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ERIC Number: EJ845849
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2005
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1062-9017
EISSN: N/A
How Can Geometry Students Understand What It Means to "Define" in Mathematics?
Herbst, Patricio; Gonzalez, Gloriana; Macke, Michele
Mathematics Educator, v15 n2 p17-24 2005
This article discusses how a teacher can prepare the terrain for students to understand what it means to define a figure. Drawing on writings from mathematicians and mathematics educators on the role of definitions in mathematics, the authors argue that students develop a greater appreciation for the conciseness of a mathematical definition if they are involved in activities of generating figures that meet stipulated properties. The authors illustrate that argument with episodes from students' play of a game called Guess My Quadrilateral! in two high school geometry classes. (Contains 1 figure and 2 footnotes.)
Mathematics Education Student Association, University of Georgia. 105 Aderhold Hall, Athens, GA 30602. Tel: 706-542-4194; Fax: 706-542-4551; e-mail: mesaprez@gmail.com; Web site: http://math.coe.uga.edu/Mesa/MESA.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A