figures and 2 tables.)

This article describes a project in which certain key concepts in probability were explored using graphics calculators with year 10 students. The lessons were conducted in the regular classroom where students were provided with a Casio CFX 9850 GB PLUS graphics calculator with which they were familiar from year 9. The participants in the…

The backdrop of the calculus reform movement created a fertile movement for the creation of overlap between general chemistry and precalculus as many of the goals emphasized key concepts from the chemistry lab. By using the graphing calculator in both precalculus and chemistry laboratory enhanced the students' comfort and competence with the…

In science, inquiry is used as students explore important and interesting questions concerning the world around them. In mathematics, one contemporary inquiry approach is to create models that describe real phenomena. Creating mathematical models using spreadsheets can help students learn at deep levels in both science and mathematics, and give…

Todd Lee and colleagues share some of the common technology "pranks" and peculiarities from the three most common technology tools used in our classrooms: Microsoft Excel, graphing calculators, and The Geometer's Sketchpad. The "Surfing Note" includes a link to a collection of funny math cartoons from the Carolina Biological Supply Company.

Graphic tips for using the Geometer's Sketchpad (GSP) are described. The methods to import an image into GSP, define a coordinate system, plot points and curve fit the function using a graphical calculator are demonstrated where the graphic features of GSP allow teachers to expand the use of the technology application beyond the classroom.

This paper reports the results of student use of a TI-92 graphing calculator to solve algebra and analytic geometry problems in 9th grade Austrian classes. Students who had been trained in using the TI-92 were asked to compute x, given that a right-angled triangle had sides x, x+3, and x+6 in at least three ways, and to document their solution…

Steiner's Porism states that if you can draw a connected ring of circles in the annular region between two original circles, the ring will be successfully completed no matter where you start. This paper explores how the TI-92 graphing calculator can be used to demonstrate Steiner's Porism and illustrate the main points of its proof. Inversion in…

This paper describes how 8th grade students are using CBR, a motion detector linked to a graphing calculator, as a way of generating mathematical ideas regarding the motions concepts that surround their action. Students were previously introduced to the calculators in the classroom and teaching experiments were then carried out afterwards with a…