Recognizing geometric shapes and noting their special properties are important steps in learning geometry. Offers the use of geoboards and emphasizes that much of what teachers want students to learn about squares, rectangles, and trapezoids can be accomplished with geoboard figures. Presents activities on quadrilaterals using geoboards. (ASK)

Describes how a mathematical model can be constructed and used to better understand human impact on natural resources. Uses the source of many current discussions in northern Idaho to present algebraic concepts and show an application of exponential functions. Contains 13 references. (ASK)

Offers information on a project to improve students' understanding of derivatives. Students use the software package "Cactusplot" which allows them to calculate the slope at various points, and "Graphical Analysis III" software to graph the data and modify the graphs if necessary. (ASK)

Introduces the taxicab metric which is practical for many applications and helps students pursue interesting investigations while deepening their understanding of familiar topics. Uses the taxicab metric to explore the circle, ellipse, and hyperbola in the plane called TaxiLand. (ASK)

Presents a portfolio assignment giving students an opportunity for creativity in designing their portfolios to demonstrate their progress in the course. Presents examples from student portfolios and outlines portfolio goals. Concludes with student reactions to the class portfolio, information on the grading procedure, and candidate courses for…

Presents a brief definition and examples of residue designs while sharing some of the algebraic thought that a student used to form generalizations about the patterns discovered during the investigations of residue designs. (ASK)

Outlines the discovery of an advanced calculus class based on the generalization of the relationship between the volume of a right circular cone and the volume of a right cylinder with same height and base radius while studying solids of revolution. Relates the course of discovery and concludes with plans to use it to try to generate the same…

Describes how different operations on matrices can be modeled with simple spreadsheets. Presents three activities on this topic. (ASK)

Provides an activity to investigate and construct an inductive proof. Claims that this particular example helps students better understand the nature of inductive reasoning and inductive proofs since the expression can be investigated by spreadsheets or calculators, hypothesized, tested, and modeled, both physically and pictorially, to at least…

Presents selection criteria for teachers to use when reviewing video materials for classroom use. Provides an annotated bibliography. (ASK)

Describes how a researcher used student cooperative-learning teams to contribute test items. Discusses the questions generated by students and concludes that teachers have the flexibility to encourage students to generate and solve their own problems. Also concludes that students have the opportunity to be creative and formulate and pose questions…

Argues that interactive geometry computer software connects visual justification and empirical thinking to higher levels of geometric thinking with logical justification in formal proof. Presents classic geometry activities using The Geometer's Sketchpad interactive software. (ASK)

Presents activities on problem solving, mathematical induction, proof by induction, and use of the phrase "without loss of generality." Provides a computer application illustrating recursive and iterative functions using C language. (ASK)

Presents an activity to introduce the concepts of average rate change and instantaneous rate of change of a function and to explore the relationship between the value of the exponential function and its instantaneous rate of change. (ASK)

Explains how to code and decode messages using Hill ciphers which combine matrix multiplication and modular arithmetic. Discusses how a graphing calculator can facilitate the matrix and modular arithmetic used in the coding and decoding procedures. (ASK)