When first learning how to write mathematical proofs, it is often easier for students to work with statements using the universal quantifier. Results that single out special cases might initially come across as more puzzling or even mysterious. In this article we explore three specific statements from abstract algebra that involve the number…

This study seeks to analyse the awareness of the pre-service teachers on the counting methods, systems and tools used in the prehistoric method and the Ancient period and to examine the distribution of this awareness by gender. A total of 42 sophomore-level students studying at a university in the Western Black Sea region, Turkey, participated in…

The "Reasoning Algebraically about Operations Casebook" was developed as the key resource for participants' Developing Mathematical Ideas seminar experience. The thirty-four cases, written by teachers describing real situations and actual student thinking in their classrooms, provide the basis of each session's investigation into the…

Recent research has supported and extended earlier research on how and for how long Indigenous people of Australasia have been counting. This history values the long history of Indigenous knowledge and re-writes the limited and sometimes false history that many Australian teachers accept and teach about number systems. The current views on the…

Research shows that students, and sometimes teachers, have trouble with fractions, especially conceiving of fractions as numbers that extend the whole number system. This paper explores how fractions are addressed in undergraduate mathematics courses for prospective elementary teachers (PSTs). In particular, we explore how, and whether, the…

Some people recognize a palindrome when they see one, however fewer realize that a palindrome is a special case of a pattern and that these patterns are all around. Palindromes frequently occur in names, both of vehicles and people, and in music. The traditional mathematical curriculum has often left palindromes out of the common vernacular. Where…

We examined relations between symbolic and non-symbolic numerical magnitude representations, between whole number and fraction representations, and between these representations and overall mathematics achievement in fifth graders. Fraction and whole number symbolic and non-symbolic numerical magnitude understandings were measured using both…

As a key concept in early mathematics curriculum, number sense is crucial for children's learning of other mathematics concepts. An earlier curriculum with a strong focus on number sense development presumably helps children perform better in mathematics later on. Chinese students outperformed their United States (U.S.) peers on number sense at…

The initial formation of number concept represents one of the essential aspects of learning mathematics at the primary school. Children commonly show strong difficulties and absence of comprehension of symbolic and abstract nature of concept of number. The objective of the present study was to show the effectiveness of original method for…

Children are often intrigued by number patterns and games and so it makes sense for teachers to include them in their mathematics lessons. Puzzles encourage the use of critical thinking skills and provide practice in important skills areas. The use of games fosters mathematical learning and encourages the mathematical processes that children use.…

The aim of this paper is to investigate the ways in which the number line can function in solving mathematical tasks by first graders (6 year olds). The main research question was whether the number line functioned as an auxiliary means or as an obstacle for these students. Through analysis of the 32 students' answers it appears that the number…

Infinity and infinitely small numbers pique the curiosity of middle school students. From a very young age, many students are intrigued, interested, and even fascinated by extremely large or extremely small numbers or quantities. This article describes an activity that takes this curiosity about infinity into the domain of adding the numbers of an…

The goal of this study was to investigate understanding of inservice elementary school teachers in Taiwan about number sense, teaching strategies of number sense and the development of number sense of students; and the profile of integrating number sense into mathematical instruction , and teaching practice. Data was gathered through interviews of…

We present a general formula for a triple product involving four real numbers. As a particular case, we get the sum of a triple product of four odd integers. Some interesting results are recovered. We derive a general formula for more than four odd numbers.

Different representations of rational numbers are considered and students are lead through activities that explore patterns in base ten and other bases. With this students are encouraged to solve problems and investigate situations designed to foster flexible thinking about rational numbers.