Technological advances during the past few decades have revolutionized many complex systems that influence human activity. As the rate of technological progress accelerates, these systems will become more complex, and new ones will evolve. Citizens in a technological society need to be able to make intelligent choices about how technology will…

This volume contains the papers and comments from the Workshop on Mathematics Education, a special session of the 15th Conference on Stochastic Processes and Their Applications, held in Nagoya, Japan, July 2-5, 1985. Topics covered include: (1) probability; (2) statistics; (3) deviation; (4) Japanese mathematics curriculum; (5) statistical…

This paper is a discussion of algebraic factoring. It is suggested that factoring is frequently presented in textbooks and by teachers without specifying one of the great values of this technique; that is, finding some of the factors of any number that can be generated by a particular polynomial. Concrete examples can help students understand the…

This ex-post facto, quasi-experimental study was conducted to determine whether students taught nursing math in the classroom did better than students who did not take the nursing math course in the classroom. First-year students enrolled in the Long Beach City College Associate Degree Nursing Program were selected as the treatment sample. Thirty…

Teaching students to think mathematically or to apply mathematics to the solution of real-world problems has become a national priority. This paper explores a method of developing the basic problem-solving skills in a remedial mathematics course at the college freshman level. The first part of this paper describes some basic problem-solving skills…

Describes a course (Introduction to Numerical Techniques of Physics) which can be adapted to such courses as applied mathematics, numerical analysis, mechanical or electrical engineering, chemistry, and biomathematics. Course goals (including emphasis on the distinction between computing, programming and coding) and instructional strategies are…

The production and application of images based on fractal geometry are described. Discussed are fractal language groups, fractal image coding, and fractal dialects. Implications for these applications of geometry to mathematics education are suggested. (CW)

That the principal axis theorem does not extend to any finite field is demonstrated. Presented are four examples that illustrate the difficulty in extending the principal axis theorem to fields other than the field of real numbers. Included are a theorem and proof that uses only a simple counting argument. (KR)

Presented is an example of a question that can be used to investigate probability and random triangles. Included is the question, analysis, and procedure for solving the question. (KR)

Described is a geometric view of Singular Value Theorem. Included are two theorems, one which is a pure matrix version of the above and the other that leads to the orthogonal diagonalization of certain matrices, i.e., the Spectral Theorem. Also included are proofs and remarks. (KR)

Described is a decomposition theory from which the Cayley-Hamilton theorem, the diagonalizability of complex square matrices, and functional calculus can be developed. The theory and its applications are based on elementary polynomial algebra. (KR)

The implementation of the first phase of a project involving the use of computer software in a course on the mathematics of finance is discussed. Results of a controlled experiment indicated that the techniques employed seemed to have positively impacted the performance of the students. (CW)

A nonconventional graphical way to represent functions (the Parallel Axes Representation) is discussed. A computerized environment designed to support the exploration of the representation of linear functions is described. The didactical potential of this representation is illustrated. (CW)

Described are several programs that enable the user to evaluate derivatives to order n of any elementary function by using the combination of automatic differentiation method and A Programming Language (APL). Programs calculating first- and higher-order derivatives are presented. Selected APL symbols are appended. (YP)

Examined is the performance of men and women undergraduate students in mathematics using multiple-choice, relationship analysis, and true/false questions. Sex differences were reported. Implications of this research are suggested. (Author/YP)