Optimization modeling with spreadsheets

CERN Document Server

Baker, Kenneth R

2015-01-01

An accessible introduction to optimization analysis using spreadsheets Updated and revised, Optimization Modeling with Spreadsheets, Third Edition emphasizes model building skills in optimization analysis. By emphasizing both spreadsheet modeling and optimization tools in the freely available Microsoft® Office Excel® Solver, the book illustrates how to find solutions to real-world optimization problems without needing additional specialized software. The Third Edition includes many practical applications of optimization models as well as a systematic framework that il

Spreadsheet Error Detection: an Empirical Examination in the Context of Greece

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dimitrios Maditinos

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The personal computers era made advanced programming tasks available to end users. Spreadsheet models are one of the most widely used applications that can produce valuable results with minimal training and effort. However, errors contained in most spreadsheets may be catastrophic and difficult to detect. This study attempts to investigate the influence of experience and spreadsheet presentation on the error finding performance by end users. To reach the target of the study, 216 business and finance students participated in a task of finding errors in a simple free cash flow model. The findings of the study reveal that presentation of the spreadsheet is of major importance as far as the error finding performance is concerned, while experience does not seem to affect students on their performance. Further research proposals and limitations of the study are, moreover, discussed.

Declarative Parallel Programming in Spreadsheet End-User Development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Biermann, Florian

2016-01-01

Spreadsheets are first-order functional languages and are widely used in research and industry as a tool to conveniently perform all kinds of computations. Because cells on a spreadsheet are immutable, there are possibilities for implicit parallelization of spreadsheet computations. In this liter...... can directly apply results from functional array programming to a spreadsheet model of computations.......Spreadsheets are first-order functional languages and are widely used in research and industry as a tool to conveniently perform all kinds of computations. Because cells on a spreadsheet are immutable, there are possibilities for implicit parallelization of spreadsheet computations....... In this literature study, we provide an overview of the publications on spreadsheet end-user programming and declarative array programming to inform further research on parallel programming in spreadsheets. Our results show that there is a clear overlap between spreadsheet programming and array programming and we...

DataSpread: Unifying Databases and Spreadsheets.

Science.gov (United States)

Bendre, Mangesh; Sun, Bofan; Zhang, Ding; Zhou, Xinyan; Chang, Kevin ChenChuan; Parameswaran, Aditya

2015-08-01

Spreadsheet software is often the tool of choice for ad-hoc tabular data management, processing, and visualization, especially on tiny data sets. On the other hand, relational database systems offer significant power, expressivity, and efficiency over spreadsheet software for data management, while lacking in the ease of use and ad-hoc analysis capabilities. We demonstrate DataSpread, a data exploration tool that holistically unifies databases and spreadsheets. It continues to offer a Microsoft Excel-based spreadsheet front-end, while in parallel managing all the data in a back-end database, specifically, PostgreSQL. DataSpread retains all the advantages of spreadsheets, including ease of use, ad-hoc analysis and visualization capabilities, and a schema-free nature, while also adding the advantages of traditional relational databases, such as scalability and the ability to use arbitrary SQL to import, filter, or join external or internal tables and have the results appear in the spreadsheet. DataSpread needs to reason about and reconcile differences in the notions of schema, addressing of cells and tuples, and the current "pane" (which exists in spreadsheets but not in traditional databases), and support data modifications at both the front-end and the back-end. Our demonstration will center on our first and early prototype of the DataSpread, and will give the attendees a sense for the enormous data exploration capabilities offered by unifying spreadsheets and databases.

A Literature Review of Spreadsheet Technology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bock, Alexander

2016-01-01

It was estimated that there would be over 55 million end-user programmers in 2012 in many different fields such as engineering,insurance and banking, and the numbers are not expected to have dwindled since. Consequently, technological advancements of spreadsheets is of great interest to a wide...... number of people from different backgrounds. This literature review presents an overview of research on spreadsheet technology, its challenges and its solutions. We also attempt to identify why software developers generally frown upon spreadsheets and how spreadsheet research can help alter this view....

Spreadsheet design and validation for characteristic limits determination in gross alpha and beta measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prado, Rodrigo G.P. do; Dalmazio, Ilza

2013-01-01

The identification and detection of ionizing radiation are essential requisites of radiation protection. Gross alpha and beta measurements are widely applied as a screening method in radiological characterization, environmental monitoring and industrial applications. As in any other analytical technique, test performance depends on the quality of instrumental measurements and reliability of calculations. Characteristic limits refer to three specific statistics, namely, decision threshold, detection limit and confidence interval, which are fundamental to ensuring the quality of determinations. This work describes a way to calculate characteristic limits for measurements of gross alpha and beta activity applying spreadsheets. The approach used for determination of decision threshold, detection limit and limits of the confidence interval, the mathematical expressions of measurands and uncertainty followed standards guidelines. A succinct overview of this approach and examples are presented and spreadsheets were validated using specific software. Furthermore, these spreadsheets could be used as tool to instruct beginner users of methods for ionizing radiation measurements. (author)

Spreadsheet algorithm for stagewise solvent extraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leonard, R.A.; Regalbuto, M.C.

1994-01-01

The material balance and equilibrium equations for solvent extraction processes have been combined with computer spreadsheets in a new way so that models for very complex multicomponent multistage operations can be setup and used easily. A part of the novelty is the way in which the problem is organized in the spreadsheet. In addition, to facilitate spreadsheet setup, a new calculational procedure has been developed. The resulting Spreadsheet Algorithm for Stagewise Solvent Extraction (SASSE) can be used with either IBM or Macintosh personal computers as a simple yet powerful tool for analyzing solvent extraction flowsheets. 22 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs

Implementing function spreadsheets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sestoft, Peter

2008-01-01

: that of turning an expression into a named function. Hence they proposed a way to define a function in terms of a worksheet with designated input and output cells; we shall call it a function sheet. The goal of our work is to develop implementations of function sheets and study their application to realistic...... examples. Therefore, we are also developing a simple yet comprehensive spreadsheet core implementation for experimentation with this technology. Here we report briefly on our experiments with function sheets as well as other uses of our spreadsheet core implementation....

The deductive spreadsheet

CERN Document Server

Cervesato, Iliano

2013-01-01

This book describes recent multidisciplinary research at the confluence of the fields of logic programming, database theory and human-computer interaction. The goal of this effort was to develop the basis of a deductive spreadsheet, a user productivity application that allows users without formal training in computer science to make decisions about generic data in the same simple way they currently use spreadsheets to make decisions about numerical data. The result is an elegant design supported by the most recent developments in the above disciplines.The first half of the book focuses on the

Process mining : spreadsheet-like technology for processes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Der Aalst, W.M.P.

2016-01-01

Spreadsheets can be viewed as a success story. Since the late seventies spreadsheet programs have been installed on the majority of computers and play a role comparable to text editors and databases management systems. Spreadsheets can be used to do anything with numbers, but are unable to handle

Mathematical Modeling and Computational Thinking

Science.gov (United States)

Sanford, John F.; Naidu, Jaideep T.

2017-01-01

The paper argues that mathematical modeling is the essence of computational thinking. Learning a computer language is a valuable assistance in learning logical thinking but of less assistance when learning problem-solving skills. The paper is third in a series and presents some examples of mathematical modeling using spreadsheets at an advanced…

Enron’s Spreadsheets and Related Emails : A Dataset and Analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hermans, F.; Murphy-Hill, E.

2014-01-01

Spreadsheets are used extensively in business processes around the world and as such, a topic of research interest. Over the past few years, many spreadsheet studies have been performed on the EUSES spreadsheet corpus. While this corpus has served the spreadsheet community well, the spreadsheets it

Spreadsheet tool for estimating noise reduction costs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frank, L.; Senden, V.; Leszczynski, Y.

2009-01-01

The Northeast Capital Industrial Association (NCIA) represents industry in Alberta's industrial heartland. The organization is in the process of developing a regional noise management plan (RNMP) for their member companies. The RNMP includes the development of a noise reduction cost spreadsheet tool to conduct reviews of practical noise control treatments available for individual plant equipment, inclusive of ranges of noise attenuation achievable, which produces a budgetary prediction of the installed cost of practical noise control treatments. This paper discussed the noise reduction cost spreadsheet tool, with particular reference to noise control best practices approaches and spreadsheet tool development such as prerequisite, assembling data required, approach, and unit pricing database. Use and optimization of the noise reduction cost spreadsheet tool was also discussed. It was concluded that the noise reduction cost spreadsheet tool is an easy interactive tool to estimate implementation costs related to different strategies and options of noise control mitigating measures and was very helpful in gaining insight for noise control planning purposes. 2 tabs.

Participation of rural Zimbabwean female students in mathematics: The influence of perception

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Gudyanga

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The study was premised on the influence of perceptions on the participation of Ordinary Level rural African Zimbabwean female students in mathematics. Qualitative research design grounded in the interpretive paradigm was employed. Eighteen Ordinary Level female students and six teachers purposively selected from three rural co-educational secondary schools participated in the study. Data were generated through lesson observations and semi-structured question type interview guide. Findings revealed that rural female students perceived mathematics as a difficult subject, masculine and irrelevant to their future aspirations. Participants outlined that their perceptions were rooted in the prevailing cultural belief that mathematics is a masculine subject and negative stereotypes about girls’ maths abilities. Further findings indicate that female students’ participation in mathematics was highly influenced by their perception towards the subject. These perceptions result in the development of a general negative attitude to the subject that caused fewer female students to participate in mathematics in large numbers. We recommended parents and teachers to work hard to eliminate the negative gender and cultural stereotypes in order to enhance female students’ confidence in mathematics abilities. Schools should employ female mathematics teachers and expose female students to female role models who have succeeded in life in order to encourage more participation of female students in mathematics. Schools are made responsible for smoothing out difficulties generated by the prevailing culture. There is a gap in knowledge base pertaining to the Zimbabwean rural girls’ participation in Mathematics.

INVARIANT PRACTICAL TASKS FOR WORK WITH ELECTRONIC SPREADSHEETS AT THE SECONDARY SCHOOL

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Л И Карташова

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In article examples of practical jobs on creation and editing electronic spreadsheets for pupils of the main school are given. For fixing of knowledge and abilities of pupils on formatting of cells they are offered to create, for example, in the plate processor the table and to make its formatting on a sample which shall be brought to the computer monitor, is printed on a color printer and is laid out on the local area network in the form of the image. In the course of assimilation of data types jobs for determination and the explanation of data types to which different strings belong are offered school students. For assimilation of features of record of formulas school students are offered to write different mathematical expressions in the look suitable for use in electronic spreadsheets.Jobs reflect fundamental invariant approach to implementation of technology of operation with electronic spreadsheets as don’t depend on specific versions of computer programs. The provided jobs can be used in case of study of any plate processors. In training activity on the basis of use of invariant jobs there is a mastering the generalized methods of activities to numerical information that will allow to create a system view on use of information technologies and to consciously apply them to the solution of tasks.

Supporting professional spreadsheet users by generating leveled dataflow diagrams

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hermans, F.; Pinzger, M.; Van Deursen, A.

2010-01-01

Thanks to their flexibility and intuitive programming model, spreadsheets are widely used in industry, often for businesscritical applications. Similar to software developers, professional spreadsheet users demand support for maintaining and transferring their spreadsheets. In this paper, we first

Enron versus EUSES : A comparison of two spreadsheet corpora

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jansen, B.

2015-01-01

Spreadsheets are widely used within companies and often form the basis for business decisions. Numerous cases are known where incorrect information in spreadsheets lead to incorrect decisions. Such cases underline the relevance of research on the professional use of spreadsheets. Recently a new

Lens Ray Diagrams with a Spreadsheet

Science.gov (United States)

González, Manuel I.

2018-01-01

Physicists create spreadsheets customarily to carry out numerical calculations and to display their results in a meaningful, nice-looking way. Spreadsheets can also be used to display a vivid geometrical model of a physical system. This statement is illustrated with an example taken from geometrical optics: images formed by a thin lens. A careful…

Reconsidering the Rise in A-Level Mathematics Participation

Science.gov (United States)

Noyes, Andrew; Adkins, Michael

2016-01-01

There is growing support for making the study of mathematics to the age of 18 years compulsory for all young people in England. This article aims to inform this debate through new insights into historic A-Level Mathematics participation trends. We analyse full-year cohorts of 16-year-old students from the Department for Education's National Pupil…

On the Numerical Accuracy of Spreadsheets

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Alejandro C. Frery

2010-10-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses the numerical precision of five spreadsheets (Calc, Excel, Gnumeric, NeoOffice and Oleo running on two hardware platforms (i386 and amd64 and on three operating systems (Windows Vista, Ubuntu Intrepid and Mac OS Leopard. The methodology consists of checking the number of correct significant digits returned by each spreadsheet when computing the sample mean, standard deviation, first-order autocorrelation, F statistic in ANOVA tests, linear and nonlinear regression and distribution functions. A discussion about the algorithms for pseudorandom number generation provided by these platforms is also conducted. We conclude that there is no safe choice among the spreadsheets here assessed: they all fail in nonlinear regression and they are not suited for Monte Carlo experiments.

Toolkits for nuclear science. Data and spreadsheets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindstrom, R.M.

2006-01-01

In the past decade, the combination of readily accessible, reliable data in electronic form with well-tested spreadsheet programs has changed the approach to experiment planning and computation of results. This has led to a flowering of software applications based on spreadsheets, mostly written by scientists, not by professional programmers trained in numerical methods. Formal quality systems increasingly call for verified computational methods and reference data as part of the analytical process, a demand that is difficult to meet with most spreadsheets. Examples are given of utilities used in our laboratory, with suggestions for verification and quality maintenance. (author)

Spreadsheet Design: An Optimal Checklist for Accountants

Science.gov (United States)

Barnes, Jeffrey N.; Tufte, David; Christensen, David

2009-01-01

Just as good grammar, punctuation, style, and content organization are important to well-written documents, basic fundamentals of spreadsheet design are essential to clear communication. In fact, the very principles of good writing should be integrated into spreadsheet workpaper design and organization. The unique contributions of this paper are…

Rewriting High-Level Spreadsheet Structures into Higher-Order Functional Programs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Biermann, Florian; Dou, Wensheng; Sestoft, Peter

2017-01-01

Spreadsheets are used heavily in industry and academia. Often, spreadsheet models are developed for years and their complexity grows vastly beyond what the paradigm was originally conceived for. Such complexity often comes at the cost of recalculation performance. However, spreadsheet models...

Mathematical modelling in economic processes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L.V. Kravtsova

2008-06-01

Full Text Available In article are considered a number of methods of mathematical modelling of economic processes and opportunities of use of spreadsheets Excel for reception of the optimum decision of tasks or calculation of financial operations with the help of the built-in functions.

Uncovering Hidden Mathematics of the Multiplication Table Using Spreadsheets

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Sergei Abramovich

2007-05-01

Full Text Available This paper reveals a number of learning activities emerging from a spreadsheetgenerated multiplication table. These activities are made possible by using such features of the software as conditional formatting, circular referencing, calculation through iteration, scroll bars, and graphing. The paper is a reflection on a mathematics content course designed for prospective elementary teachers using the hidden mathematics curriculum framework. It is written in support of standards for teaching and recommendations for teachers in North America.

Spreadsheets in the Cloud { Not Ready Yet

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bruce D. McCullogh

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Cloud computing is a relatively new technology that facilitates collaborative creation and modification of documents over the internet in real time. Here we provide an introductory assessment of the available statistical functions in three leading cloud spreadsheets namely Google Spreadsheet, Microsoft Excel Web App, and Zoho Sheet. Our results show that the developers of cloud-based spreadsheets are not performing basic quality control, resulting in statistical computations that are misleading and erroneous. Moreover, the developers do not provide sufficient information regarding the software and the hardware, which can change at any time without notice. Indeed, rerunning the tests after several months we obtained different and sometimes worsened results.

Designing Spreadsheet-Based Tasks for Purposeful Algebra

Science.gov (United States)

Ainley, Janet; Bills, Liz; Wilson, Kirsty

2005-01-01

We describe the design of a sequence of spreadsheet-based pedagogic tasks for the introduction of algebra in the early years of secondary schooling within the Purposeful Algebraic Activity project. This design combines two relatively novel features to bring a different perspective to research in the use of spreadsheets for the learning and…

LICSS - a chemical spreadsheet in microsoft excel.

Science.gov (United States)

Lawson, Kevin R; Lawson, Jonty

2012-02-02

Representations of chemical datasets in spreadsheet format are important for ready data assimilation and manipulation. In addition to the normal spreadsheet facilities, chemical spreadsheets need to have visualisable chemical structures and data searchable by chemical as well as textual queries. Many such chemical spreadsheet tools are available, some operating in the familiar Microsoft Excel environment. However, within this group, the performance of Excel is often compromised, particularly in terms of the number of compounds which can usefully be stored on a sheet. LICSS is a lightweight chemical spreadsheet within Microsoft Excel for Windows. LICSS stores structures solely as Smiles strings. Chemical operations are carried out by calling Java code modules which use the CDK, JChemPaint and OPSIN libraries to provide cheminformatics functionality. Compounds in sheets or charts may be visualised (individually or en masse), and sheets may be searched by substructure or similarity. All the molecular descriptors available in CDK may be calculated for compounds (in batch or on-the-fly), and various cheminformatic operations such as fingerprint calculation, Sammon mapping, clustering and R group table creation may be carried out.We detail here the features of LICSS and how they are implemented. We also explain the design criteria, particularly in terms of potential corporate use, which led to this particular implementation. LICSS is an Excel-based chemical spreadsheet with a difference:• It can usefully be used on sheets containing hundreds of thousands of compounds; it doesn't compromise the normal performance of Microsoft Excel• It is designed to be installed and run in environments in which users do not have admin privileges; installation involves merely file copying, and sharing of LICSS sheets invokes automatic installation• It is free and extensibleLICSS is open source software and we hope sufficient detail is provided here to enable developers to add their

Spreadsheet Modeling of Electron Distributions in Solids

Science.gov (United States)

Glassy, Wingfield V.

2006-01-01

A series of spreadsheet modeling exercises constructed as part of a new upper-level elective course on solid state materials and surface chemistry is described. The spreadsheet exercises are developed to provide students with the opportunity to interact with the conceptual framework where the role of the density of states and the Fermi-Dirac…

Using Spreadsheets to Produce Acid-Base Titration Curves.

Science.gov (United States)

Cawley, Martin James; Parkinson, John

1995-01-01

Describes two spreadsheets for producing acid-base titration curves, one uses relatively simple cell formulae that can be written into the spreadsheet by inexperienced students and the second uses more complex formulae that are best written by the teacher. (JRH)

Mitigating Spreadsheet Model Risk with Python Open Source Infrastructure

OpenAIRE

Beavers, Oliver

2018-01-01

Across an aggregation of EuSpRIG presentation papers, two maxims hold true: spreadsheets models are akin to software, yet spreadsheet developers are not software engineers. As such, the lack of traditional software engineering tools and protocols invites a higher rate of error in the end result. This paper lays ground work for spreadsheet modelling professionals to develop reproducible audit tools using freely available, open source packages built with the Python programming language, enablin...

3D Graphics with Spreadsheets

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Jan Benacka

2009-06-01

Full Text Available In the article, the formulas for orthographic parallel projection of 3D bodies on computer screen are derived using secondary school vector algebra. The spreadsheet implementation is demonstrated in six applications that project bodies with increasing intricacy – a convex body (cube with non-solved visibility, convex bodies (cube, chapel with solved visibility, a coloured convex body (chapel with solved visibility, and a coloured non-convex body (church with solved visibility. The projections are revolvable in horizontal and vertical plane, and they are changeable in size. The examples show an unusual way of using spreadsheets as a 3D computer graphics tool. The applications can serve as a simple introduction to the general principles of computer graphics, to the graphics with spreadsheets, and as a tool for exercising stereoscopic vision. The presented approach is usable at visualising 3D scenes within some topics of secondary school curricula as solid geometry (angles and distances of lines and planes within simple bodies or analytic geometry in space (angles and distances of lines and planes in E3, and even at university level within calculus at visualising graphs of z = f(x,y functions. Examples are pictured.

On the use of a standard spreadsheet to model physical systems in school teaching*

Science.gov (United States)

Quale, Andreas

2012-05-01

In the teaching of physics at upper secondary school level (K10-K12), the students are generally taught to solve problems analytically, i.e. using the dynamics describing a system (typically in the form of differential equations) to compute its evolution in time, e.g. the motion of a body along a straight line or in a plane. This reduces the scope of problems, i.e. the kind of problems that are within students' capabilities. To make the tasks mathematically solvable, one is restricted to very idealized situations; more realistic problems are too difficult (or even impossible) to handle analytically with the mathematical abilities that may be expected from students at this level. For instance, ordinary ballistic trajectories under the action of gravity, when air resistance is included, have been 'out of reach'; in school textbooks such trajectories are generally assumed to take place in a vacuum. Another example is that according to Newton's law of universal gravitation satellites will in general move around a large central body in elliptical orbits, but the students can only deal with the special case where the orbit is circular, thus precluding (for example) a verification and discussion of Kepler's laws. It is shown that standard spreadsheet software offers a tool that can handle many such realistic situations in a uniform way, and display the results both numerically and graphically on a computer screen, quite independently of whether the formal description of the physical system itself is 'mathematically tractable'. The method employed, which is readily accessible to high school students, is to perform a numerical integration of the equations of motion, exploiting the spreadsheet's capability of successive iterations. The software is used to model and study motion of bodies in external force fields; specifically, ballistic trajectories in a homogeneous gravity field with air resistance and satellite motion in a centrally symmetric gravitational field. The

Gender and participation in mathematics and further mathematics A-levels: a literature review for the Further Mathematics Support Programme

OpenAIRE

Smith, Cathy

2014-01-01

In preparing this report I have considered evidence from over 60 documents that relate to raising girls’ participation in mathematics. These include published research papers and reports compiled by expert bodies that present an evidence base. Although research specifically addressing Further Mathematics A-level is rare, the last ten years have seen considerable efforts to synthesise and update knowledge from different research perspectives about the relationship between gender...

The governance of risk arising from the use of spreadsheets in organisations

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Tessa Minter

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The key to maximising the effectiveness of spreadsheet models for critical decision making is appropriate risk governance. Those responsible for governance need, at a macro level, to identify the specific spreadsheet risks, determine the reasons for such exposures and establish where and when risk exposures occur from point of initiation to usage and storage. It is essential to identify which parties could create the exposure taking cognisance of the entire supply chain of the organisation. If management’s risk strategy is to control the risks then the question reverts to how these risks can be prevented and/or detected and corrected? This paper attempts to address each of these critical issues and to offer guidance in the governance of spreadsheet risk. The paper identifies the the risk exposures and sets out the responsibilities of directors in relation to spreadsheets and the spreadsheet cycle. Spreadsheet risk exposure can be managed in terms of setting the control environment, undertaking risk assessment, providing the requisite information and communicating with internal and external parties as well as implementing spreadsheet lifecycle application controls and monitoring activities

Noticing Children's Participation: Insights into Teacher Positionality toward Equitable Mathematics Pedagogy

Science.gov (United States)

Wager, Anita A.

2014-01-01

This article describes how teachers in a professional development course responded to what they noticed about children's participation in elementary mathematics classrooms and how what they noticed was connected to the teachers' positionality toward equitable mathematics pedagogy. Findings suggest that a lens of participation supported…

Spread-sheet application to classify radioactive material for shipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, A.N.

1998-01-01

A spread-sheet application has been developed at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory to aid the shipper when classifying nuclide mixtures of normal form, radioactive materials. The results generated by this spread-sheet are used to confirm the proper US DOT classification when offering radioactive material packages for transport. The user must input to the spread-sheet the mass of the material being classified, the physical form (liquid or not) and the activity of each regulated nuclide. The spread-sheet uses these inputs to calculate two general values: 1)the specific activity of the material and a summation calculation of the nuclide content. The specific activity is used to determine if the material exceeds the DOT minimal threshold for a radioactive material. If the material is calculated to be radioactive, the specific activity is also used to determine if the material meets the activity requirement for one of the three low specific activity designations (LSA-I, LSA-II, LSA-III, or not LSA). Again, if the material is calculated to be radioactive, the summation calculation is then used to determine which activity category the material will meet (Limited Quantity, Type A, Type B, or Highway Route Controlled Quantity). This spread-sheet has proven to be an invaluable aid for shippers of radioactive materials at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. (authors)

Integrating numerical computation into the undergraduate education physics curriculum using spreadsheet excel

Science.gov (United States)

Fauzi, Ahmad

2017-11-01

Numerical computation has many pedagogical advantages: it develops analytical skills and problem-solving skills, helps to learn through visualization, and enhances physics education. Unfortunately, numerical computation is not taught to undergraduate education physics students in Indonesia. Incorporate numerical computation into the undergraduate education physics curriculum presents many challenges. The main challenges are the dense curriculum that makes difficult to put new numerical computation course and most students have no programming experience. In this research, we used case study to review how to integrate numerical computation into undergraduate education physics curriculum. The participants of this research were 54 students of the fourth semester of physics education department. As a result, we concluded that numerical computation could be integrated into undergraduate education physics curriculum using spreadsheet excel combined with another course. The results of this research become complements of the study on how to integrate numerical computation in learning physics using spreadsheet excel.

Spreadsheet software to assess locomotor disability to quantify permanent physical impairment

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Sunderraj Ellur

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Context: Assessment of physical disability is an important duty of a plastic surgeon especially for those of us who are in an institutional practice. Aim: The Gazette of India notification gives a guideline regarding the assessment of the disability. However, the calculations as per the guidelines are time consuming. In this article, a spreadsheet program which is based on the notification is presented. The aim of this article is to design a spreadsheet program which is simple, reproducible, user friendly, less time consuming and accurate. Materials and Methods: This spreadsheet program was designed using the Microsoft Excel. The spreadsheet program was designed on the basis of the guidelines in the Gazette of India Notification regarding the assessment of Locomotor Disability to Quantify Permanent Physical Impairment. Two representative examples are presented to help understand the application of this program. Results: Two spreadsheet programs, one for upper limb and another for the lower limb are presented. The representative examples show the accuracy of the program to match the results of the traditional method of calculation. Conclusion: A simple spreadsheet program can be designed to assess disability as per the Gazette of India Notification. This program is easy to use and is accurate.

Spreadsheets as tools for statistical computing and statistics education

OpenAIRE

Neuwirth, Erich

2000-01-01

Spreadsheets are an ubiquitous program category, and we will discuss their use in statistics and statistics education on various levels, ranging from very basic examples to extremely powerful methods. Since the spreadsheet paradigm is very familiar to many potential users, using it as the interface to statistical methods can make statistics more easily accessible.

Using the Talbot_Lau_interferometer_parameters Spreadsheet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kallman, Jeffrey S. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2015-06-04

Talbot-Lau interferometers allow incoherent X-ray sources to be used for phase contrast imaging. A spreadsheet for exploring the parameter space of Talbot and Talbot-Lau interferometers has been assembled. This spreadsheet allows the user to examine the consequences of choosing phase grating pitch, source energy, and source location on the overall geometry of a Talbot or Talbot-Lau X-ray interferometer. For the X-ray energies required to penetrate scanned luggage the spacing between gratings is large enough that the mechanical tolerances for amplitude grating positioning are unlikely to be met.

Spreadsheet application to classify radioactive material for shipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, A.N.

1997-12-01

A spreadsheet application has been developed at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory to aid the shipper when classifying nuclide mixtures of normal form, radioactive materials. The results generated by this spreadsheet are used to confirm the proper US Department of Transportation (DOT) classification when offering radioactive material packages for transport. The user must input to the spreadsheet the mass of the material being classified, the physical form (liquid or not), and the activity of each regulated nuclide. The spreadsheet uses these inputs to calculate two general values: (1) the specific activity of the material, and (2) a summation calculation of the nuclide content. The specific activity is used to determine if the material exceeds the DOT minimal threshold for a radioactive material (Yes or No). If the material is calculated to be radioactive, the specific activity is also used to determine if the material meets the activity requirement for one of the three Low Specific Activity designations (LSA-I, LSA-II, LSA-III, or Not LSA). Again, if the material is calculated to be radioactive, the summation calculation is then used to determine which activity category the material will meet (Limited Quantity, Type A, Type B, or Highway Route Controlled Quantity)

Cutting solid figures by plane - analytical solution and spreadsheet implementation

Science.gov (United States)

Benacka, Jan

2012-07-01

In some secondary mathematics curricula, there is a topic called Stereometry that deals with investigating the position and finding the intersection, angle, and distance of lines and planes defined within a prism or pyramid. Coordinate system is not used. The metric tasks are solved using Pythagoras' theorem, trigonometric functions, and sine and cosine rules. The basic problem is to find the section of the figure by a plane that is defined by three points related to the figure. In this article, a formula is derived that gives the positions of the intersection points of such a plane and the figure edges, that is, the vertices of the section polygon. Spreadsheet implementations of the formula for cuboid and right rectangular pyramids are presented. The user can check his/her graphical solution, or proceed if he/she is not able to complete the section.

Using spreadsheet modelling to teach about feedback in physics

Science.gov (United States)

Lingard, Michael

2003-09-01

This article looks generally at spreadsheet modelling of feedback situations. It has several benefits as a teaching tool. Additionally, a consideration of the limitations of calculating at many discrete points can lead, at A-level, to an appreciation of the need for the calculus. Feedback situations can be used to introduce the idea of differential equations. Microsoft ExcelTM is the spreadsheet used.

Use of Wingz spreadsheet as an interface to total-system performance assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chambers, W.F.; Treadway, A.H.

1992-01-01

A commercial spreadsheet has been used as an interface to a set of simple models to simulate possible nominal flow and failure scenarios at the potential high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Individual models coded in FORTRAN are linked to the spreadsheet. Complementary cumulative probability distribution functions resulting from the models are plotted through scripts associated with the spreadsheet. All codes are maintained under a source code control system for quality assurance. The spreadsheet and the simple models can be run on workstations, PCs, and Macintoshes. The software system is designed so that the FORTRAN codes can be run on several machines if a network environment is available

Excel Spreadsheets for Algebra: Improving Mental Modeling for Problem Solving

Science.gov (United States)

Engerman, Jason; Rusek, Matthew; Clariana, Roy

2014-01-01

This experiment investigates the effectiveness of Excel spreadsheets in a high school algebra class. Students in the experiment group convincingly outperformed the control group on a post lesson assessment. The student responses, teacher observations involving Excel spreadsheet revealed that it operated as a mindtool, which formed the users'…

English Learners' Participation in Mathematical Discussion: Shifting Positionings and Dynamic Identities

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, Erin; Dominguez, Higinio; Maldonado, Luz; Empson, Susan

2013-01-01

This study investigated discursive positioning moves that facilitated Latino/a English learners' (ELs) opportunities to take on agentive problem-solving roles in group mathematical discussion. A focus on mechanisms that support students' agentive participation is consistent with the authors' view that recurrent experiences participating and being…

Simple Functions Spreadsheet tool presentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grive, Mireia; Domenech, Cristina; Montoya, Vanessa; Garcia, David; Duro, Lara

2010-09-01

This document is a guide for users of the Simple Functions Spreadsheet tool. The Simple Functions Spreadsheet tool has been developed by Amphos 21 to determine the solubility limits of some radionuclides and it has been especially designed for Performance Assessment exercises. The development of this tool has been promoted by the necessity expressed by SKB of having a confident and easy-to-handle tool to calculate solubility limits in an agile and relatively fast manner. Its development started in 2005 and since then, it has been improved until the current version. This document describes the accurate and preliminary study following expert criteria that has been used to select the simplified aqueous speciation and solid phase system included in the tool. This report also gives the basic instructions to use this tool and to interpret its results. Finally, this document also reports the different validation tests and sensitivity analyses that have been done during the verification process

How Helpful Are Error Management and Counterfactual Thinking Instructions to Inexperienced Spreadsheet Users' Training Task Performance?

Science.gov (United States)

Caputi, Peter; Chan, Amy; Jayasuriya, Rohan

2011-01-01

This paper examined the impact of training strategies on the types of errors that novice users make when learning a commonly used spreadsheet application. Fifty participants were assigned to a counterfactual thinking training (CFT) strategy, an error management training strategy, or a combination of both strategies, and completed an easy task…

Development of Spreadsheet-Based Integrated Transaction Processing Systems and Financial Reporting Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Ariana, I. M.; Bagiada, I. M.

2018-01-01

Development of spreadsheet-based integrated transaction processing systems and financial reporting systems is intended to optimize the capabilities of spreadsheet in accounting data processing. The purpose of this study are: 1) to describe the spreadsheet-based integrated transaction processing systems and financial reporting systems; 2) to test its technical and operational feasibility. This study type is research and development. The main steps of study are: 1) needs analysis (need assessment); 2) developing spreadsheet-based integrated transaction processing systems and financial reporting systems; and 3) testing the feasibility of spreadsheet-based integrated transaction processing systems and financial reporting systems. The technical feasibility include the ability of hardware and operating systems to respond the application of accounting, simplicity and ease of use. Operational feasibility include the ability of users using accounting applications, the ability of accounting applications to produce information, and control applications of the accounting applications. The instrument used to assess the technical and operational feasibility of the systems is the expert perception questionnaire. The instrument uses 4 Likert scale, from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). Data were analyzed using percentage analysis by comparing the number of answers within one (1) item by the number of ideal answer within one (1) item. Spreadsheet-based integrated transaction processing systems and financial reporting systems integrate sales, purchases, and cash transaction processing systems to produce financial reports (statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income, statement of changes in equity, statement of financial position, and statement of cash flows) and other reports. Spreadsheet-based integrated transaction processing systems and financial reporting systems is feasible from the technical aspects (87.50%) and operational aspects (84.17%).

Methodology for the National Water Savings Model and Spreadsheet Tool Commercial/Institutional

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chan, Peter [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Long, Tim [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Williams, Alison [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Melody, Moya [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2012-01-01

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) has developed a mathematical model to quantify the water and monetary savings attributable to the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) WaterSense labeling program for commercial and institutional products. The National Water Savings–Commercial/Institutional (NWS-CI) model is a spreadsheet tool with which the EPA can evaluate the success of its program for encouraging buyers in the commercial and institutional (CI) sectors to purchase more water-efficient products. WaterSense has begun by focusing on three water-using products commonly used in the CI sectors: flushometer valve toilets, urinals, and pre-rinse spray valves. To estimate the savings attributable to WaterSense for each of the three products, LBNL applies an accounting method to national product shipments and lifetimes to estimate the shipments of each product.

Applying the CobiT Control Framework to Spreadsheet Developments

OpenAIRE

Butler, Raymond J.

2008-01-01

One of the problems reported by researchers and auditors in the field of spreadsheet risks is that of getting and keeping managements attention to the problem. Since 1996, the Information Systems Audit & Control Foundation and the IT Governance Institute have published CobiT which brings mainstream IT control issues into the corporate governance arena. This paper illustrates how spreadsheet risk and control issues can be mapped onto the CobiT framework and thus brought to managers attention i...

Raising girls’ participation in A-level mathematics: initial findings from ‘good practice’ case studies

OpenAIRE

Smith, C.; Golding, J.

2015-01-01

Fewer girls than boys in England participate in post-compulsory mathematics and the recent increase in popularity of Mathematics and Further Mathematics (FM) at age 16 has not changed the gender balance. Previous studies have shown the significance to girls of their mathematics lessons and teachers, of discursive co-constructions of masculinity and mathematics, of the range of careers associated with mathematics and science, and family ‘science capital’. This study identifie...

Pre-service mathematics teachers' learning and teaching of activity-based lessons supported with spreadsheets

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Agyei, D.D.; Voogt, Joke; Resta, P.

2012-01-01

Mathematics education research has shown that too few students have adequate mathematics comprehension or problem-solving skills. To make up for this lapse in student outcomes, mathematics teachers should be among the most enthusiastic in seeking to maximize technologies’ potential to develop

Spreadsheet analysis of gamma spectra for nuclear material measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mosby, W.R.; Pace, D.M.

1990-01-01

A widely available commercial spreadsheet package for personal computers is used to calculate gamma spectra peak areas using both region of interest and peak fitting methods. The gamma peak areas obtained are used for uranium enrichment assays and for isotopic analyses of mixtures of transuranics. The use of spreadsheet software with an internal processing language allows automation of routine analysis procedures increasing ease of use and reducing processing errors while providing great flexibility in addressing unusual measurement problems. 4 refs., 9 figs

Spreadsheet based analysis of Mössbauer spectra

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gunnlaugsson, H. P., E-mail: haraldur.p.gunnlaugsson@cern.ch [CERN, PH Div (Switzerland)

2016-12-15

Using spreadsheet programs to analyse spectral data opens up new possibilities in data analysis. The spreadsheet program contains all the functionality needed for graphical support, fitting and post processing of the results. Unconventional restrictions between fitting parameters can be set up freely, and simultaneous analysis i.e. analysis of many spectra simultaneously in terms of model parameters is straightforward. The free program package Vinda – used for analysing Mössbauer spectra – is described. The package contains support for reading data, calibration, and common functions of particular importance for Mössbauer spectroscopy (f-factors, second order Doppler shift etc.). Methods to create spectral series and support for error analysis is included. Different types of fitting models are included, ranging from simple Lorentzian models to complex distribution models.

A simple model of hysteresis behavior using spreadsheet analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Ehrmann, A.; Blachowicz, T.

2015-01-01

Hysteresis loops occur in many scientific and technical problems, especially as field dependent magnetization of ferromagnetic materials, but also as stress-strain-curves of materials measured by tensile tests including thermal effects, liquid-solid phase transitions, in cell biology or economics. While several mathematical models exist which aim to calculate hysteresis energies and other parameters, here we offer a simple model for a general hysteretic system, showing different hysteresis loops depending on the defined parameters. The calculation which is based on basic spreadsheet analysis plus an easy macro code can be used by students to understand how these systems work and how the parameters influence the reactions of the system on an external field. Importantly, in the step-by-step mode, each change of the system state, compared to the last step, becomes visible. The simple program can be developed further by several changes and additions, enabling the building of a tool which is capable of answering real physical questions in the broad field of magnetism as well as in other scientific areas, in which similar hysteresis loops occur.

A simple model of hysteresis behavior using spreadsheet analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ehrmann, A; Blachowicz, T

2015-01-01

Hysteresis loops occur in many scientific and technical problems, especially as field dependent magnetization of ferromagnetic materials, but also as stress-strain-curves of materials measured by tensile tests including thermal effects, liquid-solid phase transitions, in cell biology or economics. While several mathematical models exist which aim to calculate hysteresis energies and other parameters, here we offer a simple model for a general hysteretic system, showing different hysteresis loops depending on the defined parameters. The calculation which is based on basic spreadsheet analysis plus an easy macro code can be used by students to understand how these systems work and how the parameters influence the reactions of the system on an external field. Importantly, in the step-by-step mode, each change of the system state, compared to the last step, becomes visible. The simple program can be developed further by several changes and additions, enabling the building of a tool which is capable of answering real physical questions in the broad field of magnetism as well as in other scientific areas, in which similar hysteresis loops occur

The FAO/IAEA interactive spreadsheet for design and operation of insect mass rearing facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caceres, Carlos; Rendon, Pedro

2006-01-01

An electronic spreadsheet is described which helps users to design, equip and operate facilities for the mass rearing of insects for use in insect pest control programmes integrating the sterile insect technique. The spreadsheet was designed based on experience accumulated in the mass rearing of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), using genetic sexing strains based on a temperature sensitive lethal (tsl) mutation. The spreadsheet takes into account the biological, production, and quality control parameters of the species to be mass reared, as well as the diets and equipment required. All this information is incorporated into the spreadsheet for user-friendly calculation of the main components involved in facility design and operation. Outputs of the spreadsheet include size of the different rearing areas, rearing equipment, volumes of diet ingredients, other consumables, as well as personnel requirements. By adding cost factors to these components, the spreadsheet can estimate the costs of facility construction, equipment, and operation. All the output parameters can be easily generated by simply entering the target number of sterile insects required per week. For other insect species, the biological and production characteristics need to be defined and inputted accordingly to obtain outputs relevant to these species. This spreadsheet, available under http://www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/ipc/index.html, is a powerful tool for project and facility managers as it can be used to estimate facility cost, production cost, and production projections under different rearing efficiency scenarios. (author)

The FAO/IAEA interactive spreadsheet for design and operation of insect mass rearing facilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Caceres, Carlos, E-mail: carlos.e.caceres@aphis.usda.co [International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Seibersdorf (Austria). Agency' s Labs. Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture; Rendon, Pedro [U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA/APHIS/CPHST), Guatemala City (Guatemala). Animal and Plant Health Inspection. Center for Plant Health Science and Technology

2006-07-01

An electronic spreadsheet is described which helps users to design, equip and operate facilities for the mass rearing of insects for use in insect pest control programmes integrating the sterile insect technique. The spreadsheet was designed based on experience accumulated in the mass rearing of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), using genetic sexing strains based on a temperature sensitive lethal (tsl) mutation. The spreadsheet takes into account the biological, production, and quality control parameters of the species to be mass reared, as well as the diets and equipment required. All this information is incorporated into the spreadsheet for user-friendly calculation of the main components involved in facility design and operation. Outputs of the spreadsheet include size of the different rearing areas, rearing equipment, volumes of diet ingredients, other consumables, as well as personnel requirements. By adding cost factors to these components, the spreadsheet can estimate the costs of facility construction, equipment, and operation. All the output parameters can be easily generated by simply entering the target number of sterile insects required per week. For other insect species, the biological and production characteristics need to be defined and inputted accordingly to obtain outputs relevant to these species. This spreadsheet, available under http://www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/ipc/index.html, is a powerful tool for project and facility managers as it can be used to estimate facility cost, production cost, and production projections under different rearing efficiency scenarios. (author)

Electronic spreadsheet vs. manual payroll.

Science.gov (United States)

Kiley, M M

1991-01-01

Medical groups with direct employees must employ someone or contract with a company to compute payroll, writes Michael Kiley, Ph.D., M.P.H. However, many medical groups, including small ones, own a personal or minicomputer to handle accounts receivable. Kiley explains, in detail, how this same computer and a spreadsheet program also can be used to perform payroll functions.

Illustrating Probability through Roulette: A Spreadsheet Simulation Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kala Chand Seal

2005-11-01

Full Text Available Teaching probability can be challenging because the mathematical formulas often are too abstract and complex for the students to fully grasp the underlying meaning and effect of the concepts. Games can provide a way to address this issue. For example, the game of roulette can be an exciting application for teaching probability concepts. In this paper, we implement a model of roulette in a spreadsheet that can simulate outcomes of various betting strategies. The simulations can be analyzed to gain better insights into the corresponding probability structures. We use the model to simulate a particular betting strategy known as the bet-doubling, or Martingale, strategy. This strategy is quite popular and is often erroneously perceived as a winning strategy even though the probability analysis shows that such a perception is incorrect. The simulation allows us to present the true implications of such a strategy for a player with a limited betting budget and relate the results to the underlying theoretical probability structure. The overall validation of the model, its use for teaching, including its application to analyze other types of betting strategies are discussed.

Information Spreadsheet for Engines and Vehicles Compliance Information System (EV-CIS) User Registration

Science.gov (United States)

In this spreadsheet, user(s) provide their company’s manufacturer code, user contact information for EV-CIS, and user roles. This spreadsheet is used for the Company Authorizing Official (CAO), CROMERR Signer, and EV-CIS Submitters.

18 excel spreadsheets by species and year giving reproduction and growth data. One excel spreadsheet of herbicide treatment chemistry.

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Excel spreadsheets by species (4 letter code is abbreviation for genus and species used in study, year 2010 or 2011 is year data collected, SH indicates data for...

Girls' Participation in Post-16 Mathematics: A View from Pupils in Wales

Science.gov (United States)

Cann, Rosemary

2009-01-01

A number of studies have highlighted that anxiety, confidence and enjoyment are influential factors on students' participation in mathematics, and in particular girls' participation. This paper, based upon data collected as part of a PhD thesis, examines the effect of these influences on pupil choices within different types of secondary schools in…

Computerized cost estimation spreadsheet and cost data base for fusion devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamilton, W.R.; Rothe, K.E.

1985-01-01

An automated approach to performing and cataloging cost estimates has been developed at the Fusion Engineering Design Center (FEDC), wherein the cost estimate record is stored in the LOTUS 1-2-3 spreadsheet on an IBM personal computer. The cost estimation spreadsheet is based on the cost coefficient/cost algorithm approach and incorporates a detailed generic code of cost accounts for both tokamak and tandem mirror devices. Component design parameters (weight, surface area, etc.) and cost factors are input, and direct and indirect costs are calculated. The cost data base file derived from actual cost experience within the fusion community and refined to be compatible with the spreadsheet costing approach is a catalog of cost coefficients, algorithms, and component costs arranged into data modules corresponding to specific components and/or subsystems. Each data module contains engineering, equipment, and installation labor cost data for different configurations and types of the specific component or subsystem. This paper describes the assumptions, definitions, methodology, and architecture incorporated in the development of the cost estimation spreadsheet and cost data base, along with the type of input required and the output format

When Spreadsheets Become Software - Quality Control Challenges and Approaches - 13360

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fountain, Stefanie A.; Chen, Emmie G.; Beech, John F.; Wyatt, Elizabeth E.; Quinn, Tanya B.; Seifert, Robert W.; Bonczek, Richard R.

2013-01-01

As part of a preliminary waste acceptance criteria (PWAC) development, several commercial models were employed, including the Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance model (HELP) [1], the Disposal Unit Source Term - Multiple Species model (DUSTMS) [2], and the Analytical Transient One, Two, and Three-Dimensional model (AT123D) [3]. The results of these models were post-processed in MS Excel spreadsheets to convert the model results to alternate units, compare the groundwater concentrations to the groundwater concentration thresholds, and then to adjust the waste contaminant masses (based on average concentration over the waste volume) as needed in an attempt to achieve groundwater concentrations at the limiting point of assessment that would meet the compliance concentrations while maximizing the potential use of the landfill (i.e., maximizing the volume of projected waste being generated that could be placed in the landfill). During the course of the PWAC calculation development, one of the Microsoft (MS) Excel spreadsheets used to post-process the results of the commercial model packages grew to include more than 575,000 formulas across 18 worksheets. This spreadsheet was used to assess six base scenarios as well as nine uncertainty/sensitivity scenarios. The complexity of the spreadsheet resulted in the need for a rigorous quality control (QC) procedure to verify data entry and confirm the accuracy of formulas. (authors)

When Spreadsheets Become Software - Quality Control Challenges and Approaches - 13360

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fountain, Stefanie A.; Chen, Emmie G.; Beech, John F. [Geosyntec Consultants, Inc., 1255 Roberts Boulevard NW, Suite 200, Kennesaw, GA 30144 (United States); Wyatt, Elizabeth E. [LATA Environmental Services of Kentucky, LLC, 761 Veterans Ave, Kevil, KY 42053 (United States); Quinn, Tanya B. [Geosyntec Consultants, Inc., 2002 Summit Boulevard NE, Suite 885, Atlanta, GA 30319 (United States); Seifert, Robert W. [Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office, United States Department of Energy, 5600 Hobbs Rd, Kevil, KY 42053 (United States); Bonczek, Richard R. [Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office, United States Department of Energy, 1017 Majestic Drive, Lexington, KY 40513 (United States)

2013-07-01

As part of a preliminary waste acceptance criteria (PWAC) development, several commercial models were employed, including the Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance model (HELP) [1], the Disposal Unit Source Term - Multiple Species model (DUSTMS) [2], and the Analytical Transient One, Two, and Three-Dimensional model (AT123D) [3]. The results of these models were post-processed in MS Excel spreadsheets to convert the model results to alternate units, compare the groundwater concentrations to the groundwater concentration thresholds, and then to adjust the waste contaminant masses (based on average concentration over the waste volume) as needed in an attempt to achieve groundwater concentrations at the limiting point of assessment that would meet the compliance concentrations while maximizing the potential use of the landfill (i.e., maximizing the volume of projected waste being generated that could be placed in the landfill). During the course of the PWAC calculation development, one of the Microsoft (MS) Excel spreadsheets used to post-process the results of the commercial model packages grew to include more than 575,000 formulas across 18 worksheets. This spreadsheet was used to assess six base scenarios as well as nine uncertainty/sensitivity scenarios. The complexity of the spreadsheet resulted in the need for a rigorous quality control (QC) procedure to verify data entry and confirm the accuracy of formulas. (authors)

HOME Participating Jurisdictions Vacant Units Reports

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Housing and Urban Development — This report is an MS Excel spreadsheet broken up by state, similar to the HOME Participating Jurisdiction's Open Activities Reports. The purpose of the HOME...

Spreadsheets, Graphing Calculators and the Line of Best Fit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bernie O'Sullivan

2003-07-01

One technique that can now be done, almost mindlessly, is the line of best fit. Both the graphing calculator and the Excel spreadsheet produce models for collected data that appear to be very good fits, but upon closer scrutiny, are revealed to be quite poor. This article will examine one such case. I will couch the paper within the framework of a very good classroom investigation that will help generate students’ understanding of the basic principles of curve fitting and will enable them to produce a very accurate model of collected data by combining the technology of the graphing calculator and the spreadsheet.

Towards tool support for spreadsheet-based domain-specific languages

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Adam, Marian Sorin; Schultz, Ulrik Pagh

2015-01-01

Spreadsheets are commonly used by non-programmers to store data in a structured form, this data can in some cases be considered to be a program in a domain-specific language (DSL). Unlike ordinary text-based domain-specific languages, there is however currently no formalism for expressing...... the syntax of such spreadsheet-based DSLs (SDSLs), and there is no tool support for automatically generating language infrastructure such as parsers and IDE support. In this paper we define a simple notion of two-dimensional grammars for SDSLs, and show how such grammars can be used for automatically...

A Comparative Study of Spreadsheet Applications on Mobile Devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Veera V. S. M. Chintapalli

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Advances in mobile screen sizes and feature enhancement for mobile applications have increased the number of users accessing spreadsheets on mobile devices. This paper reports a comparative usability study on four popular mobile spreadsheet applications: OfficeSuite Viewer 6, Documents To Go, ThinkFree Online, and Google Drive. We compare them against three categories of usability criteria: visibility; navigation, scrolling, and feedback; and interaction, satisfaction, simplicity, and convenience. Measures for each criterion were derived in a survey. Questionnaires were designed to address the measures based on the comparative criteria provided in the analysis.

HOME Participating Jurisdictions Open Activities Reports

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Housing and Urban Development — This report is an MS Excel spreadsheet broken up by state. Participating Jurisdictions can use this report to view open activities in IDIS including activities with...

Mathematical Modeling in the People's Republic of China--Indicators of Participation and Performance on COMAP's Modeling Contest

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Xiaoxi

2014-01-01

In recent years, Mainland Chinese teams have been the dominant participants in the two COMAP-sponsored mathematical modeling competitions: the Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM) and the Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling (ICM). This study examines five factors that lead to the Chinese teams' dramatic increase in participation rate and…

A user friendly spreadsheet program for calibration using weighted regression. User's Guide

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gort SM; Hoogerbrugge R; LOC

1995-01-01

Een gebruiksvriendelijke computer spreadsheet voor calibratie doeleinden is beschreven. Deze spreadsheet (ontwikkeld met behulp van Microsoft Excel) stelt niet-statistici, zoals analytische chemici, in de gelegenheid om gewogen lineaire regressie toe te passen. Verschillende calibratiefuncties en

Development of an excel spreadsheet formean glandular dose in mammography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagoshi, Kazuyo; Fujisaki, Tatsuya

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop an Excel spreadsheet to calculate mean glandular dose (D g ) in mammography using clinical exposure data. D g can be calculated as the product of incident air kerma (K a ) and D gN (i.e., D g =K a x D gN ). According to the method of Klein et al (Phys Med Biol 1997; 42: 651-671), K a was measured at the entrance surface with an ionization dosimeter. Normalized glandular dose (D gN ) coefficients, taking into account breast glandularity, were computed using Boone's method (Med Phys 2002; 29: 869-875). D gN coefficients can be calculated for any arbitrary X-ray spectrum. These calculation procedures were input into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. The resulting Excel spreadsheet is easy to use and is always applicable in the field of mammography. The exposure conditions concerning D g in clinical practice were also investigated in 22 women. Four exposure conditions (target/filter combination and tube voltage) were automatically selected in this study. This investigation found that average D g for each exposure was 1.9 mGy. Because it is recommended that quality control of radiation dose management in mammography is done using an American College of Radiology (ACR) phantom, information about patient dose is not obtained in many facilities. The present Excel spreadsheet was accordingly considered useful for optimization of exposure conditions and explanation of mammography to patients. (author)

Description of the Material Balance Model and Spreadsheet for Salt Dissolution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiersma, B.J.

1994-01-01

The model employed to estimate the amount of inhibitors necessary for bearing water and dissolution water during the salt dissolution process is described. This model was inputed on a spreadsheet which allowed many different case studies to be performed. This memo describes the assumptions and equations which are used in the model, and documents the input and output cells of the spreadsheet. Two case studies are shown as examples of how the model may be employed

The meaning of diagnostic test results: A spreadsheet for swift data analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MacEneaney, Peter M.; Malone, Dermot E.

2000-01-01

AIMS: To design a spreadsheet program to: (a) analyse rapidly diagnostic test result data produced in local research or reported in the literature; (b) correct reported predictive values for disease prevalence in any population; (c) estimate the post-test probability of disease in individual patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Microsoft Excel TM was used. Section A: a contingency (2 x 2) table was incorporated into the spreadsheet. Formulae for standard calculations [sample size, disease prevalence, sensitivity and specificity with 95% confidence intervals, predictive values and likelihood ratios (LRs)] were linked to this table. The results change automatically when the data in the true or false negative and positive cells are changed. Section B: this estimates predictive values in any population, compensating for altered disease prevalence. Sections C-F: Bayes' theorem was incorporated to generate individual post-test probabilities. The spreadsheet generates 95% confidence intervals, LRs and a table and graph of conditional probabilities once the sensitivity and specificity of the test are entered. The latter shows the expected post-test probability of disease for any pre-test probability when a test of known sensitivity and specificity is positive or negative. RESULTS: This spreadsheet can be used on desktop and palmtop computers. The MS Excel TM version can be downloaded via the Internet from the URL ftp://radiography.com/pub/Rad-data99.xls CONCLUSION: A spreadsheet is useful for contingency table data analysis and assessment of the clinical meaning of diagnostic test results. MacEneaney, P.M., Malone, D.E. (2000)

Comparison of two spreadsheets for calculation of radiation exposure following hyperthyroidism treatment with iodine-131

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vrigneaud, J.M. [CHU Bichat, nuclear medicine department, 75 - Paris (France); Carlier, T. [CHU Hotel Dieu, nuclear medicine department, 44 - Nantes (France)

2006-07-01

Comparison of the two spreadsheets did not show any significant differences provided that proper biological models were used to follow 131 iodine clearance. This means that even simple assumptions can be used to give reasonable radiation safety recommendations. Nevertheless, a complete understanding of the formalism is required to use correctly these spreadsheets. Initial parameters must be chosen carefully and validation of the computed results must be done. Published guidelines are found to be in accordance with those issued from these spreadsheets. Furthermore, both programs make it possible to collect biological data from each patient and use it as input to calculate individual tailored radiation safety advices. Also, measured exposure rate may be entered into the spreadsheets to calculate patient-specific close contact delays required to reduce the dose to specified limits. These spreadsheets may be used to compute restriction times for any given radiopharmaceutical, provided that input parameters are chosen correctly. They can be of great help to physicians to provide patients with guidance on how to maintain doses to other individuals as low as reasonably achievable. (authors)

Comparison of two spreadsheets for calculation of radiation exposure following hyperthyroidism treatment with iodine-131

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vrigneaud, J.M.; Carlier, T.

2006-01-01

Comparison of the two spreadsheets did not show any significant differences provided that proper biological models were used to follow 131 iodine clearance. This means that even simple assumptions can be used to give reasonable radiation safety recommendations. Nevertheless, a complete understanding of the formalism is required to use correctly these spreadsheets. Initial parameters must be chosen carefully and validation of the computed results must be done. Published guidelines are found to be in accordance with those issued from these spreadsheets. Furthermore, both programs make it possible to collect biological data from each patient and use it as input to calculate individual tailored radiation safety advices. Also, measured exposure rate may be entered into the spreadsheets to calculate patient-specific close contact delays required to reduce the dose to specified limits. These spreadsheets may be used to compute restriction times for any given radiopharmaceutical, provided that input parameters are chosen correctly. They can be of great help to physicians to provide patients with guidance on how to maintain doses to other individuals as low as reasonably achievable. (authors)

Simulations of the cardiac action potential based on the Hodgkin-Huxley kinetics with the use of Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Sheng-Nan

2004-03-31

The purpose of this study was to develop a method to simulate the cardiac action potential using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. The mathematical model contained voltage-gated ionic currents that were modeled using either Beeler-Reuter (B-R) or Luo-Rudy (L-R) phase 1 kinetics. The simulation protocol involves the use of in-cell formulas directly typed into a spreadsheet. The capability of spreadsheet iteration was used in these simulations. It does not require any prior knowledge of computer programming, although the use of the macro language can speed up the calculation. The normal configuration of the cardiac ventricular action potential can be well simulated in the B-R model that is defined by four individual ionic currents, each representing the diffusion of ions through channels in the membrane. The contribution of Na+ inward current to the rate of depolarization is reproduced in this model. After removal of Na+ current from the model, a constant current stimulus elicits an oscillatory change in membrane potential. In the L-R phase 1 model where six types of ionic currents were defined, the effect of extracellular K+ concentration on changes both in the time course of repolarization and in the time-independent K+ current can be demonstrated, when the solutions are implemented in Excel. Using the simulation protocols described here, the users can readily study and graphically display the underlying properties of ionic currents to see how changes in these properties determine the behavior of the heart cell. The method employed in these simulation protocols may also be extended or modified to other biological simulation programs.

Introduction to supercritical fluids a spreadsheet-based approach

CERN Document Server

Smith, Richard; Peters, Cor

2013-01-01

This text provides an introduction to supercritical fluids with easy-to-use Excel spreadsheets suitable for both specialized-discipline (chemistry or chemical engineering student) and mixed-discipline (engineering/economic student) classes. Each chapter contains worked examples, tip boxes and end-of-the-chapter problems and projects. Part I covers web-based chemical information resources, applications and simplified theory presented in a way that allows students of all disciplines to delve into the properties of supercritical fluids and to design energy, extraction and materials formation systems for real-world processes that use supercritical water or supercritical carbon dioxide. Part II takes a practical approach and addresses the thermodynamic framework, equations of state, fluid phase equilibria, heat and mass transfer, chemical equilibria and reaction kinetics of supercritical fluids. Spreadsheets are arranged as Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) functions and macros that are completely (source code) ...

A review of simple multiple criteria decision making analytic procedures which are implementable on spreadsheet packages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T.J. Stewart

2003-12-01

Full Text Available A number of modern multi-criteria decision making aids for the discrete choice problem, are reviewed, with particular emphasis on those which can be implemented on standard commercial spreadsheet packages. Three broad classes of procedures are discussed, namely the analytic hierarchy process, reference point methods, and outranking methods. The broad principles are summarised in a consistent framework, and on a spreadsheet. LOTUS spreadsheets implementing these are available from the author.

Spreadsheet as a tool of engineering analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Becker, M.

1985-01-01

In engineering analysis, problems tend to be categorized into those that can be done by hand and those that require the computer for solution. The advent of personal computers, and in particular, the advent of spreadsheet software, blurs this distinction, creating an intermediate category of problems appropriate for use with interactive personal computing

Development of a spreadsheet for SNPs typing using Microsoft EXCEL.

Science.gov (United States)

Hashiyada, Masaki; Itakura, Yukio; Takahashi, Shirushi; Sakai, Jun; Funayama, Masato

2009-04-01

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have some characteristics that make them very appropriate for forensic studies and applications. In our institute, SNPs typings were performed by the TaqMan SNP Genotyping Assays using the ABI PRISM 7500 FAST Real-Time PCR System (AppliedBiosystems) and Sequence Detection Software ver.1.4 (AppliedBiosystem). The TaqMan method was desired two positive control (Allele1 and 2) and one negative control to analyze each SNP locus. Therefore, it can be analyzed up to 24 loci of a person on a 96-well-plate at the same time. If SNPs analysis is expected to apply to biometrics authentication, 48 and over loci are required to identify a person. In this study, we designed a spreadsheet package using Microsoft EXCEL, and population data were used from our 120 SNPs population studies. On the spreadsheet, we defined SNP types using 'template files' instead of positive and negative controls. "Template files" consisted of the results of 94 unknown samples and two negative controls of each of 120 SNPs loci we had previously studied. By the use of the files, the spreadsheet could analyze 96 SNPs on a 96-wells-plate simultaneously.

A Spreadsheet Tool for Learning the Multiple Regression F-Test, T-Tests, and Multicollinearity

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, David

2008-01-01

This note presents a spreadsheet tool that allows teachers the opportunity to guide students towards answering on their own questions related to the multiple regression F-test, the t-tests, and multicollinearity. The note demonstrates approaches for using the spreadsheet that might be appropriate for three different levels of statistics classes,…

The Architecture of a Complex GIS & Spreadsheet Based DSS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dinu Airinei

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The decision support applications available on today market use to combine the decision analysis of historical databased on On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP products or spreadsheet pivot tables with some new reporting facilities as alerts or key performance indicators available in portal dashboards or in complex spreadsheet-like reports, both corresponding to a new approach of the field called Business Intelligence. Moreover the geographical features of GIS added to DSS applications become more and more required by many kinds of businesses. In fact they are more useful this way than as distinctive parts.The paper tries to present a certain DSS architecture based on the association between such approaches and technologies. The particular examples are meant to support all the theoretical arguments and to complete the understanding of the interaction schemas available.

Implementing parallel spreadsheet models for health policy decisions: The impact of unintentional errors on model projections.

Science.gov (United States)

Bailey, Stephanie L; Bono, Rose S; Nash, Denis; Kimmel, April D

2018-01-01

Spreadsheet software is increasingly used to implement systems science models informing health policy decisions, both in academia and in practice where technical capacity may be limited. However, spreadsheet models are prone to unintentional errors that may not always be identified using standard error-checking techniques. Our objective was to illustrate, through a methodologic case study analysis, the impact of unintentional errors on model projections by implementing parallel model versions. We leveraged a real-world need to revise an existing spreadsheet model designed to inform HIV policy. We developed three parallel versions of a previously validated spreadsheet-based model; versions differed by the spreadsheet cell-referencing approach (named single cells; column/row references; named matrices). For each version, we implemented three model revisions (re-entry into care; guideline-concordant treatment initiation; immediate treatment initiation). After standard error-checking, we identified unintentional errors by comparing model output across the three versions. Concordant model output across all versions was considered error-free. We calculated the impact of unintentional errors as the percentage difference in model projections between model versions with and without unintentional errors, using +/-5% difference to define a material error. We identified 58 original and 4,331 propagated unintentional errors across all model versions and revisions. Over 40% (24/58) of original unintentional errors occurred in the column/row reference model version; most (23/24) were due to incorrect cell references. Overall, >20% of model spreadsheet cells had material unintentional errors. When examining error impact along the HIV care continuum, the percentage difference between versions with and without unintentional errors ranged from +3% to +16% (named single cells), +26% to +76% (column/row reference), and 0% (named matrices). Standard error-checking techniques may not

Computer Corner: Spreadsheets, Power Series, Generating Functions, and Integers.

Science.gov (United States)

Snow, Donald R.

1989-01-01

Implements a table algorithm on a spreadsheet program and obtains functions for several number sequences such as the Fibonacci and Catalan numbers. Considers other applications of the table algorithm to integers represented in various number bases. (YP)

Associations of Physical Activity, Sports Participation and Active Commuting on Mathematic Performance and Inhibitory Control in Adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Domazet, Sidsel L; Tarp, Jakob; Huang, Tao; Gejl, Anne Kær; Andersen, Lars Bo; Froberg, Karsten; Bugge, Anna

2016-01-01

To examine objectively measured physical activity level, organized sports participation and active commuting to school in relation to mathematic performance and inhibitory control in adolescents. The design was cross-sectional. A convenient sample of 869 sixth and seventh grade students (12-14 years) was invited to participate in the study. A total of 568 students fulfilled the inclusion criteria and comprised the final sample for this study. Mathematic performance was assessed by a customized test and inhibitory control was assessed by a modified Eriksen flanker task. Physical activity was assessed with GT3X and GT3X+ accelerometers presented in sex-specific quartiles of mean counts per minute and mean minutes per day in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Active commuting and sports participation was self-reported. Mixed model regression was applied. Total physical activity level was stratified by bicycling status in order to bypass measurement error subject to the accelerometer. Non-cyclists in the 2nd quartile of counts per minute displayed a higher mathematic score, so did cyclists in the 2nd and 3rd quartile of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity relative to the least active quartile. Non-cyclists in the 3rd quartile of counts per minute had an improved reaction time and cyclists in the 2nd quartile of counts per minute and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity displayed an improved accuracy, whereas non-cyclists in the 2nd quartile of counts per minute showed an inferior accuracy relative to the least active quartile. Bicycling to school and organized sports participation were positively associated with mathematic performance. Sports participation and bicycling were positively associated with mathematic performance. Results regarding objectively measured physical activity were mixed. Although, no linear nor dose-response relationship was observed there was no indication of a higher activity level impairing the scholastic or cognitive performance.

Associations of Physical Activity, Sports Participation and Active Commuting on Mathematic Performance and Inhibitory Control in Adolescents.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sidsel L Domazet

Full Text Available To examine objectively measured physical activity level, organized sports participation and active commuting to school in relation to mathematic performance and inhibitory control in adolescents.The design was cross-sectional. A convenient sample of 869 sixth and seventh grade students (12-14 years was invited to participate in the study. A total of 568 students fulfilled the inclusion criteria and comprised the final sample for this study. Mathematic performance was assessed by a customized test and inhibitory control was assessed by a modified Eriksen flanker task. Physical activity was assessed with GT3X and GT3X+ accelerometers presented in sex-specific quartiles of mean counts per minute and mean minutes per day in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Active commuting and sports participation was self-reported. Mixed model regression was applied. Total physical activity level was stratified by bicycling status in order to bypass measurement error subject to the accelerometer.Non-cyclists in the 2nd quartile of counts per minute displayed a higher mathematic score, so did cyclists in the 2nd and 3rd quartile of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity relative to the least active quartile. Non-cyclists in the 3rd quartile of counts per minute had an improved reaction time and cyclists in the 2nd quartile of counts per minute and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity displayed an improved accuracy, whereas non-cyclists in the 2nd quartile of counts per minute showed an inferior accuracy relative to the least active quartile. Bicycling to school and organized sports participation were positively associated with mathematic performance.Sports participation and bicycling were positively associated with mathematic performance. Results regarding objectively measured physical activity were mixed. Although, no linear nor dose-response relationship was observed there was no indication of a higher activity level impairing the scholastic or cognitive

A Typical Model Audit Approach: Spreadsheet Audit Methodologies in the City of London

OpenAIRE

Croll, Grenville J.

2007-01-01

Spreadsheet audit and review procedures are an essential part of almost all City of London financial transactions. Structured processes are used to discover errors in large financial spreadsheets underpinning major transactions of all types. Serious errors are routinely found and are fed back to model development teams generally under conditions of extreme time urgency. Corrected models form the essence of the completed transaction and firms undertaking model audit and review expose themselve...

Spreadsheet Decision Support Model for Training Exercise Material Requirements Planning

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Tringali, Arthur

1997-01-01

This thesis focuses on developing a spreadsheet decision support model that can be used by combat engineer platoon and company commanders in determining the material requirements and estimated costs...

Investigating Participation in Advanced Level Mathematics: A Study of Student Drop-Out

Science.gov (United States)

Noyes, Andrew; Sealey, Paula

2012-01-01

There has, for some years, been a growing concern about participation in university-entrance level mathematics in England and across the developed world. Extensive statistical analyses present the decline but offer little to help us understand the causes. In this paper we explore a concern which cannot be explored through national data-sets,…

Introducing Artificial Neural Networks through a Spreadsheet Model

Science.gov (United States)

Rienzo, Thomas F.; Athappilly, Kuriakose K.

2012-01-01

Business students taking data mining classes are often introduced to artificial neural networks (ANN) through point and click navigation exercises in application software. Even if correct outcomes are obtained, students frequently do not obtain a thorough understanding of ANN processes. This spreadsheet model was created to illuminate the roles of…

Strontium-90 Error Discovered in Subcontract Laboratory Spreadsheet. Topical Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, D.D.; Nagel, A.S.

1999-07-01

West Valley Demonstration Project health physicists and environment scientists discovered a series of errors in a subcontractor's spreadsheet being used to reduce data as part of their strontium-90 analytical process

Calculating germination measurements and organizing spreadsheets

OpenAIRE

Ranal, Marli A.; Santana, Denise Garcia de; Ferreira, Wanessa Resende; Mendes-Rodrigues, Clesnan

2009-01-01

With the objective to minimize difficulties for beginners we are proposing the use of a conventional spreadsheet for the calculations of the main germination (or emergence) measurements, the organization of the final data for the statistical analysis and some electronic commands involved in these steps. Com o objetivo de minimizar as dificuldades dos iniciantes, estamos propondo o uso de planilhas eletrônicas convencionais para o cálculo das principais medidas de germinação (ou emergência)...

A Spreadsheet-based GIS tool for planning aerial photography

Science.gov (United States)

The U.S.EPA's Pacific Coastal Ecology Branch has developed a tool which facilitates planning aerial photography missions. This tool is an Excel spreadsheet which accepts various input parameters such as desired photo-scale and boundary coordinates of the study area and compiles ...

Spreadsheet Decision Support Model for Training Exercise Material Requirements Planning

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Tringali, Arthur

1997-01-01

... associated with military training exercises. The model combines the business practice of Material Requirements Planning and the commercial spreadsheet software capabilities of Lotus 1-2-3 to calculate the requirements for food, consumable...

A procedure to compute equilibrium concentrations in multicomponent systems by Gibbs energy minimization on spreadsheets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lima da Silva, Aline; Heck, Nestor Cesar

2003-01-01

Equilibrium concentrations are traditionally calculated with the help of equilibrium constant equations from selected reactions. This procedure, however, is only useful for simpler problems. Analysis of the equilibrium state in a multicomponent and multiphase system necessarily involves solution of several simultaneous equations, and, as the number of system components grows, the required computation becomes more complex and tedious. A more direct and general method for solving the problem is the direct minimization of the Gibbs energy function. The solution for the nonlinear problem consists in minimizing the objective function (Gibbs energy of the system) subjected to the constraints of the elemental mass-balance. To solve it, usually a computer code is developed, which requires considerable testing and debugging efforts. In this work, a simple method to predict equilibrium composition in multicomponent systems is presented, which makes use of an electronic spreadsheet. The ability to carry out these calculations within a spreadsheet environment shows several advantages. First, spreadsheets are available 'universally' on nearly all personal computers. Second, the input and output capabilities of spreadsheets can be effectively used to monitor calculated results. Third, no additional systems or programs need to be learned. In this way, spreadsheets can be as suitable in computing equilibrium concentrations as well as to be used as teaching and learning aids. This work describes, therefore, the use of the Solver tool, contained in the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet package, on computing equilibrium concentrations in a multicomponent system, by the method of direct Gibbs energy minimization. The four phases Fe-Cr-O-C-Ni system is used as an example to illustrate the method proposed. The pure stoichiometric phases considered in equilibrium calculations are: Cr 2 O 3 (s) and FeO C r 2 O 3 (s). The atmosphere consists of O 2 , CO e CO 2 constituents. The liquid iron

Associations of Physical Activity, Sports Participation and Active Commuting on Mathematic Performance and Inhibitory Control in Adolescents

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Tao; Gejl, Anne Kær; Froberg, Karsten

2016-01-01

Objectives To examine objectively measured physical activity level, organized sports participation and active commuting to school in relation to mathematic performance and inhibitory control in adolescents. Methods The design was cross-sectional. A convenient sample of 869 sixth and seventh grade students (12–14 years) was invited to participate in the study. A total of 568 students fulfilled the inclusion criteria and comprised the final sample for this study. Mathematic performance was assessed by a customized test and inhibitory control was assessed by a modified Eriksen flanker task. Physical activity was assessed with GT3X and GT3X+ accelerometers presented in sex-specific quartiles of mean counts per minute and mean minutes per day in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Active commuting and sports participation was self-reported. Mixed model regression was applied. Total physical activity level was stratified by bicycling status in order to bypass measurement error subject to the accelerometer. Results Non-cyclists in the 2nd quartile of counts per minute displayed a higher mathematic score, so did cyclists in the 2nd and 3rd quartile of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity relative to the least active quartile. Non-cyclists in the 3rd quartile of counts per minute had an improved reaction time and cyclists in the 2nd quartile of counts per minute and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity displayed an improved accuracy, whereas non-cyclists in the 2nd quartile of counts per minute showed an inferior accuracy relative to the least active quartile. Bicycling to school and organized sports participation were positively associated with mathematic performance. Conclusions Sports participation and bicycling were positively associated with mathematic performance. Results regarding objectively measured physical activity were mixed. Although, no linear nor dose-response relationship was observed there was no indication of a higher activity level impairing the

Computerized cost estimation spreadsheet and cost data base for fusion devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamilton, W.R.; Rothe, K.E.

1985-01-01

Component design parameters (weight, surface area, etc.) and cost factors are input and direct and indirect costs are calculated. The cost data base file derived from actual cost experience within the fusion community and refined to be compatible with the spreadsheet costing approach is a catalog of cost coefficients, algorithms, and component costs arranged into data modules corresponding to specific components and/or subsystems. Each data module contains engineering, equipment, and installation labor cost data for different configurations and types of the specific component or subsystem. This paper describes the assumptions, definitions, methodology, and architecture incorporated in the development of the cost estimation spreadsheet and cost data base, along with the type of input required and the output format

Solving L-L Extraction Problems with Excel Spreadsheet

Science.gov (United States)

Teppaitoon, Wittaya

2016-01-01

This work aims to demonstrate the use of Excel spreadsheets for solving L-L extraction problems. The key to solving the problems successfully is to be able to determine a tie line on the ternary diagram where the calculation must be carried out. This enables the reader to analyze the extraction process starting with a simple operation, the…

Software validation applied to spreadsheets used in laboratories working under ISO/IEC 17025

Science.gov (United States)

Banegas, J. M.; Orué, M. W.

2016-07-01

Several documents deal with software validation. Nevertheless, more are too complex to be applied to validate spreadsheets - surely the most used software in laboratories working under ISO/IEC 17025. The method proposed in this work is intended to be directly applied to validate spreadsheets. It includes a systematic way to document requirements, operational aspects regarding to validation, and a simple method to keep records of validation results and modifications history. This method is actually being used in an accredited calibration laboratory, showing to be practical and efficient.

AXAOTHER XL -- A spreadsheet for determining doses for incidents caused by tornadoes or high-velocity straight winds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simpkins, A.A.

1996-09-01

AXAOTHER XL is an Excel Spreadsheet used to determine dose to the maximally exposed offsite individual during high-velocity straight winds or tornado conditions. Both individual and population doses may be considered. Potential exposure pathways are inhalation and plume shine. For high-velocity straight winds the spreadsheet has the capability to determine the downwind relative air concentration, however for the tornado conditions, the user must enter the relative air concentration. Theoretical models are discussed and hand calculations are performed to ensure proper application of methodologies. A section has also been included that contains user instructions for the spreadsheet

[Development of an Excel spreadsheet for meta-analysis of indirect and mixed treatment comparisons].

Science.gov (United States)

Tobías, Aurelio; Catalá-López, Ferrán; Roqué, Marta

2014-01-01

Meta-analyses in clinical research usually aimed to evaluate treatment efficacy and safety in direct comparison with a unique comparator. Indirect comparisons, using the Bucher's method, can summarize primary data when information from direct comparisons is limited or nonexistent. Mixed comparisons allow combining estimates from direct and indirect comparisons, increasing statistical power. There is a need for simple applications for meta-analysis of indirect and mixed comparisons. These can easily be conducted using a Microsoft Office Excel spreadsheet. We developed a spreadsheet for indirect and mixed effects comparisons of friendly use for clinical researchers interested in systematic reviews, but non-familiarized with the use of more advanced statistical packages. The use of the proposed Excel spreadsheet for indirect and mixed comparisons can be of great use in clinical epidemiology to extend the knowledge provided by traditional meta-analysis when evidence from direct comparisons is limited or nonexistent.

A spreadsheet-based microcomputer application for determining cost-effectiveness of commercial lighting retrofit opportunities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spain, T.K.

1992-01-01

Lighting accounts for 20-25% of electricity use in the United States. With estimates of 50-70% potential reductions being made by energy engineers, lighting is a promising area for cost-effective energy conservation projects in commercial buildings. With an extensive array of alternatives available to replace or modify existing lighting systems, simple but effective calculation tools are needed to help energy auditors evaluate lighting retrofits. This paper describes a spreadsheet-based microcomputer application for determining the cost-effectiveness of commercial lighting retrofits. Developed to support walk-through energy audits conducted by the Industrial Energy Advisory Service (IdEAS), the spreadsheet provides essential comparative data for evaluating the payback of alternatives. The impact of alternatives on environmental emissions is calculated to help communicate external costs and sell the project, if appropriate. The methodology and calculations are fully documented to allow the user to duplicate the spreadsheet and modify it as needed

Linking Preservice Teachers' Mathematics Self-Efficacy and Mathematics Teaching Efficacy to Their Mathematical Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Bates, Alan B.; Latham, Nancy; Kim, Jin-ah

2011-01-01

This study examined preservice teachers' mathematics self-efficacy and mathematics teaching efficacy and compared them to their mathematical performance. Participants included 89 early childhood preservice teachers at a Midwestern university. Instruments included the Mathematics Self-Efficacy Scale (MSES), Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Beliefs…

Integrating Computer Spreadsheet Modeling into a Microeconomics Curriculum: Principles to Managerial.

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Joy L.; Hegji, Charles E.

1997-01-01

Notes that using spreadsheets to teach microeconomics principles enables learning by doing in the exploration of basic concepts. Introduction of increasingly complex topics leads to exploration of theory and managerial decision making. (SK)

Using a Spreadsheet Scroll Bar to Solve Equilibrium Concentrations

Science.gov (United States)

Raviolo, Andres

2012-01-01

A simple, conceptual method is described for using the spreadsheet scroll bar to find the composition of a system at chemical equilibrium. Simulation of any kind of chemical equilibrium can be carried out using this method, and the effects of different disturbances can be predicted. This simulation, which can be used in general chemistry…

Argumentation and Participation in the Primary Mathematics Classroom: Two Episodes and Related Theoretical Abductions

Science.gov (United States)

Krummheuer, Gotz

2007-01-01

The main assumption of this article is that learning mathematics depends on the student's participation in processes of collective argumentation. On the empirical level, such processes will be analyzed with Toulmin's theory of argumentation and Goffman's idea of decomposition of the speaker's role. On the theoretical level, different statuses of…

Spinning the Big Wheel on “The Price is Right”: A Spreadsheet Simulation Exercise

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keith A Willoughby

2010-04-01

Full Text Available A popular game played in each broadcast of the United States television game show “The Price is Right” has contestants spinning a large wheel comprised of twenty different monetary values (in 5-cent increments from $0.05 to $1.00. A player wins by scoring closest to, without exceeding, $1.00. Players may accomplish this in one or a total of two spins. We develop a spreadsheet modeling exercise, useful in an introductory undergraduate Spreadsheet Analytics course, to simulate the spinning of the wheel and to determine optimal spinning strategies.

A methodology for constructing the calculation model of scientific spreadsheets

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vos, de M.; Wielemaker, J.; Schreiber, G.; Wielinga, B.; Top, J.L.

2015-01-01

Spreadsheets models are frequently used by scientists to analyze research data. These models are typically described in a paper or a report, which serves as single source of information on the underlying research project. As the calculation workflow in these models is not made explicit, readers are

Computer modeling in free spreadsheets OpenOffice.Calc as one of the modern methods of teaching physics and mathematics cycle subjects in primary and secondary schools

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Markushevich M.V.

2016-10-01

Full Text Available the article details the use of such modern method of training as computer simulation applied to modelling of various kinds of mechanical motion of a material point in the free spreadsheet OpenOffice.org Calc while designing physics and computer science lessons in primary and secondary schools. Particular attention is paid to the application of computer modeling integrated with other modern teaching methods.

A Novel Approach to Formulae Production and Overconfidence Measurement to Reduce Risk in Spreadsheet Modelling

OpenAIRE

Thorne, Simon; Ball, David; Lawson, Zoe

2008-01-01

Research on formulae production in spreadsheets has established the practice as high risk yet unrecognised as such by industry. There are numerous software applications that are designed to audit formulae and find errors. However these are all post creation, designed to catch errors before the spreadsheet is deployed. As a general conclusion from EuSpRIG 2003 conference it was decided that the time has come to attempt novel solutions based on an understanding of human factors. Hence in this p...

NET PRESENT VALUE SIMULATING WITH A SPREADSHEET

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria CONSTANTINESCU

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Decision making has always been a difficult process, based on various combinations if objectivity (when scientific tools were used and subjectivity (considering that decisions are finally made by people, with their strengths and weaknesses. The IT revolution has also reached the areas of management and decision making, helping managers make better and more informed decisions by providing them with a variety of tools, from the personal computers to the specialized software. Most simulations are performed in a spreadsheet, because the number of calculations required soon overwhelms human capability.

SRTC Spreadsheet to Determine Relative Percent Difference (RPD) for Duplicate Waste Assay Results and to Perform the RPD Acceptance Test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Casella, V.R.

2002-01-01

This report documents the calculations and logic used for the Microsoft(R) Excel spreadsheet that is used at the 773-A Solid Waste Assay Facility for evaluating duplicate analyses, and validates that the spreadsheet is performing these functions correctly

Exploring Differential Effects of Mathematics Courses on Mathematics Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Xin; McIntyre, Laureen J.

2005-01-01

Using data from the Longitudinal Study of Mathematics Participation (N = 1,518 students from 34 schools), we investigated the effects of pure and applied mathematics courses on mathematics achievement, controlling for prior mathematics achievement. Results of multilevel modelling showed that the effects of pure mathematics were significant after…

Negative Effects of Learning Spreadsheet Management on Learning Database Management

Science.gov (United States)

Vágner, Anikó; Zsakó, László

2015-01-01

A lot of students learn spreadsheet management before database management. Their similarities can cause a lot of negative effects when learning database management. In this article, we consider these similarities and explain what can cause problems. First, we analyse the basic concepts such as table, database, row, cell, reference, etc. Then, we…

Potential errors when fitting experience curves by means of spreadsheet software

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Sark, W.G.J.H.M.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/074628526; Alsema, E.A.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/073416258

2010-01-01

Progress ratios (PRs) are widely used in forecasting development of many technologies; they are derived from historical data represented in experience curves. Fitting the double logarithmic graphs is easily done with spreadsheet software like Microsoft Excel, by adding a trend line to the graph.

Using spreadsheets to develop applied skills in a business math course: Student feedback and perceived learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas Mays

2015-10-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the redesign of a business math course and its delivery in both face-to-face and online formats. Central to the redesigned course was the addition of applied spreadsheet exercises that served as both learning and summative assessment tools. Several other learning activities and assignments were integrated in the course to address diverse student learning styles and levels of math anxiety. Students were invited to complete a survey that asked them to rank course activities and assignments based on how well they helped the student learn course material. Open-ended items were also included in the survey. In the online course sections, students reported higher perceived learning from the use the spreadsheet-based application assignments, while face-to-face students preferred demonstrations. Qualitative remarks from the online students included numerous comments about the positive learning impact of the business application spreadsheet-based assignments, as well as the link between these assignments and what students considered the “real world.”

School Mathematics Leaders' Beliefs about Their Role When Participating in a School Mathematics Project

Science.gov (United States)

Sexton, Matt; Downton, Ann

2014-01-01

It is not uncommon in many Australian primary schools for a teaching staff member to undertake the leadership or coordination of mathematics in his or her school. Some research (e.g., Cheeseman & Clarke, 2005) suggests that coordinators and leaders play an important role in the leadership and management of mathematics teaching and learning in…

Spreadsheet eases heat balance, payback calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conner, K.P.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that a generalized Lotus type spreadsheet program has been developed to perform the heat balance and simple payback calculations for various turbine-generator (TG) inlet steam pressures. It can be used for potential plant expansions or new cogeneration installations. The program performs the basic heat balance calculations that are associated with turbine-generator, feedwater heating process steam requirements and desuperheating. The printout, shows the basic data and formulation used in the calculations. The turbine efficiency data used are applicable for automatic extraction turbine-generators in the 30-80 MW range. Simple payback calculations are for chemical recovery boilers and power boilers used in the pulp and paper industry. However, the program will also accommodate boilers common to other industries

Associations of Physical Activity, Sports Participation and Active Commuting on Mathematic Performance and Inhibitory Control in Adolescents

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Domazet, Sidsel L; Tarp, Jakob; Huang, Tao

2016-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To examine objectively measured physical activity level, organized sports participation and active commuting to school in relation to mathematic performance and inhibitory control in adolescents. METHODS: The design was cross-sectional. A convenient sample of 869 sixth and seventh gra...

A novel approach to formulae production\\ud and overconfidence measurement\\ud to reduce risk in spreadsheet modelling

OpenAIRE

Thorne, Simon; Ball, David; Lawson, Zoe Frances

2004-01-01

Research on formulae production in spreadsheets has established the practice as high risk yet\\ud unrecognised as such by industry. There are numerous software applications that are designed\\ud to audit formulae and find errors. However these are all post creation, designed to catch errors\\ud before the spreadsheet is deployed. As a general conclusion from EuSpRIG 2003 conference\\ud it was decided that the time has come to attempt novel solutions based on an understanding of\\ud human factors. ...

The Euler’s Graphical User Interface Spreadsheet Calculator for Solving Ordinary Differential Equations by Visual Basic for Application Programming

Science.gov (United States)

Gaik Tay, Kim; Cheong, Tau Han; Foong Lee, Ming; Kek, Sie Long; Abdul-Kahar, Rosmila

2017-08-01

In the previous work on Euler’s spreadsheet calculator for solving an ordinary differential equation, the Visual Basic for Application (VBA) programming was used, however, a graphical user interface was not developed to capture users input. This weakness may make users confuse on the input and output since those input and output are displayed in the same worksheet. Besides, the existing Euler’s spreadsheet calculator is not interactive as there is no prompt message if there is a mistake in inputting the parameters. On top of that, there are no users’ instructions to guide users to input the derivative function. Hence, in this paper, we improved previous limitations by developing a user-friendly and interactive graphical user interface. This improvement is aimed to capture users’ input with users’ instructions and interactive prompt error messages by using VBA programming. This Euler’s graphical user interface spreadsheet calculator is not acted as a black box as users can click on any cells in the worksheet to see the formula used to implement the numerical scheme. In this way, it could enhance self-learning and life-long learning in implementing the numerical scheme in a spreadsheet and later in any programming language.

Wheels, Cranks, and Cams: An Animated Spreadsheet-Based Mathematical Model of a Four-Stroke Engine.

Science.gov (United States)

Callender, J. T.; Jackson, R.

1998-01-01

Analyzes the mathematics of rotational and translational motion and how one can influence the other in the context of cams and cranks. Describes how the individual components can be brought together to simulate a four-stroke engine and how the engine animates again using the same simple macro. (Author/ASK)

Mathematics Teachers' Ideas about Mathematical Models: A Diverse Landscape

Science.gov (United States)

Bautista, Alfredo; Wilkerson-Jerde, Michelle H.; Tobin, Roger G.; Brizuela, Bárbara M.

2014-01-01

This paper describes the ideas that mathematics teachers (grades 5-9) have regarding mathematical models of real-world phenomena, and explores how teachers' ideas differ depending on their educational background. Participants were 56 United States in-service mathematics teachers. We analyzed teachers' written responses to three open-ended…

Simple Spreadsheet Thermal Models for Cryogenic Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Nash, Alfred

1995-01-01

Self consistent circuit analog thermal models that can be run in commercial spreadsheet programs on personal computers have been created to calculate the cooldown and steady state performance of cryogen cooled Dewars. The models include temperature dependent conduction and radiation effects. The outputs of the models provide temperature distribution and Dewar performance information. these models have been used to analyze the SIRTF Telescope Test Facility (STTF). The facility has been brought on line for its first user, the Infrared Telescope Technology Testbed (ITTT), for the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) at JPL. The model algorithm as well as a comparison between the models' predictions and actual performance of this facility will be presented.

Head First Excel A learner's guide to spreadsheets

CERN Document Server

Milton, Michael

2010-01-01

Do you use Excel for simple lists, but get confused and frustrated when it comes to actually doing something useful with all that data? Stop tearing your hair out: Head First Excel helps you painlessly move from spreadsheet dabbler to savvy user. Whether you're completely new to Excel or an experienced user looking to make the program work better for you, this book will help you incorporate Excel into every aspect of your workflow, from a scratch pad for data-based brainstorming to exploratory analysis with PivotTables, optimizing outcomes with Goal Seek, and presenting your conclusions wit

Effects of a Mathematics Fluency Program on Mathematics Performance of Students with Challenging Behaviors

Science.gov (United States)

Whitney, Todd; Hirn, Regina G.; Lingo, Amy S.

2016-01-01

In the present study, we examined the effects of a fluency-building mathematics program called Great Leaps Math on fluency of basic addition mathematics facts zero to nine and word problem solving using a multiple probe design across participants. Three elementary students with challenging behaviors and mathematics difficulty participated in the…

A spreadsheet to determine the volume ratio for target and breast in partial breast irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kron, T.; Willis, D.; Miller, J.; Hubbard, P.; Oliver, M.; Chua, B.

2009-01-01

Full text: The technical feasibility of Partial Breast Irradiation (PBI) using external beam radiotherapy depends on the ratio between the evaluation planning target volume (PTV e val) and the whole breast volume (PBI volume ratio = PVR). We aimed to develop a simple method to determine PVR using measurements performed at the time of the planning CT scan. A PVR calculation tool was developed using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to determine the PTV from three orthogonal dimensions of the seroma cavity and a given margin on the CT scans. The breast volume is estimated from the separation and breast height in five equally spaced CT slices. The PTV e val and whole breast volume were determined for 29 patients from two centres using the spreadsheet calculation tool and compared to volumes delineated on computerised treatment planning systems. Both the PTV e val and whole breast volumes were underestimated by approximately 25% using the spreadsheet. The resulting PVRs were 1.05 +/- 0.35 (mean +/- 1 S D) times larger than the ones determined from planning. Estimations of the PVR using the calculation tool were achievable in around 5 minutes at the time of CT scanning and allow a prompt decision on the suitability of the patients for PBI.

Broadening participation in Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Maryland Baltimore County

Science.gov (United States)

Rous, Philip

2013-03-01

Over the past two decades, UMBC has undertaken a series of efforts to broaden participation in the natural sciences and mathematics, beginning with the establishment of the Meyerhoff program. Using as examples the multiple initiatives that followed, and with a focus on the challenge of increasing access and success of all students who enter as both freshmen and transfer students, I will describe a model of culture change that we have employed repeatedly to understand and guide our efforts in broadening participation. Particular attention will be paid to the concept of cultural capital, the role of innovators and the challenge of scaling small-scale innovations towards institutional change. Supported by the National Science Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

A Computer Simulation Using Spreadsheets for Learning Concept of Steady-State Equilibrium

Science.gov (United States)

Sharda, Vandana; Sastri, O. S. K. S.; Bhardwaj, Jyoti; Jha, Arbind K.

2016-01-01

In this paper, we present a simple spreadsheet based simulation activity that can be performed by students at the undergraduate level. This simulation is implemented in free open source software (FOSS) LibreOffice Calc, which is available for both Windows and Linux platform. This activity aims at building the probability distribution for the…

Making the business case for telemedicine: an interactive spreadsheet.

Science.gov (United States)

McCue, Michael J; Palsbo, Susan E

2006-04-01

The objective of this study was to demonstrate the business case for telemedicine in nonrural areas. We developed an interactive spreadsheet to conduct multiple financial analyses under different capital investment, revenue, and expense scenarios. We applied the spreadsheet to the specific case of poststroke rehabilitation in urban settings. The setting involved outpatient clinics associated with a freestanding rehabilitation hospital in Oklahoma. Our baseline scenario used historical financial data from face-to-face encounters as the baseline for payer and volume mix. We assumed a cost of capital of 10% to finance the project. The outcome measures were financial breakeven points and internal rate of return. A total of 340 telemedicine visits will generate a positive net cash flow each year. The project is expected to recoup the initial investment by the fourth year, produce a positive present value dollar return of more than $2,000, and earn rate of return of 20%, which exceeds the hospital's cost of capital. The business case is demonstrated for this scenario. Urban telemedicine programs can be financially self-sustaining without accounting for reductions in travel time by providers or patients. Urban telemedicine programs can be a sound business investment and not depend on grants or subsidies for start-up funding. There are several key decision points that affect breakeven points and return on investment. The best business strategy is to approach the decision as whether or not to build a new clinic.

"Mathematics Is Like a Lion": Elementary Students' Beliefs about Mathematics

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Markovits, Zvia; Forgasz, Helen

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to explore the beliefs of elementary school students about mathematics and about themselves as mathematics learners. The participants, Israeli grade 4 and grade 6 students, completed questionnaires. Using an "animal metaphor" to tap beliefs, some students perceived mathematics as difficult and complicated, while…

Exploring mathematics anxiety and attitude: Mathematics students' experiences

Science.gov (United States)

Sahri, Nurul Ashikin; Kamaruzaman, Wan Nur Farahdalila Wan; Jamil, Jastini Mohd.; Shaharanee, Izwan Nizal Mohd.

2017-11-01

A quantitative and correlational, survey methods were used to investigate the relationships among mathematical anxiety and attitude toward student's mathematics performance. Participants were 100 students volunteer to enroll in undergraduate Industrial Statistics, Decision Sciences and Business Mathematics at one of northern university in Malaysia. Survey data consisted of demographic items and Likert scale items. The collected data was analyzed by using the idea of correlation and regression analysis. The results indicated that there was a significant positive relationship between students' attitude and mathematics anxiety. Results also indicated that a substantial positive effect of students' attitude and mathematics anxiety in students' achievement. Further study can be conducted on how mathematical anxiety and attitude toward mathematics affects can be used to predict the students' performance in the class.

Applying 'Evidence-Based Medicine' Theory to Interventional Radiology.Part 2: A Spreadsheet for Swift Assessment of Procedural Benefit and Harm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MacEneaney, Peter M.; Malone, Dermot E.

2000-01-01

AIM: To design a spreadsheet program to analyse interventional radiology (IR) data rapidly produced in local research or reported in the literature using 'evidence-based medicine' (EBM) parameters of treatment benefit and harm. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Microsoft Excel TM was used. The spreadsheet consists of three worksheets. The first shows the 'Levels of Evidence and Grades of Recommendations' that can be assigned to therapeutic studies as defined by the Oxford Centre for EBM. The second and third worksheets facilitate the EBM assessment of therapeutic benefit and harm. Validity criteria are described. These include the assessment of the adequacy of sample size in the detection of possible procedural complications. A contingency (2 x 2) table for raw data on comparative outcomes in treated patients and controls has been incorporated. Formulae for EBM calculations are related to these numerators and denominators in the spreadsheet. The parameters calculated are benefit -- relative risk reduction, absolute risk reduction, number needed to treat (NNT). Harm -- relative risk, relative odds, number needed to harm (NNH). Ninety-five per cent confidence intervals are calculated for all these indices. The results change automatically when the data in the therapeutic outcome cells are changed. A final section allows the user to correct the NNT or NNH in their application to individual patients. RESULTS: This spreadsheet can be used on desktop and palmtop computers. The MS Excel TM version can be downloaded via the Internet from the URL ftp://radiography.com/pub/TxHarm00.xls. CONCLUSION: A spreadsheet is useful for the rapid analysis of the clinical benefit and harm from IR procedures. MacEneaney, P.M. and Malone, D.E

Electronic spreadsheet to acquire the reflectance from the TM and ETM+ Landsat images

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Antonio R. Formaggio

2005-08-01

Full Text Available The reflectance of agricultural cultures and other terrestrial surface "targets" is an intrinsic parameter of these targets, so in many situations, it must be used instead of the values of "gray levels" that is found in the satellite images. In order to get reflectance values, it is necessary to eliminate the atmospheric interference and to make a set of calculations that uses sensor parameters and information regarding the original image. The automation of this procedure has the advantage to speed up the process and to reduce the possibility of errors during calculations. The objective of this paper is to present an electronic spreadsheet that simplifies and automatizes the transformation of the digital numbers of the TM/Landsat-5 and ETM+/Landsat-7 images into reflectance. The method employed for atmospheric correction was the dark object subtraction (DOS. The electronic spreadsheet described here is freely available to users and can be downloaded at the following website: http://www.dsr.inpe.br/Calculo_Reflectancia.xls.

Simple Functions Spreadsheet tool presentation; for determination of solubility limits of some radionuclides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grive, Mireia; Domenech, Cristina; Montoya, Vanessa; Garcia, David; Duro, Lara (Amphos 21, Barcelona (Spain))

2010-09-15

This document is a guide for users of the Simple Functions Spreadsheet tool. The Simple Functions Spreadsheet tool has been developed by Amphos 21 to determine the solubility limits of some radionuclides and it has been especially designed for Performance Assessment exercises. The development of this tool has been promoted by the necessity expressed by SKB of having a confident and easy-to-handle tool to calculate solubility limits in an agile and relatively fast manner. Its development started in 2005 and since then, it has been improved until the current version. This document describes the accurate and preliminary study following expert criteria that has been used to select the simplified aqueous speciation and solid phase system included in the tool. This report also gives the basic instructions to use this tool and to interpret its results. Finally, this document also reports the different validation tests and sensitivity analyses that have been done during the verification process

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) participation among college students with an autism spectrum disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Xin; Yu, Jennifer W; Shattuck, Paul; McCracken, Mary; Blackorby, Jose

2013-07-01

Little research has examined the popular belief that individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more likely than the general population to gravitate toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. This study analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2, a nationally representative sample of students with an ASD in special education. Findings suggest that students with an ASD had the highest STEM participation rates although their college enrollment rate was the third lowest among 11 disability categories and students in the general population. Disproportionate postsecondary enrollment and STEM participation by gender, family income, and mental functioning skills were found for young adults with an ASD. Educational policy implications are discussed.

Data analysis and graphing in an introductory physics laboratory: spreadsheet versus statistics suite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peterlin, Primoz

2010-01-01

Two methods of data analysis are compared: spreadsheet software and a statistics software suite. Their use is compared analysing data collected in three selected experiments taken from an introductory physics laboratory, which include a linear dependence, a nonlinear dependence and a histogram. The merits of each method are compared.

Excel spreadsheet in teaching numerical methods

Science.gov (United States)

Djamila, Harimi

2017-09-01

One of the important objectives in teaching numerical methods for undergraduates’ students is to bring into the comprehension of numerical methods algorithms. Although, manual calculation is important in understanding the procedure, it is time consuming and prone to error. This is specifically the case when considering the iteration procedure used in many numerical methods. Currently, many commercial programs are useful in teaching numerical methods such as Matlab, Maple, and Mathematica. These are usually not user-friendly by the uninitiated. Excel spreadsheet offers an initial level of programming, which it can be used either in or off campus. The students will not be distracted with writing codes. It must be emphasized that general commercial software is required to be introduced later to more elaborated questions. This article aims to report on a teaching numerical methods strategy for undergraduates engineering programs. It is directed to students, lecturers and researchers in engineering field.

Why do early mathematics skills predict later reading? The role of mathematical language.

Science.gov (United States)

Purpura, David J; Logan, Jessica A R; Hassinger-Das, Brenna; Napoli, Amy R

2017-09-01

A growing body of evidence indicates that the development of mathematics and literacy skills is highly related. The importance of literacy skills-specifically language-for mathematics development has been well rationalized. However, despite several prominent studies indicating that mathematics skills are highly predictive of literacy development, the reason for this relation is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to identify how and why early mathematics is predictive of early literacy development. Participants included 125 preschool children 3-5 years old (M = 4 years 3 months). Participants were assessed on mathematics, literacy, and cognitive measures in both the fall and spring of their preschool year. Mediation analyses indicated that the relation between early mathematics and literacy skills is mediated by children's mathematical language skills. These findings suggest that, in prior research identifying mathematical performance as a significant predictor of later literacy skills, mathematical performance may have acted only as a proxy measure for more complex language skills such as those assessed on a mathematical language measure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Maxine: A spreadsheet for estimating dose from chronic atmospheric radioactive releases

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jannik, Tim [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Bell, Evaleigh [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Dixon, Kenneth [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

2017-07-24

MAXINE is an EXCEL© spreadsheet, which is used to estimate dose to individuals for routine and accidental atmospheric releases of radioactive materials. MAXINE does not contain an atmospheric dispersion model, but rather doses are estimated using air and ground concentrations as input. Minimal input is required to run the program and site specific parameters are used when possible. Complete code description, verification of models, and user’s manual have been included.

USE OF ELECTRONIC EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES WHEN TRAINING IN WORK WITH SPREADSHEETS

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Х А Гербеков

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Today the tools for maintaining training courses based on opportunities of information and communication technologies are developed. Practically in all directions of preparation and on all subject matters electronic textbook and self-instruction manuals are created. Nevertheless the industry of computer educational and methodical materials actively develops and gets more and more areas of development and introduction. In this regard more and more urgent is a problem of development of the electronic educational resources adequate to modern educational requirements. Creation and the organization of training courses with use of electronic educational resources in particular on the basis of Internet technologies remains a difficult methodical task.In article the questions connected with development of electronic educational resources for use when studying the substantial line “Information technologies” of a school course of informatics in particular for studying of spreadsheets are considered. Also the analysis of maintenance of a school course and the unified state examination from the point of view of representation of task in him corresponding to the substantial line of studying “Information technologies” on mastering technology of information processing in spreadsheets and the methods of visualization given by means of charts and schedules is carried out.

Data Analysis and Graphing in an Introductory Physics Laboratory: Spreadsheet versus Statistics Suite

Science.gov (United States)

Peterlin, Primoz

2010-01-01

Two methods of data analysis are compared: spreadsheet software and a statistics software suite. Their use is compared analysing data collected in three selected experiments taken from an introductory physics laboratory, which include a linear dependence, a nonlinear dependence and a histogram. The merits of each method are compared. (Contains 7…

Verification of Monitor unit calculations for eclipse Treatment Planning System by in- house developed spreadsheet

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Hemalatha Athiyaman

2018-04-01

Conclusion: The spreadsheet was tested for most of the routine treatment sites and geometries. It has good agreement with the Eclipse TPS version 13.8 for homogenous treatment sites such as head &and neck and carcinoma cervix.

(abstract) Simple Spreadsheet Thermal Models for Cryogenic Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Nash, A. E.

1994-01-01

Self consistent circuit analog thermal models, that can be run in commercial spreadsheet programs on personal computers, have been created to calculate the cooldown and steady state performance of cryogen cooled Dewars. The models include temperature dependent conduction and radiation effects. The outputs of the models provide temperature distribution and Dewar performance information. These models have been used to analyze the Cryogenic Telescope Test Facility (CTTF). The facility will be on line in early 1995 for its first user, the Infrared Telescope Technology Testbed (ITTT), for the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) at JPL. The model algorithm as well as a comparison of the model predictions and actual performance of this facility will be presented.

Understanding Gauss’s law using spreadsheets

Science.gov (United States)

Baird, William H.

2013-09-01

Some of the results from the electrostatics portion of introductory physics are particularly difficult for students to understand and/or believe. For students who have yet to take vector calculus, Gauss’s law is far from obvious and may seem more difficult than Coulomb’s. When these same students are told that the minimum potential energy for charges added to a conductor is realized when all charges are on the surface, they may have a hard time believing that the energy would not be lowered if just one of those charges were moved from the surface to the interior of a conductor. Investigating these ideas using Coulomb’s law and/or the formula for the potential energy of a system of discrete charges might be tempting, but as the number of charges climbs past a few the calculations become tedious. A spreadsheet enables students to perform these for a hundred or more charges and confirm the familiar results.

The parameter spreadsheets and their applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwitters, R.; Chao, A.; Chou, W.; Peterson, J.

1993-01-01

This paper is to announce that a set of parameter spreadsheets, using the Microsoft EXCEL software, has been developed for the SSC (and also for the LHC). In this program, the input (or control) parameters and the derived parameters are linked by equations that express the accelerator physics involved. A subgroup of parameters that are considered critical, or possible bottlenecks, has been highlighted under the category of open-quotes Flagsclose quotes. Given certain performance goals, one can use this program to open-quotes tuneclose quotes the input parameters in such a way that the flagged parameters do not exceed their acceptable range. During the past years, this program has been employed for the following purposes: (a) To guide the machine designs for various operation scenarios, (b) To generate a parameter list that is self-consistent and, (c) To study the impact of some proposed parameter changes (e.g., different choices of the rf frequency and bunch spacing)

Use of a commercial spreadsheet for quality control in radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sales, D.A.G.; Batista, D.V.S.

2001-01-01

This work presents the results obtained from elaboration of a spreadsheet to quality control of physical and clinical dosimetry of a radiotherapy service. It was developed using the resources of a commercial software, in the way to behave an independent verification of manual calculation and therapy planning system calculation to routine procedures of radiotherapy service of Instituto Nacional de Cancer. Its validation was made with the reference of current manual calculation proposed at literature and with the results of therapy planning system for test cases. (author)

Random Numbers Demonstrate the Frequency of Type I Errors: Three Spreadsheets for Class Instruction

Science.gov (United States)

Duffy, Sean

2010-01-01

This paper describes three spreadsheet exercises demonstrating the nature and frequency of type I errors using random number generation. The exercises are designed specifically to address issues related to testing multiple relations using correlation (Demonstration I), t tests varying in sample size (Demonstration II) and multiple comparisons…

CROSS-CORRELATION MODELLING OF SURFACE WATER – GROUNDWATER INTERACTION USING THE EXCEL SPREADSHEET APPLICATION

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Kristijan Posavec

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Modelling responses of groundwater levels in aquifer systems, which occur as a reaction to changes in aquifer system boundary conditions such as river or stream stages, is commonly being studied using statistical methods, namely correlation, cross-correlation and regression methods. Although correlation and regression analysis tools are readily available in Microsoft Excel, a widely applied spreadsheet industry standard, the cross-correlation analysis tool is missing. As a part of research of groundwater pressure propagation into alluvial aquifer systems of the Sava and Drava/Danube River catchments following river stages rise, focused on estimating groundwater pressure travel times in aquifers, an Excel spreadsheet data analysis application for cross-correlation modelling has been designed and used in modelling surface water – groundwater interaction. Examples of fi eld data from the Zagreb aquifer system and the Kopački rit Nature Park aquifer system are used to illustrate the usefulness of the cross-correlation application.

Lowering Preservice Teachers' Mathematics Anxiety through an Experience-Based Mathematics Methods Course.

Science.gov (United States)

Conrad, Karen S.; Tracy, Dyanne M.

Research has shown that elementary teachers are mathematics anxious, and that this anxiousness can be transmitted to their students. Therefore, many students are not afforded the opportunity to participate in a comfortable mathematics environment. Preservice elementary teachers (n=63) reported their pre- and posttest mathematics anxiety using the…

Stories about Math: An Analysis of Students' Mathematical Autobiographies

Science.gov (United States)

Latterell, Carmen M.; Wilson, Janelle L.

2016-01-01

This paper analyzes 16 preservice secondary mathematics education majors' mathematical autobiographies. Participants wrote about their previous experiences with mathematics. All participants discussed why they wanted to become mathematics teachers with the key factors being past experience with mathematics teachers, previous success in mathematics…

Teaching Graphical Simulations of Fourier Series Expansion of Some Periodic Waves Using Spreadsheets

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Iqbal; Kaur, Bikramjeet

2018-01-01

The present article demonstrates a way of programming using an Excel spreadsheet to teach Fourier series expansion in school/colleges without the knowledge of any typical programming language. By using this, a student learns to approximate partial sum of the n terms of Fourier series for some periodic signals such as square wave, saw tooth wave,…

CEASAW: A User-Friendly Computer Environment Analysis for the Sawmill Owner

Science.gov (United States)

Guillermo Mendoza; William Sprouse; Philip A. Araman; William G. Luppold

1991-01-01

Improved spreadsheet software capabilities have brought optimization to users with little or no background in mathematical programming. Better interface capabilities of spreadsheet models now make it possible to combine optimization models with a spreadsheet system. Sawmill production and inventory systems possess many features that make them suitable application...

The Opinions of Middle School Mathematics Teachers on the Integration of Mathematics Course and Social Issues

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Buket Turhan Turkkan

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to examine the opinions of middle school mathematics teachers on the integration of mathematics course and social issues. For this purpose, qualitative research method was used in this study. As for determining the participants of the research, criterion sampling among purposeful sampling methods was used. Being a middle school mathematics teacher as an occupation was considered as a criterion for determining the participants. The participants of the research consist of 13 middle school mathematics teachers in Turkey. So as to collect the research data, the semi-structured interview form created by the researchers was used. The data analysis was performed according to the content analysis, and Nvivo 10 program was used for the analysis. As a result of this study, the themes of the situation and methods of the integration of mathematics course and social issues, the attainment of democratic values in mathematics course and the ways of its attainment, gaining awareness of social justice and equality in mathematics course and the ways of its gaining, the activities performed by teachers for social issues in mathematics course and the teachers’ suggestions for the integration of mathematics course and social issues were reached and the results were discussed within this frame.

Mathematics Attitudes and Mathematics Outcomes of U.S. and Belarusian Middle School Students

Science.gov (United States)

Lipnevich, Anastasiya A.; MacCann, Carolyn; Krumm, Stefan; Burrus, Jeremy; Roberts, Richard D.

2011-01-01

Two multivariate studies examined the applicability of the theory of planned behavior in gauging students' attitudes toward mathematics, as well as the predictive power of mathematics attitudes in explaining students' grades in mathematics. Middle-school students from the United States (N = 382) and Belarus (N = 339) participated. Confirmatory…

Opinions of Secondary School Mathematics Teachers on Mathematical Modelling

Science.gov (United States)

Tutak, Tayfun; Güder, Yunus

2013-01-01

The aim of this study is to identify the opinions of secondary school mathematics teachers about mathematical modelling. Qualitative research was used. The participants of the study were 40 secondary school teachers working in the Bingöl Province in Turkey during 2012-2013 education year. Semi-structured interview form prepared by the researcher…

Mathematics and engineering in real life through mathematical competitions

Science.gov (United States)

More, M.

2018-02-01

We bring out an experience of organizing mathematical competitions that can be used as a medium to motivate the student and teacher minds in new directions of thinking. This can contribute to fostering research, innovation and provide a hands-on experience of mathematical concepts with the real world. Mathematical competitions can be used to build curiosity and give an understanding of mathematical applications in real life. Participation in the competition has been classified under four broad categories. Student can showcase their findings in various forms of expression like model, poster, soft presentation, animation, live performance, art and poetry. The basic focus of the competition is on using open source computation tools and modern technology, to emphasize the relationship of mathematical concepts with engineering applications in real life.

How Well Does A-Level Mathematics Prepare Students for the Mathematical Demands of Chemistry Degrees?

Science.gov (United States)

Darlington, Ellie; Bowyer, Jessica

2016-01-01

332 undergraduate chemistry students were surveyed in order to establish whether they had found A-level Mathematics and/or Further Mathematics to be good preparation for their degree. Perceptions of both subjects were found to be positive, with more than 80% of participants describing Mathematics or Further Mathematics as good preparation. In…

Secondary School Mathematics Teachers' and Students' Views on Computer Assisted Mathematics Instruction in Turkey: Mathematica Example

Science.gov (United States)

Ardiç, Mehmet Alper; Isleyen, Tevfik

2017-01-01

This study aimed at determining the secondary school mathematics teachers' and students' views on computer-assisted mathematics instruction (CAMI) conducted via Mathematica. Accordingly, three mathematics teachers in Adiyaman and nine 10th-grade students participated in the research. Firstly, the researchers trained the mathematics teachers in the…

Teaching graphical simulations of Fourier series expansion of some periodic waves using spreadsheets

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Iqbal; Kaur, Bikramjeet

2018-05-01

The present article demonstrates a way of programming using an Excel spreadsheet to teach Fourier series expansion in school/colleges without the knowledge of any typical programming language. By using this, a student learns to approximate partial sum of the n terms of Fourier series for some periodic signals such as square wave, saw tooth wave, half wave rectifier and full wave rectifier signals.

Numerical Modelling with Spreadsheets as a Means to Promote STEM to High School Students

Science.gov (United States)

Benacka, Jan

2016-01-01

The article gives an account of an experiment in which sixty-eight high school students of age 16 - 19 developed spreadsheet applications that simulated fall and projectile motion in the air. The students applied the Euler method to solve the governing differential equations. The aim was to promote STEM to the students and motivate them to study…

A Window into Mathematical Support: How Parents' Perceptions Change Following Observations of Mathematics Tutoring

Science.gov (United States)

Westenskow, Arla; Boyer-Thurgood, Jennifer; Moyer-Packenham, Patricia S.

2015-01-01

This research study examined the perceptions of 24 parents of rising 5th-grade students with mathematics learning difficulties as part of a 10-week summer mathematics tutoring experience. During the summer tutoring program, parents observed their children participating in mathematics learning experiences during one-to-one tutoring sessions. At the…

Mathematics Student Teachers' Epistemological Beliefs about the Nature of Mathematics and the Goals of Mathematics Teaching and Learning in the Beginning of Their Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Viholainen, Antti; Asikainen, Mervi; Hirvonen, Pekka E.

2014-01-01

This article examines Finnish mathematics student teachers' epistemological beliefs concerning the nature of mathematics and the goals of mathematics teaching and learning solely in the beginning of their studies at university. A total of 18 students participated in a study consisting of a short questionnaire and interviews. The data was analyzed…

A Spreadsheet-Based Visualized Mindtool for Improving Students' Learning Performance in Identifying Relationships between Numerical Variables

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Chiu-Lin; Hwang, Gwo-Jen

2015-01-01

In this study, a spreadsheet-based visualized Mindtool was developed for improving students' learning performance when finding relationships between numerical variables by engaging them in reasoning and decision-making activities. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, an experiment was conducted on the "phenomena of climate…

Peningkatan Hasil Belajar Operasional Spreadsheet Jenis dan Fungsi dengan Rumus Statistik Akuntansi melalui Demonstrasi dan Presentasi

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NURBAITI SALPIDA GINAYANTI

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The research was purposed to find out the effectiveness of demonstration and presentation models are able to improve study result of students in operating Spreadsheet type and function by statistics in X Accounting 1 in SMKN 48 at Academic Year 2014/2015. The reasearch was conducted on August-November 2014. The method of the research was Action Research (PTK which was conducted in two cycles. Demonstration and Presentation were used as learning cycle model. A cycle consisted in three times of meetings and in the third meeting was done Post test. The indicators have been achieved by the result of research. As the expectation, in the second cycle, namely the number of students got the highest points was 97,45% and average value was 80,79%. In conclusion, demonstration and presentation are able to improve students’ study result in operating spreadsheet type and function by statistics if it was implemented appropriately in X Accounting 1 in SMKN 48 Jakarta.

TIMSS 2011 International Results in Mathematics

Science.gov (United States)

Mullis, Ina V. S.; Martin, Michael O.; Foy, Pierre; Arora, Alka

2012-01-01

The "TIMSS 2011 International Results in Mathematics" summarizes fourth and eighth grade student achievement in each of the 63 countries and 14 benchmarking entities which participated in TIMSS 2011. The report includes trends in mathematics achievement over time for participants in the previous TIMSS 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007…

Relationship of Mathematics Olympiad Performance of Gifted Students with IQ and Mathematics Achievement

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Ali İhsan BORAN

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to investigate relationship of mathematics Olympiad (analysis-algebra and geometry scores of gifted students with IQ scores (verbal, performance and general and mathematics achievement scores of the gifted students. Study group of the study included 64 gifted students (27 girls and 37 boys who took courses from one Science and Art Center. Data of study involved scores of the participants on mathematics Olympiad exam, WISC-R test and school mathematics achievement. For analysis of the data Pearson correlation analysis, Spearman correlation analysis, independent groups’ t-test and Mann Whitney U test were utilized. The findings showed that there was no significant relationship between the Olympiad scores on analysis-algebra and geometry and IQ scores (general, performance and verbal. But the Olympiad scores on analysis-algebra and geometry factors were significantly related to school mathematics achievement. Comparing IQ scores of highest and lowest scorer groups on the Olympiad scores showed that there were no significant differences between IQ scores (general, performance and verbal of the groups. However school mathematics scores of the participants significantly differed in terms of groups determined based on analysis-algebra and geometry scores.

Differences in Mathematics Teachers' Perceived Preparedness to Demonstrate Competence in Secondary School Mathematics Content by Teacher Characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Ng'eno, J. K.; Chesimet, M. C.

2016-01-01

A sample of 300 mathematics teachers drawn from a population of 1500 participated in this study. The participants were selected using systematic random sampling and stratified random sampling (stratified by qualification and gender). The data was collected using self-report questionnaires for mathematics teachers. One tool was used to collect…

Spreadsheets for business process management : Using process mining to deal with “events” rather than “numbers”?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Aalst, Wil

2018-01-01

Purpose: Process mining provides a generic collection of techniques to turn event data into valuable insights, improvement ideas, predictions, and recommendations. This paper uses spreadsheets as a metaphor to introduce process mining as an essential tool for data scientists and business analysts.

Perovskite classification: An Excel spreadsheet to determine and depict end-member proportions for the perovskite- and vapnikite-subgroups of the perovskite supergroup

Science.gov (United States)

Locock, Andrew J.; Mitchell, Roger H.

2018-04-01

Perovskite mineral oxides commonly exhibit extensive solid-solution, and are therefore classified on the basis of the proportions of their ideal end-members. A uniform sequence of calculation of the end-members is required if comparisons are to be made between different sets of analytical data. A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet has been programmed to assist with the classification and depiction of the minerals of the perovskite- and vapnikite-subgroups following the 2017 nomenclature of the perovskite supergroup recommended by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA). Compositional data for up to 36 elements are input into the spreadsheet as oxides in weight percent. For each analysis, the output includes the formula, the normalized proportions of 15 end-members, and the percentage of cations which cannot be assigned to those end-members. The data are automatically plotted onto the ternary and quaternary diagrams recommended by the IMA for depiction of perovskite compositions. Up to 200 analyses can be entered into the spreadsheet, which is accompanied by data calculated for 140 perovskite compositions compiled from the literature.

An Excel Spreadsheet Model for States and Districts to Assess the Cost-Benefit of School Nursing Services.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Li Yan; O'Brien, Mary Jane; Maughan, Erin D

2016-11-01

This paper describes a user-friendly, Excel spreadsheet model and two data collection instruments constructed by the authors to help states and districts perform cost-benefit analyses of school nursing services delivered by full-time school nurses. Prior to applying the model, states or districts need to collect data using two forms: "Daily Nurse Data Collection Form" and the "Teacher Survey." The former is used to record daily nursing activities, including number of student health encounters, number of medications administered, number of student early dismissals, and number of medical procedures performed. The latter is used to obtain estimates for the time teachers spend addressing student health issues. Once inputs are entered in the model, outputs are automatically calculated, including program costs, total benefits, net benefits, and benefit-cost ratio. The spreadsheet model, data collection tools, and instructions are available at the NASN website ( http://www.nasn.org/The/CostBenefitAnalysis ).

Using a Spreadsheet to Solve the Schro¨dinger Equations for the Energies of the Ground Electronic State and the Two Lowest Excited States of H[subscript2

Science.gov (United States)

Ge, Yingbin; Rittenhouse, Robert C.; Buchanan, Jacob C.; Livingston, Benjamin

2014-01-01

We have designed an exercise suitable for a lab or project in an undergraduate physical chemistry course that creates a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to calculate the energy of the S[subscript 0] ground electronic state and the S[subscript 1] and T[subscript 1] excited states of H[subscript 2]. The spreadsheet calculations circumvent the…

Spreadsheet-based program for alignment of overlapping DNA sequences.

Science.gov (United States)

Anbazhagan, R; Gabrielson, E

1999-06-01

Molecular biology laboratories frequently face the challenge of aligning small overlapping DNA sequences derived from a long DNA segment. Here, we present a short program that can be used to adapt Excel spreadsheets as a tool for aligning DNA sequences, regardless of their orientation. The program runs on any Windows or Macintosh operating system computer with Excel 97 or Excel 98. The program is available for use as an Excel file, which can be downloaded from the BioTechniques Web site. Upon execution, the program opens a specially designed customized workbook and is capable of identifying overlapping regions between two sequence fragments and displaying the sequence alignment. It also performs a number of specialized functions such as recognition of restriction enzyme cutting sites and CpG island mapping without costly specialized software.

The influence of Missouri mathematics project on seventh grade students’ mathematical understanding ability

Science.gov (United States)

Rezeki, S.; Setyawan, A. A.; Amelia, S.

2018-01-01

Mathematical understanding ability is a primary goal of Indonesian national education goals. However, various sources has shown that Indonesian students’ mathematical understanding ability is still relatively low. This study used quasi-experimental research design to examine the effectiveness of the application of Missouri Mathematics Project (MMP) on students’ mathematical understanding ability. The participants of the study were seventh grade students in Pekanbaru, Riau Province, Indonesia. They were selected purposively and represented as high, medium, and low-quality schools. The result of this study indicated that there was a significant effect of MMP on the overall students’ mathematical understanding ability and in all categories, except for low school level.

International Mathematical Internet Olympiad

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander Domoshnitsky

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Modern Internet technologies open new possibilities in wide spectrum of traditional methods used in mathematical education. One of the areas, where these technologies can be efficiently used, is an organization of mathematical competitions. Contestants can stay at their schools or universities and try to solve as many mathematical problems as possible and then submit their solutions through Internet. Simple Internet technologies supply audio and video connection between participants and organizers.

A Simple Spreadsheet Program to Simulate and Analyze the Far-UV Circular Dichroism Spectra of Proteins

Science.gov (United States)

Abriata, Luciano A.

2011-01-01

A simple algorithm was implemented in a spreadsheet program to simulate the circular dichroism spectra of proteins from their secondary structure content and to fit [alpha]-helix, [beta]-sheet, and random coil contents from experimental far-UV circular dichroism spectra. The physical basis of the method is briefly reviewed within the context of…

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; environmental consequences fact sheet 11: Smoke Impact Spreadsheet (SIS) model

Science.gov (United States)

Trent Wickman; Ann Acheson

2005-01-01

The Smoke Impact Spreadsheet (SIS) is a simple-to-use planning model for calculating particulate matter (PM) emissions and concentrations downwind of wildland fires. This fact sheet identifies the intended users and uses, required inputs, what the model does and does not do, and tells the user how to obtain the model.

Learning Mathematics with Creative Drama

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Baki Şahin

2018-04-01

Full Text Available In this study, a mathematics activity that used creative drama method to teach the fifth grade standard “Expresses a position with respect to another point using direction and unit” under geometry and measurement was implemented. Twenty students attending the fifth grade of a public school participated in the study. The lesson plan involved four activities in warm-up, role-play, and evaluation stages. Activities include processes that will ensure active participation of students. The activity lasted two lesson hours. Two prospective mathematics teachers and a mathematics teacher were available in the class during the activity to observe student participation and reactions. Additionally, 10 students were interviewed to learn their views about the lesson. Comments of the observers and the responses of the students to the interview questions indicate that the lesson was successful.

School Mathematics Leaders' Perceptions of Successes and Challenges of Their Leadership Role within a Mathematics Improvement Project

Science.gov (United States)

Sexton, Matt; Downton, Ann

2014-01-01

The mathematics curriculum leader plays an important role in leading the mathematics curriculum in primary schools. They experience successes and face challenges associated with this leadership role. The perceptions that 25 mathematics leaders held about the successes and challenges they experienced whilst participating in a school mathematics…

Ideas Tried, Lessons Learned, and Improvements to Make: A Journey in Moving a Spreadsheet-Intensive Course Online

Science.gov (United States)

Berardi, Victor L.

2012-01-01

Using information systems to solve business problems is increasingly required of everyone in an organization, not just technical specialists. In the operations management class, spreadsheet usage has intensified with the focus on building decision models to solve operations management concerns such as forecasting, process capability, and inventory…

Bingo! Select Games for Mathematical Thinking

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, Christa; Taylor, Cynthia; Buchheister, Kelley

2013-01-01

Games can both generate excitement among students and motivate them to participate in mathematics. Although games have been used primarily to "review" mathematical concepts at the middle school level, games should, and often do, have other instructional purposes. When teachers use mathematical games as an instructional strategy, they are…

Secondary School Mathematics Teachers’ and Students’ Views on Computer Assisted Mathematics Instruction in Turkey: Mathematica Example

OpenAIRE

Mehmet Alper Ardıç; Tevfik İşleyen

2017-01-01

This study aimed at determining the secondary school mathematics teachers’ and students’ views on computer-assisted mathematics instruction (CAMI) conducted via Mathematica. Accordingly, three mathematics teachers in Adıyaman and nine 10th-grade students participated in the research. Firstly, the researchers trained the mathematics teachers in the Mathematica program, a computer algebra system (CAS) and CAMI. Then, they provided a suitable environment for teachers to practice CAMI with their ...

Simulation of 2D Waves in Circular Membrane Using Excel Spreadsheet with Visual Basic for Teaching Activity

Science.gov (United States)

Eso, R.; Safiuddin, L. O.; Agusu, L.; Arfa, L. M. R. F.

2018-04-01

We propose a teaching instrument demonstrating the circular membrane waves using the excel interactive spreadsheets with the Visual Basic for Application (VBA) programming. It is based on the analytic solution of circular membrane waves involving Bessel function. The vibration modes and frequencies are determined by using Bessel approximation and initial conditions. The 3D perspective based on the spreadsheets functions and facilities has been explored to show the 3D moving objects in transitional or rotational processes. This instrument is very useful both in teaching activity and learning process of wave physics. Visualizing of the vibration of waves in the circular membrane which is showing a very clear manner of m and n vibration modes of the wave in a certain frequency has been compared and matched to the experimental result using resonance method. The peak of deflection varies in time if the initial condition was working and have the same pattern with matlab simulation in zero initial velocity

"Take Me to the Mathematical Circle!"

OpenAIRE

Veilande, Ingrida

2012-01-01

Preparing the students for various mathematical contests are the key goals of mathematical circles in Latvian schools. The reason why mathematical circles for students of primary schools are organised rather seldom is that problem sets of Olympiads are mainly created for students of 5th to 12th grades. The young participants of circles have to be introduced with the basic principles of Olimpiads mathematics too.

The Emergence of Objects from Mathematical Practices

Science.gov (United States)

Font, Vicenc; Godino, Juan D.; Gallardo, Jesus

2013-01-01

The nature of mathematical objects, their various types, the way in which they are formed, and how they participate in mathematical activity are all questions of interest for philosophy and mathematics education. Teaching in schools is usually based, implicitly or explicitly, on a descriptive/realist view of mathematics, an approach which is not…

FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS ON SPREADSHEET-BASED AUTOMATIC TREND LINES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

DANIEL HOMOCIANU

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Most of the nowadays business applications working with data sets allow exports to the spreadsheet format. This fact is related to the experience of common business users with such products and to the possibility to couple what they have with something containing many models, functions and possibilities to process and represent data, by that getting something in dynamics and much more than a simple static less useful report. The purpose of Business Intelligence is to identify clusters, profiles, association rules, decision trees and many other patterns or even behaviours, but also to generate alerts for exceptions, determine trends and make predictions about the future based on historical data. In this context, the paper shows some practical results obtained after testing both the automatic creation of scatter charts and trend lines corresponding to the user’s preferences and the automatic suggesting of the most appropriate trend for the tested data mostly based on the statistical measure of how close they are to the regression function.

Missing the Promise of Mathematical Modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, Dan

2015-01-01

The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) have exerted enormous pressure on every participant in a child's education. Students are struggling to meet new standards for mathematics learning, and parents are struggling to understand how to help them. Teachers are growing in their capacity to develop new mathematical competencies, and…

Teaching Simulation and Computer-Aided Separation Optimization in Liquid Chromatography by Means of Illustrative Microsoft Excel Spreadsheets

Science.gov (United States)

Fasoula, S.; Nikitas, P.; Pappa-Louisi, A.

2017-01-01

A series of Microsoft Excel spreadsheets were developed to simulate the process of separation optimization under isocratic and simple gradient conditions. The optimization procedure is performed in a stepwise fashion using simple macros for an automatic application of this approach. The proposed optimization approach involves modeling of the peak…

Potential errors when fitting experience curves by means of spreadsheet software

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sark, W.G.J.H.M. van; Alsema, E.A.

2010-01-01

Progress ratios (PRs) are widely used in forecasting development of many technologies; they are derived from historical data represented in experience curves. Fitting the double logarithmic graphs is easily done with spreadsheet software like Microsoft Excel, by adding a trend line to the graph. However, it is unknown to many that these data are transformed to linear data before a fit is performed. This leads to erroneous results or a transformation bias in the PR, as we demonstrate using the experience curve for photovoltaic technology: logarithmic transformation leads to overestimates of progress ratios and underestimates of goodness of fit. Therefore, other graphing and analysis software is recommended.

Continental Mathematics League.

Science.gov (United States)

Quartararo, Joseph

2002-01-01

This article describes the activities of the Continental Mathematics League, which offers a series of meets for children in grades 3 though 9. In addition, a Calculus League and a Computer Contest are offered. The league allows schools to participate by mail so that rural schools can participate. (CR)

A Mixed Methods Study of Teach for America Teachers' Mathematical Beliefs, Knowledge, and Classroom Teaching Practices during a Reform-Based University Mathematics Methods Course

Science.gov (United States)

Swars, Susan Lee

2015-01-01

This mixed methods study examined the mathematical preparation of elementary teachers in a Teach for America (TFA) program, focal participants for whom there is scant extant research. Data collection occurred before and after a university mathematics methods course, with a particular focus on the participants' (n = 22) mathematical beliefs,…

TIMSS 2003: Relating dimensions of mathematics attitude to mathematics achievement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kadijević Đorđe

2008-01-01

Full Text Available This study, which used a sample of 137,346 students from thirty three countries that participated in the TIMSS 2003 project in the eighth grade, examined the features of the individual and collective relations of three dimensions of mathematics attitude to mathematics achievement (MA, searching for the dimension mostly related to that achievement. The three dimensions of mathematics attitude were self-confidence in learning mathematics (SCLM, liking mathematics (LM and usefulness of mathematics (UM. By utilizing psychometrically valid and reliable measures of the three dimensions, it was found that: (1 each dimension of mathematics attitude alone was positively related to MA for almost all thirty three countries; (2 SCLM was primarily related to MA for thirty one countries; (3 when the two other dimensions were held constant, SCLM was positively related to MA for thirty three countries, LM was negatively related to MA for thirty countries, whereas UM was not related to MA for twenty one countries; (4 positive collective relationships of SCLM, LM and UM to MA considerably varied from country to country. Implications for research and practice are included.

Basic statistics with Microsoft Excel: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Divisi, Duilio; Di Leonardo, Gabriella; Zaccagna, Gino; Crisci, Roberto

2017-06-01

The scientific world is enriched daily with new knowledge, due to new technologies and continuous discoveries. The mathematical functions explain the statistical concepts particularly those of mean, median and mode along with those of frequency and frequency distribution associated to histograms and graphical representations, determining elaborative processes on the basis of the spreadsheet operations. The aim of the study is to highlight the mathematical basis of statistical models that regulate the operation of spreadsheets in Microsoft Excel.

Factors that Influence Participation of Students in Secondary Science and Mathematics Subjects in IB Schools Outside of the United States and Canada

Science.gov (United States)

Straffon, Elizabeth

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that affect the extent of international secondary students' participation in International Baccalaureate science and mathematics courses. The factors examined were gender, home region, size, percent host culture and age of the program, and coeducational and legal status of the school. Participation in math and science subjects was determined by analyzing the level and number of courses taken by students taking International Baccalaureate exams in 2010. Chi-Square and Cramer's V analysis were used to measure the effect of categorical variables on student participation and One-Way ANOVA and Bonferroni comparison of means were used to analyze the quantitative variables. All categorical variables were statistically significant (p<.01). Home region was the most important factor affecting participation in both math and science. Students from East, Southeast and South-Central Asia; and Eastern Europe have greater participation in math. The highest science participation came from students in East, Southern and Western Africa; and Southeast Asia. Top participators in science came from Australia/New Zealand, Northern Europe, East Africa and South-Central and Western Asia. State schools showed higher math and science participation. Science and math participation was also greater in all-male schools though associations were weak. Boys participated more than girls, especially in math. All quantitative variables were statistically significant. The program size had the largest effect size for both math and science with larger programs showing more participation at the higher level. A decreasing trend for age of the program and percent host culture was found for math participation. Three years of participation data were collected from an international school in Western Europe (n = 194). Variables included the influence of parent occupation, math preparedness (PSAT-Math), student achievement (GPA), and the importance of

Africa's Participation in TIMSS-2003

African Journals Online (AJOL)

cce

In 2003, six African countries - Ghana Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Botswana and South. Africa - participated in an international assessment programme in science and mathematics, called the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The study examined the performance of eighth graders in ...

Canadian Mathematical Congress

CERN Document Server

1977-01-01

For two weeks in August, 1975 more than 140 mathematicians and other scientists gathered at the Universite de Sherbrooke. The occasion was the 15th Biennial Seminar of the Canadian Mathematical Congress, entitled Mathematics and the Life Sciences. Participants in this inter­ disciplinary gathering included researchers and graduate students in mathematics, seven different areas of biological science, physics, chemistry and medical science. Geographically, those present came from the United States and the United Kingdom as well as from academic departments and government agencies scattered across Canada. In choosing this particular interdisciplinary topic the programme committee had two chief objectives. These were to promote Canadian research in mathematical problems of the life sciences, and to encourage co-operation and exchanges between mathematical scientists" biologists and medical re­ searchers. To accomplish these objective the committee assembled a stim­ ulating programme of lectures and talks. Six ...

The Effects of Modern Mathematics Computer Games on Mathematics Achievement and Class Motivation

Science.gov (United States)

Kebritchi, Mansureh; Hirumi, Atsusi; Bai, Haiyan

2010-01-01

This study examined the effects of a computer game on students' mathematics achievement and motivation, and the role of prior mathematics knowledge, computer skill, and English language skill on their achievement and motivation as they played the game. A total of 193 students and 10 teachers participated in this study. The teachers were randomly…

Ladtap XL Version 2017: A Spreadsheet For Estimating Dose Resulting From Aqueous Releases

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Minter, K. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Jannik, T. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

2017-06-15

LADTAP XL© is an EXCEL© spreadsheet used to estimate dose to offsite individuals and populations resulting from routine and accidental releases of radioactive materials to the Savannah River. LADTAP XL© contains two worksheets: LADTAP and IRRIDOSE. The LADTAP worksheet estimates dose for environmental pathways including external exposure resulting from recreational activities on the Savannah River and internal exposure resulting from ingestion of water, fish, and invertebrates originating from the Savannah River. IRRIDOSE estimates offsite dose to individuals and populations from irrigation of foodstuffs with contaminated water from the Savannah River. In 2004, a complete description of the LADTAP XL© code and an associated user’s manual was documented in LADTAP XL©: A Spreadsheet for Estimating Dose Resulting from Aqueous Release (WSRC-TR-2004-00059) and revised input parameters, dose coefficients, and radionuclide decay constants were incorporated into LADTAP XL© Version 2013 (SRNL-STI-2011-00238). LADTAP XL© Version 2017 is a slight modification to Version 2013 with minor changes made for more user-friendly parameter inputs and organization, updates in the time conversion factors used within the dose calculations, and fixed an issue with the expected time build-up parameter referenced within the population shoreline dose calculations. This manual has been produced to update the code description, verification of the models, and provide an updated user’s manual. LADTAP XL© Version 2017 has been verified by Minter (2017) and is ready for use at the Savannah River Site (SRS).

Validation and configuration management plan for the KE basins KE-PU spreadsheet code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harris, R.A.

1996-01-01

This report provides documentation of the spreadsheet KE-PU software that is used to verify compliance with the Operational Safety Requirement and Process Standard limit on the amount of plutonium in the KE-Basin sandfilter backwash pit. Included are: A summary of the verification of the method and technique used in KE-PU that were documented elsewhere, the requirements, plans, and results of validation tests that confirm the proper functioning of the software, the procedures and approvals required to make changes to the software, and the method used to maintain configuration control over the software

SU-F-BRB-16: A Spreadsheet Based Automatic Trajectory GEnerator (SAGE): An Open Source Tool for Automatic Creation of TrueBeam Developer Mode Robotic Trajectories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Etmektzoglou, A; Mishra, P; Svatos, M

2015-01-01

Purpose: To automate creation and delivery of robotic linac trajectories with TrueBeam Developer Mode, an open source spreadsheet-based trajectory generation tool has been developed, tested and made freely available. The computing power inherent in a spreadsheet environment plus additional functions programmed into the tool insulate users from the underlying schema tedium and allow easy calculation, parameterization, graphical visualization, validation and finally automatic generation of Developer Mode XML scripts which are directly loadable on a TrueBeam linac. Methods: The robotic control system platform that allows total coordination of potentially all linac moving axes with beam (continuous, step-and-shoot, or combination thereof) becomes available in TrueBeam Developer Mode. Many complex trajectories are either geometric or can be described in analytical form, making the computational power, graphing and programmability available in a spreadsheet environment an easy and ideal vehicle for automatic trajectory generation. The spreadsheet environment allows also for parameterization of trajectories thus enabling the creation of entire families of trajectories using only a few variables. Standard spreadsheet functionality has been extended for powerful movie-like dynamic graphic visualization of the gantry, table, MLC, room, lasers, 3D observer placement and beam centerline all as a function of MU or time, for analysis of the motions before requiring actual linac time. Results: We used the tool to generate and deliver extended SAD “virtual isocenter” trajectories of various shapes such as parameterized circles and ellipses. We also demonstrated use of the tool in generating linac couch motions that simulate respiratory motion using analytical parameterized functions. Conclusion: The SAGE tool is a valuable resource to experiment with families of complex geometric trajectories for a TrueBeam Linac. It makes Developer Mode more accessible as a vehicle to quickly

SU-F-BRB-16: A Spreadsheet Based Automatic Trajectory GEnerator (SAGE): An Open Source Tool for Automatic Creation of TrueBeam Developer Mode Robotic Trajectories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Etmektzoglou, A; Mishra, P; Svatos, M [Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA (United States)

2015-06-15

Purpose: To automate creation and delivery of robotic linac trajectories with TrueBeam Developer Mode, an open source spreadsheet-based trajectory generation tool has been developed, tested and made freely available. The computing power inherent in a spreadsheet environment plus additional functions programmed into the tool insulate users from the underlying schema tedium and allow easy calculation, parameterization, graphical visualization, validation and finally automatic generation of Developer Mode XML scripts which are directly loadable on a TrueBeam linac. Methods: The robotic control system platform that allows total coordination of potentially all linac moving axes with beam (continuous, step-and-shoot, or combination thereof) becomes available in TrueBeam Developer Mode. Many complex trajectories are either geometric or can be described in analytical form, making the computational power, graphing and programmability available in a spreadsheet environment an easy and ideal vehicle for automatic trajectory generation. The spreadsheet environment allows also for parameterization of trajectories thus enabling the creation of entire families of trajectories using only a few variables. Standard spreadsheet functionality has been extended for powerful movie-like dynamic graphic visualization of the gantry, table, MLC, room, lasers, 3D observer placement and beam centerline all as a function of MU or time, for analysis of the motions before requiring actual linac time. Results: We used the tool to generate and deliver extended SAD “virtual isocenter” trajectories of various shapes such as parameterized circles and ellipses. We also demonstrated use of the tool in generating linac couch motions that simulate respiratory motion using analytical parameterized functions. Conclusion: The SAGE tool is a valuable resource to experiment with families of complex geometric trajectories for a TrueBeam Linac. It makes Developer Mode more accessible as a vehicle to quickly

Browse Title Index

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Items 1 - 50 of 73 ... Vol 2 (2001), Computers in the Mathematics Curriculum: Spreadsheets, Abstract. Kofi D. Mereku. Vol 5 (2005), Constructivism and mathematics education in Ghana, Abstract ... Vol 10 (2011), Games in the mathematics curriculum: Some ... Mathematics Crises in our Schools: Causes and Remedies, Abstract.

Preservice Mathematics Teachers' Metaphorical Perceptions towards Proof and Proving

Science.gov (United States)

Ersen, Zeynep Bahar

2016-01-01

Since mathematical proof and proving are in the center of mathematics; preservice mathematics teachers' perceptions against these concepts have a great importance. Therefore, the study aimed to determine preservice mathematics teachers' perceptions towards proof and proving through metaphors. The participants consisted of 192 preservice…

Teaching Students to Model Neural Circuits and Neural Networks Using an Electronic Spreadsheet Simulator. Microcomputing Working Paper Series.

Science.gov (United States)

Hewett, Thomas T.

There are a number of areas in psychology where an electronic spreadsheet simulator can be used to study and explore functional relationships among a number of parameters. For example, when dealing with sensation, perception, and pattern recognition, it is sometimes desirable for students to understand both the basic neurophysiology and the…

The Effect of Realistic Mathematics Education Approach on Students' Achievement And Attitudes Towards Mathematics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Effandi Zakaria

2017-02-01

Full Text Available This study was conducted to determine the effect of Realistic Mathematics Education Approach on mathematics achievement and student attitudes towards mathematics. This study also sought determine the relationship between student achievement and attitudes towards mathematics. This study used a quasi-experimental design conducted on 61 high school students at SMA Unggul Sigli. Students were divided into two groups, the treatment group $(n = 30$ namely, the Realistic Mathematics Approach group (PMR and the control group $(n = 31$ namely, the traditional group. This study was conducted for six weeks. The instruments used in this study were the achievement test and the attitudes towards mathematics questionnaires. Data were analyzed using SPSS. To determine the difference in mean achievement and attitudes between the two groups, data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA test. The result showed significant differences between the Realistic Mathematics Approach and the traditional approach in terms of achievement. The study showed no significant difference between the Realistic Mathematics Approach and the traditional approach in term of attitudes towards mathematics. It can be concluded that the use of realistic mathematics education approach enhanced students' mathematics achievement, but not attitudes towards mathematics. The Realistic Mathematics Education Approach encourage students to participate actively in the teaching and learning of mathematics. Thus, Realistic Mathematics Education Approach is an appropriate methods to improve the quality of teaching and learning process.

The Characteristics of a Good Mathematics Teacher in Terms of Students, Mathematics Teachers, and School Administrators

Science.gov (United States)

Yesildere-Imre, Sibel

2017-01-01

This qualitative research aims to examine the opinions of school administrators, teachers, and middle school students about what makes a good mathematics teacher. Interviews were conducted with thirty-five participants: ten school administrators, ten mathematics teachers, and fifteen middle school students. A semi-structured interview form…

Designing Optical Spreadsheets-Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge Simulation (S-TPACK): A Case Study of Pre-Service Teachers Course

Science.gov (United States)

Thohir, M. Anas

2018-01-01

In the 21st century, the competence of instructional technological design is important for pre-service physics teachers. This case study described the pre-service physics teachers' design of optical spreadsheet simulation and evaluated teaching and learning the task in the classroom. The case study chose three of thirty pre-service teacher's…

Communities of practice: Participation patterns and professional impact for high school mathematics and science teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Printy, Susan M.

Improving the quality of teachers in schools is a keystone to educational improvement. New and veteran teachers alike need to enhance their content knowledge and pedagogical skills, but they must also examine, and often change, their underlying attitudes, beliefs, and values about the nature of knowledge and the abilities of students. Best accomplished collectively rather than individually, the interactions between teachers as they undertake the process of collaborative inquiry create "communities of practice." This dissertation investigates the importance of science and mathematics teachers' participation in communities of practice to their professional capabilities. The study tests the hypothesis that the social learning inherent in community of practice participation encourages teachers to learn from others with expertise, enhances teachers' sense of competence, and increases the likelihood that teachers' will use student-centered, problem-based instructional techniques aligned with national disciplinary standards. The researcher conceptualizes communities of practice along two dimensions that affect social learning: legitimate participation in activities and span of engagement with school members. Differences in teachers' subject area and the curricular track of their teaching assignment contribute to variation in teachers' participation in communities of practice along those dimensions. Using data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study, first and second follow-up, the study has two stages of multi-level analysis. The first stage examines factors that contribute to teachers' participation in communities of practice, including teachers' social and professional characteristics and school demographic and organizational characteristics. The second stage investigates the professional impact of such participation on the three outcome variables: teacher learning, teacher competence, and use of standards-based pedagogy. Hierarchical linear models provide

Examining mathematical discourse to understand in-service teachers’ mathematical activities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Margot Berger

2013-04-01

Full Text Available In this article I use Sfard’s theory of commognition to examine the surprising activities of a pair of in-service mathematics teachers in South Africa as they engaged in a particular mathematical task which allowed for, but did not prescribe, the use of GeoGebra. The (pre-calculus task required students to examine a function at an undefined point and to decide whether a vertical asymptote is associated with this point or not. Using the different characteristics of mathematical discourse, I argue that the words that students use really matter and show how a change in one participant’s use of the term ‘vertical asymptote’ constituted and reflected her learning. I also show how the other participant used imitation in a ritualised routine to get through the task. Furthermore I demonstrate how digital immigrants may resist the use of technology as the generator of legitimate mathematical objects.

Do Prospective Teachers Have Anxieties about Teaching Mathematics?

Science.gov (United States)

Yavuz, Günes

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study is to analyse the level of prospective classroom and mathematics teachers' anxieties about teaching mathematics. Freshman and junior prospective teachers from educational faculties of two different universities participated in this study. "Anxieties About Teaching Mathematics Scale" which was developed by Peker…

Student teachers’ perceptions of democracy in the mathematics classroom: Freedom, equality and dialogue

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wajeeh Daher

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This article studies student teachers’ perceptions of the pedagogic and didactic aspects of teaching and learning mathematics in a democratic classroom. It is concerned primarily with issues of democracy in the mathematics classroom, specifically freedom, equality and dialogue. The research was conducted in two mathematics teacher education classes, where students were in their third year of study to major in mathematics. To find these students’ perceptions of democracy in the mathematics classroom the first two stages of the constant comparison method were followed to arrive at categories of democratic and undemocratic acts. The participants in the research emphasised that instructors should refrain from giving some students more time or opportunities to express themselves or act in the mathematics classroom than other students, because this would make them feel unequal and possibly make them unwilling to participate further in the mathematics classroom. The participants also emphasised that instructors should not exert their power to stop the flow of students’ actions in the mathematics classroom, because this would trouble them and make them lose control of their actions. Further, the participants mentioned that instructors would do better to connect to students’ ways of doing mathematics, especially of defining mathematical terms, so that students appreciate the correct ways of doing mathematics and defining its terms.

Changing Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers' Beliefs about Using Computers for Teaching and Learning Mathematics: The Effect of Three Different Models

Science.gov (United States)

Karatas, Ilhan

2014-01-01

This study examines the effect of three different computer integration models on pre-service mathematics teachers' beliefs about using computers in mathematics education. Participants included 104 pre-service mathematics teachers (36 second-year students in the Computer Oriented Model group, 35 fourth-year students in the Integrated Model (IM)…

The Association between Mathematical Word Problems and Reading Comprehension

Science.gov (United States)

Vilenius-Tuohimaa, Piia Maria; Aunola, Kaisa; Nurmi, Jari-Erik

2008-01-01

This study aimed to investigate the interplay between mathematical word problem skills and reading comprehension. The participants were 225 children aged 9-10 (Grade 4). The children's text comprehension and mathematical word problem-solving performance was tested. Technical reading skills were investigated in order to categorise participants as…

Music-Themed Mathematics Education as a Strategy for Improving Elementary Preservice Teachers' Mathematics Pedagogy and Teaching Self-Efficacy

Science.gov (United States)

An, Song A.; Tillman, Daniel A.; Paez, Carlos R.

2015-01-01

This study investigated the effects upon elementary preservice teachers' mathematics teaching self-efficacy and interdisciplinary lesson design strategies, which resulted from an educational intervention that emphasized integrated music-mathematics instruction. The participating elementary preservice teachers (n = 152) were recruited for this…

The Effects of a Tier 3 Intervention on the Mathematics Performance of Second Grade Students With Severe Mathematics Difficulties.

Science.gov (United States)

Bryant, Brian R; Bryant, Diane Pedrotty; Porterfield, Jennifer; Dennis, Minyi Shih; Falcomata, Terry; Valentine, Courtney; Brewer, Chelsea; Bell, Kathy

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a systematic, explicit, intensive Tier 3 (tertiary) intervention on the mathematics performance of students in second grade with severe mathematics difficulties. A multiple-baseline design across groups of participants showed improved mathematics performance on number and operations concepts and procedures, which are the foundation for later mathematics success. In the previous year, 12 participants had experienced two doses (first and second semesters) of a Tier 2 intervention. In second grade, the participants continued to demonstrate low performance, falling below the 10th percentile on a researcher-designed universal screener and below the 16th percentile on a distal measure, thus qualifying for the intensive intervention. A project interventionist, who met with the students 5 days a week for 10 weeks (9 weeks for one group), conducted the intensive intervention. The intervention employed more intensive instructional design features than the previous Tier 2 secondary instruction, and also included weekly games to reinforce concepts and skills from the lessons. Spring results showed significantly improved mathematics performance (scoring at or above the 25th percentile) for most of the students, thus making them eligible to exit the Tier 3 intervention. © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2014.

Simulation of axonal excitability using a Spreadsheet template created in Microsoft Excel.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, A M

2000-08-01

The objective of this present study was to implement an established simulation protocol (A.M. Brown, A methodology for simulating biological systems using Microsoft Excel, Comp. Methods Prog. Biomed. 58 (1999) 181-90) to model axonal excitability. The simulation protocol involves the use of in-cell formulas directly typed into a spreadsheet and does not require any programming skills or use of the macro language. Once the initial spreadsheet template has been set up the simulations described in this paper can be executed with a few simple keystrokes. The model axon contained voltage-gated ion channels that were modeled using Hodgkin Huxley style kinetics. The basic properties of axonal excitability modeled were: (1) threshold of action potential firing, demonstrating that not only are the stimulus amplitude and duration critical in the generation of an action potential, but also the resting membrane potential; (2) refractoriness, the phenomenon of reduced excitability immediately following an action potential. The difference between the absolute refractory period, when no amount of stimulus will elicit an action potential, and relative refractory period, when an action potential may be generated by applying increased stimulus, was demonstrated with regard to the underlying state of the Na(+) and K(+) channels; (3) temporal summation, a process by which two sub-threshold stimuli can unite to elicit an action potential was shown to be due to conductance changes outlasting the first stimulus and summing with the second stimulus-induced conductance changes to drive the membrane potential past threshold; (4) anode break excitation, where membrane hyperpolarization was shown to produce an action potential by removing Na(+) channel inactivation that is present at resting membrane potential. The simulations described in this paper provide insights into mechanisms of axonal excitation that can be carried out by following an easily understood protocol.

Friend Influence and Susceptibility to Influence: Changes in Mathematical Reasoning as a Function of Relative Peer Acceptance and Interest in Mathematics

Science.gov (United States)

DeLay, Dawn; Laursen, Brett; Kiuru, Noona; Poikkeus, Anna-Maija; Aunola, Kaisa

2016-01-01

This study investigated friend influence over mathematics achievement in 202 same-sex friendship dyads (106 girl dyads). Participants were in the third grade (around age 9) at the outset. Each friend completed a questionnaire describing interest in mathematics and a standardized mathematical reasoning assessment. Peer nominations provided a…

A Novel Real-Time Data Acquisition Using an Excel Spreadsheet in Pendulum Experiment Tool with Light-Based Timer

Science.gov (United States)

Adhitama, Egy; Fauzi, Ahmad

2018-01-01

In this study, a pendulum experimental tool with a light-based timer has been developed to measure the period of a simple pendulum. The obtained data was automatically recorded in an Excel spreadsheet. The intensity of monochromatic light, sensed by a 3DU5C phototransistor, dynamically changes as the pendulum swings. The changed intensity varies…

Science Education in Nigeria: An Examination of People's Perceptions about Female Participation in Science, Mathematics and Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Ogunjuyigbe, Peter O.; Ojofeitimi, Ebenezer O.; Akinlo, Ambrose

2006-10-01

The paper brings to focus people's perception about female involvement in science, mathematics and technology (SMT). Data for the study were obtained from a survey conducted in March, 2005 in two Local Government Areas of Osun state, Southwest Nigeria. The paper reveals that: (i) about 57% of household heads, 45.6% of mothers and 57.6% of the children are of the opinion that both boys and girls are given equal right to SMT education (ii) social forces play an important role in determining people's attitude to SMT (iii) though, parents and stakeholders perceptions about girls' participation in some professions is changing, however, socio-cultural and economic factors still determine which sex to encourage to read SMT.

The Opinions of Middle School Mathematics Teachers on the Integration of Mathematics Course and Social Issues

Science.gov (United States)

Turhan Turkkan, Buket; Karakus, Memet

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the opinions of middle school mathematics teachers on the integration of mathematics course and social issues. For this purpose, qualitative research method was used in this study. As for determining the participants of the research, criterion sampling among purposeful sampling methods was used. Being a…

Analysis of chromium-51 release assay data using personal computer spreadsheet software

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lefor, A.T.; Steinberg, S.M.; Wiebke, E.A.

1988-01-01

The Chromium-51 release assay is a widely used technique to assess the lysis of labeled target cells in vitro. We have developed a simple technique to analyze data from Chromium-51 release assays using the widely available LOTUS 1-2-3 spreadsheet software. This package calculates percentage specific cytotoxicity and lytic units by linear regression. It uses all data points to compute the linear regression and can determine if there is a statistically significant difference between two lysis curves. The system is simple to use and easily modified, since its implementation requires neither knowledge of computer programming nor custom designed software. This package can help save considerable time when analyzing data from Chromium-51 release assays

Prevalence of Mathematic Disability in Primary Schools

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siavash Talepasand

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Objectives: One of the issues that have consistently been the concern for the health affair specialists and cure and massive social governors in health fields is the rate of disorders prevalence, diseases and the related subjects to epidemiology. Purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of mathematic disability amongst primary schools of Karaj. Methods: Totally 432 students were selected with multi-stage sampling method. Participants completed Raven test, Frostig Visual-Perception test and Wepman Auditory discrimination test, Rutter behavioral questionnaire and Iran Key-math test. In order to diagnosis mathematic disability, inter criterion was normal quotient intelligence and out criteria were to have one of visual perception, auditory and behavioral problems. The participants whose total standard scores in Iran Key-math test were one standard deviation below the mean were selected as a mathematical disability (MD. Results: The mathematic disability prevalence in primary students was estimated 0.46%. In addition, proportion of mathematic disability prevalence was not function of gender or grade. Discussion: The findings demonstrated that the prevalence of mathematic disability is much less than the previous researches. A possible explanation was that inappropriate screening co morbid disorders with the mathematic disability. The theoretical implications of findings are discussed in detail.

Problem solving through recreational mathematics

CERN Document Server

Averbach, Bonnie

1999-01-01

Historically, many of the most important mathematical concepts arose from problems that were recreational in origin. This book takes advantage of that fact, using recreational mathematics - problems, puzzles and games - to teach students how to think critically. Encouraging active participation rather than just observation, the book focuses less on mathematical results than on how these results can be applied to thinking about problems and solving them. Each chapter contains a diverse array of problems in such areas as logic, number and graph theory, two-player games of strategy, solitaire ga

Applied Mathematical Problems in Engineering

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Carlos Llopis-Albert

2016-10-01

Full Text Available There is a close relationship between engineering and mathematics, which has led to the development of new techniques in recent years. Likewise the developments in technology and computers have led to new ways of teaching mathematics for engineering students and the use of modern techniques and methods.  This research aims to provide insight on how to deal with mathematical problems for engineering students. This is performed by means of a fuzzy set/Qualitative Comparative Analysis applied to conflict resolution of Public Participation Projects in support to the EU Water Framework Directive.

Developing Mathematical Practices through Reflection Cycles

Science.gov (United States)

Reinholz, Daniel L.

2016-01-01

This paper focuses on reflection in learning mathematical practices. While there is a long history of research on reflection in mathematics, it has focused primarily on the development of conceptual understanding. Building on notion of learning as participation in social practices, this paper broadens the theory of reflection in mathematics…

English learners in the mathematics classroom

CERN Document Server

Coggins, Debra S (Susan)

2014-01-01

Research-based strategies to reach English learners - now aligned with the Common Core!Enable your English learners to build higher-level math skills and gain greater fluency in their new language-all while achieving the goals of the Common Core. Now in its second edition, this trusted resource includes:  Mathematics lesson scenarios in every chapter, directly connected to Common Core Standards and the Standards for Mathematical Practice Instructional approaches that promote participation, hands-on learning, and true comprehension of mathematics concepts that benefit ALL students Sample lessons, visuals, and essential vocabulary that connect mathematical concepts with language development.

What do mathematics teachers and teacher trainees know about the history of mathematics?

Science.gov (United States)

Gazit, Avikam

2013-06-01

The aim of this study is to present the findings of a study that examined the knowledge of mathematics teachers and teacher trainees, in different tracks, about the concepts, topics and characters from the history of mathematics. The findings indicate a lack of knowledge concerning most of the topics examined. Only about 40% of the participants knew about the origin of our counting system and the only item that reached above 50% was the item relating to the man who edited the book which is the basis for the plane geometry - Euclid (about 83%). Another meaningful finding was that the group with the highest score was that of mathematics teacher trainees in the accelerated track - a unique training scheme for middle school teachers (65.7%). The group with the lowest score was that of the elementary school mathematics student teachers (19.3%). One obvious conclusion is that we need to strengthen the knowledge of the history of mathematics in teacher training and in-service teachers' advanced studies.

Mathematics is always invisible, Professor Dowling

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Cable, John

2015-09-01

This article provides a critical evaluation of a technique of analysis, the Social Activity Method, recently offered by Dowling (2013) as a `gift' to mathematics education. The method is found to be inadequate, firstly, because it employs a dichotomy (between `expression' and `content') instead of a finer analysis (into symbols, concepts and setting or phenomena), and, secondly, because the distinction between `public' and `esoteric' mathematics, although interesting, is allowed to obscure the structure of the mathematics itself. There is also criticism of what Dowling calls the `myth of participation', which denies the intimate links between mathematics and the rest of the universe that lie at the heart of mathematical pedagogy. Behind all this lies Dowling's `essentially linguistic' conception of mathematics, which is criticised on the dual ground that it ignores the chastening experience of formalism in mathematical philosophy and that linguistics itself has taken a wrong turn and ignores lessons that might be learnt from mathematics education.

Investigating Declining Enrolments in Secondary Mathematics

Science.gov (United States)

Hine, Gregory

2016-01-01

This research paper examines the perspective of the Heads of Learning Area: Mathematics (HOLAMs) within all Western Australian secondary schools as to why they felt capable students were not enrolling in the two higher-level mathematics courses of study. All HOLAMs were invited to participate in a single, anonymous online survey comprising…

Use of a Spreadsheet to Calculate the Net Charge of Peptides and Proteins as a Function of pH: An Alternative to Using "Canned" Programs to Estimate the Isoelectric Point of These Important Biomolecules

Science.gov (United States)

Sims, Paul A.

2010-01-01

An approach is presented that utilizes a spreadsheet to allow students to explore different means of calculating and visualizing how the charge on peptides and proteins varies as a function of pH. In particular, the concept of isoelectric point is developed to allow students to compare the results of their spreadsheet calculations with those of…

Mathematical control theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agrachev, A.A.

2002-01-01

This volume is based on the lecture notes of the minicourses given in the frame of the school on Mathematical Control Theory held at the Abdus Salam ICTP from 3 to 28 September 2001. Mathematical Control Theory is a rapidly growing field which provides strict theoretical and computational tools for dealing with problems arising in electrical and aerospace engineering, automatics, robotics, applied chemistry, and biology etc. Control methods are also involved in questions pertaining to the development of countries in the South, such as wastewater treatment, agronomy, epidemiology, population dynamics, control of industrial and natural bio-reactors. Since most of these natural processes are highly nonlinear, the tools of nonlinear control are essential for the modelling and control of such processes. At present regular courses in Mathematical Control Theory are rarely included in the curricula of universities, and very few researchers receive enough background in the field. Therefore it is important to organize specific activities in the form of schools to provide the necessary background for those embarking on research in this field. The school at the Abdus Salam ICTP consisted of several minicourses intended to provide an introduction to various topics of Mathematical Control Theory, including Linear Control Theory (finite and infinite-dimensional), Nonlinear Control, and Optimal Control. The last week of the school was concentrated on applications of Mathematical Control Theory, in particular, those which are important for the development of non-industrialized countries. The school was intended primarily for mathematicians and mathematically oriented engineers at the beginning of their career. The typical participant was expected to be a graduate student or young post-doctoral researcher interested in Mathematical Control Theory. It was assumed that participants have sufficient background in Ordinary Differential Equations and Advanced Calculus. The volume

Mathematical control theory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Agrachev, A A [Steklov Mathematical Institute, Moscow (Russian Federation); SISSA, Trieste [Italy; ed.

2002-07-15

This volume is based on the lecture notes of the minicourses given in the frame of the school on Mathematical Control Theory held at the Abdus Salam ICTP from 3 to 28 September 2001. Mathematical Control Theory is a rapidly growing field which provides strict theoretical and computational tools for dealing with problems arising in electrical and aerospace engineering, automatics, tics, applied chemistry, and biology etc. Control methods are also involved in questions pertaining to the development of countries in the South, such as wastewater treatment, agronomy, epidemiology, population dynamics, control of industrial and natural bio-reactors. Since most of these natural processes are highly nonlinear, the tools of nonlinear control are essential for the modelling and control of such processes. At present regular courses in Mathematical Control Theory are rarely included in the curricula of universities, and very few researchers receive enough background in the field. Therefore it is important to organize specific activities in the form of schools to provide the necessary background for those embarking on research in this field. The school at the Abdus Salam ICTP consisted of several minicourses intended to provide an introduction to various topics of Mathematical Control Theory, including Linear Control Theory (finite and infinite-dimensional), Nonlinear Control, and Optimal Control. The last week of the school was concentrated on applications of Mathematical Control Theory, in particular, those which are important for the development of non-industrialized countries. The school was intended primarily for mathematicians and mathematically oriented engineers at the beginning of their career. The typical participant was expected to be a graduate student or young post-doctoral researcher interested in Mathematical Control Theory. It was assumed that participants have sufficient background in Ordinary Differential Equations and Advanced Calculus. The volume contains

SimpleTreat: a spreadsheet-based box model to predict the fate of xenobiotics in a municipal waste water treatment plant

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Struijs J; van de Meent D; Stoltenkamp J

1991-01-01

A non-equilibrium steady state box model is reported, that predicts the fate of new chemicals in a conventional sewage treatment plant from a minimal input data set. The model, written in an electronic spreadsheet (Lotus TM 123), requires a minimum input: some basic properties of the chemical, its

Meta-analyses and Forest plots using a microsoft excel spreadsheet: step-by-step guide focusing on descriptive data analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Neyeloff, Jeruza L; Fuchs, Sandra C; Moreira, Leila B

2012-01-20

Meta-analyses are necessary to synthesize data obtained from primary research, and in many situations reviews of observational studies are the only available alternative. General purpose statistical packages can meta-analyze data, but usually require external macros or coding. Commercial specialist software is available, but may be expensive and focused in a particular type of primary data. Most available softwares have limitations in dealing with descriptive data, and the graphical display of summary statistics such as incidence and prevalence is unsatisfactory. Analyses can be conducted using Microsoft Excel, but there was no previous guide available. We constructed a step-by-step guide to perform a meta-analysis in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, using either fixed-effect or random-effects models. We have also developed a second spreadsheet capable of producing customized forest plots. It is possible to conduct a meta-analysis using only Microsoft Excel. More important, to our knowledge this is the first description of a method for producing a statistically adequate but graphically appealing forest plot summarizing descriptive data, using widely available software.

Meta-analyses and Forest plots using a microsoft excel spreadsheet: step-by-step guide focusing on descriptive data analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neyeloff Jeruza L

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Meta-analyses are necessary to synthesize data obtained from primary research, and in many situations reviews of observational studies are the only available alternative. General purpose statistical packages can meta-analyze data, but usually require external macros or coding. Commercial specialist software is available, but may be expensive and focused in a particular type of primary data. Most available softwares have limitations in dealing with descriptive data, and the graphical display of summary statistics such as incidence and prevalence is unsatisfactory. Analyses can be conducted using Microsoft Excel, but there was no previous guide available. Findings We constructed a step-by-step guide to perform a meta-analysis in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, using either fixed-effect or random-effects models. We have also developed a second spreadsheet capable of producing customized forest plots. Conclusions It is possible to conduct a meta-analysis using only Microsoft Excel. More important, to our knowledge this is the first description of a method for producing a statistically adequate but graphically appealing forest plot summarizing descriptive data, using widely available software.

Optimization Modeling with Spreadsheets

CERN Document Server

Baker, Kenneth R

2011-01-01

This introductory book on optimization (mathematical programming) includes coverage on linear programming, nonlinear programming, integer programming and heuristic programming; as well as an emphasis on model building using Excel and Solver.  The emphasis on model building (rather than algorithms) is one of the features that makes this book distinctive. Most books devote more space to algorithmic details than to formulation principles. These days, however, it is not necessary to know a great deal about algorithms in order to apply optimization tools, especially when relying on the sp

The Threshold Hypothesis Applied to Spatial Skill and Mathematics

Science.gov (United States)

Freer, Daniel

2017-01-01

This cross-sectional study assessed the relation between spatial skills and mathematics in 854 participants across kindergarten, third grade, and sixth grade. Specifically, the study probed for a threshold for spatial skills when performing mathematics, above which spatial scores and mathematics scores would be significantly less related. This…

Self-Regulation of Mathematics Homework Behavior: An Empirical Investigation

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Jianzhong; Du, Jianxia; Fan, Xitao

2017-01-01

The authors examined self-regulation of mathematics homework behavior (i.e., mathematics homework management). The participants consisted of 796 eighth-grade students (46 classes) in China. Multilevel results showed that mathematics homework management was positively associated with value belief at the class and individual level. At the individual…

An Emergent Framework: Views of Mathematical Processes

Science.gov (United States)

Sanchez, Wendy B.; Lischka, Alyson E.; Edenfield, Kelly W.; Gammill, Rebecca

2015-01-01

The findings reported in this paper were generated from a case study of teacher leaders at a state-level mathematics conference. Investigation focused on how participants viewed the mathematical processes of communication, connections, representations, problem solving, and reasoning and proof. Purposeful sampling was employed to select nine…

Coming to Know and Do Mathematics with Disengaged Students

Science.gov (United States)

Marshman, Margaret; Brown, Raymond

2014-01-01

This case study explored how students disaffected with their school experience were scaffolded during their participation in a middle-school mathematics classroom. Of particular interest were the level of student engagement in discussion about the mathematics being presented by the teacher and the approach to doing mathematics being displayed by…

An Examination of Multiple Intelligence Domains and Learning Styles of Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers: Their Reflections on Mathematics Education

Science.gov (United States)

Ozgen, Kemal; Tataroglu, Berna; Alkan, Huseyin

2011-01-01

The present study aims to identify pre-service mathematics teachers' multiple intelligence domains and learning style profiles, and to establish relationships between them. Employing the survey model, the study was conducted with the participation of 243 pre-service mathematics teachers. The study used the "multiple intelligence domains…

Dialogue in mathematics classrooms: Beyond question-and- answer methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karin Brodie

2007-10-01

Full Text Available This paper explores different kinds of interaction observed in South African mathematics classrooms in order to unpack the notion of participation in mathematics learning. It argues that conventional question-and-answer methods do not promote the kind of interaction that the new South African curriculum calls for. It presents more appropriate kinds of interactions, where teachers maintain high task demands, respond to genuine learner questions and support conversations among learners. The paper argues that combinations of different kinds of interaction are  most likely to support learner participation and mathematical thinking in classrooms.

Mathematical Basis and Test Cases for Colloid-Facilitated Radionuclide Transport Modeling in GDSA-PFLOTRAN

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reimus, Paul William [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2017-07-31

This report provides documentation of the mathematical basis for a colloid-facilitated radionuclide transport modeling capability that can be incorporated into GDSA-PFLOTRAN. It also provides numerous test cases against which the modeling capability can be benchmarked once the model is implemented numerically in GDSA-PFLOTRAN. The test cases were run using a 1-D numerical model developed by the author, and the inputs and outputs from the 1-D model are provided in an electronic spreadsheet supplement to this report so that all cases can be reproduced in GDSA-PFLOTRAN, and the outputs can be directly compared with the 1-D model. The cases include examples of all potential scenarios in which colloid-facilitated transport could result in the accelerated transport of a radionuclide relative to its transport in the absence of colloids. Although it cannot be claimed that all the model features that are described in the mathematical basis were rigorously exercised in the test cases, the goal was to test the features that matter the most for colloid-facilitated transport; i.e., slow desorption of radionuclides from colloids, slow filtration of colloids, and equilibrium radionuclide partitioning to colloids that is strongly favored over partitioning to immobile surfaces, resulting in a substantial fraction of radionuclide mass being associated with mobile colloids.

Probabilistic assessment methodology for continuous-type petroleum accumulations

Science.gov (United States)

Crovelli, R.A.

2003-01-01

The analytic resource assessment method, called ACCESS (Analytic Cell-based Continuous Energy Spreadsheet System), was developed to calculate estimates of petroleum resources for the geologic assessment model, called FORSPAN, in continuous-type petroleum accumulations. The ACCESS method is based upon mathematical equations derived from probability theory in the form of a computer spreadsheet system. ?? 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Elementary General and Special Education Teachers' Mathematics Skills and Efficacy

Science.gov (United States)

Flores, Margaret M.; Thornton, Jennifer; Franklin, Toni M.; Hinton, Vanessa M.; Strozier, Shaunita

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to extend the literature regarding elementary teachers' beliefs about mathematics instruction to include special education teachers by surveying special education and general education teachers' mathematics teaching efficacy. In addition, the researchers' surveyed teachers' mathematics skills. The participants (n =…

GRADE AS THE MOTIVATIONAL FACTOR IN LEARNING MATHEMATICS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sead Rešić

2017-09-01

Full Text Available In this research the motivation for learning mathematics was tested,as well as the effect of grades on the motivation of primary school level students. On a sample of N=100 participants, primary school students, we conducted a survey, the results of which show that the participants are more motivated with extrinsic factors, then intrinsic factors for learning mathematics. Grades are the main factor that has the most influence on the motivation level of students for learning mathematics, because students need good grades for their further education. The results also show that punishment and rewards from parents for bad and good grades has no effect on the motivation level of students

Mathematical literacy teachers' engagement with contextual tasks ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This article reports on a study carried out with a group of 108 practising Mathematical Literacy (ML) teachers who participated in an Advanced Certificate in Education (ACE) programme. The purpose of the qualitative study was to identify and describe the teachers' varying levels of engagement with mathematics tools and ...

Subjective and Objective Assessment of Mathematics Anxiety Levels among College Students

OpenAIRE

Baloğlu, Mustafa

2015-01-01

The study investigated the relationship between college students’ subjective and objective assessment of mathematics anxiety levels. Students rated their general and current mathematics anxiety levels, mathematical ability levels, and confidence in doing mathematics. The Revised Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale was used as an objective measure of their mathematics anxiety levels. Participants were 559 students, 406 (72.6%) women and 151 (27.0%) men. Results showed that perceived general mathe...

Utilizing Microsoft Mathematics In Teaching And Learning Calculus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rina Oktaviyanthi

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The experimental design was conducted to investigate the use of Microsoft Mathematics, free software made by Microsoft Corporation, in teaching and learning Calculus. This paper reports results from experimental study details on implementation of Microsoft Mathematics in Calculus, students’ achievement and the effects of the use of Microsoft Mathematics on students’ attitudes in relation to such experience. Two classes of the students from the first year student in Universitas Serang Raya were participated in the study. This study found that students who taught by using Microsoft Mathematics had higher achievement and has a positive effect on students’ confidence of mathematics.

Ghana's achievement in mathematics in TIMSS 2007 | Mereku ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

performance on the international benchmarks also improved significantly. The mathematics score, 309, placed Ghana at the 47th position on the overall mathematics achievement results table when the 48 participating countries, which met the TIMSS sampling requirements, were ranked by their mean performances.

Women's Leadership in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics: Barriers to Participation

Science.gov (United States)

McCullough, Laura

2011-01-01

Despite gains overall, women are still under-represented in leadership positions in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Data in the US suggest around one-quarter of deans and department heads are women; in science this drops to nearly 1 in 20. Part of this problem of under-representation stems from the population pool:…

Teaching Mathematics That Addresses Learners' Multiple Intelligences

Science.gov (United States)

Gouws, E.; Dicker, A-M.

2011-01-01

To meet the demands of our highly technological and globally competitive society, it is becoming increasingly important for all learners in South Africa to obtain skills and knowledge in mathematics. However, South Africa performed the worst of all the countries who participated in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS).…

Gestures and Insight in Advanced Mathematical Thinking

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Caroline; Thomas, Michael O. J.; Dreyfus, Tommy

2011-01-01

What role do gestures play in advanced mathematical thinking? We argue that the role of gestures goes beyond merely communicating thought and supporting understanding--in some cases, gestures can help generate new mathematical insights. Gestures feature prominently in a case study of two participants working on a sequence of calculus activities.…

Gender, Parental Beliefs and Children's Mathematics Performance: Insights from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children

Science.gov (United States)

Carmichael, Colin

2014-01-01

With reports of declining participation in mathematics related careers and low female participation rates, the issue of gender differences in mathematics remains relevant. This study seeks to examine the relationship between: children's sex, parents' beliefs regarding their children's education, and, the children's mathematics performance. Through…

Preservice Teachers' Perceptions about Teaching Mathematics through Music

Science.gov (United States)

An, Song A.; Tillman, Daniel; Shaheen, Andrea; Boren, Rachel

2014-01-01

This study examined preservice teachers' perceptions about teaching elementary level mathematics lessons integrated with music. It also sought to determine how preservice teachers would strategize the integration of music activities when introducing elementary level mathematics lessons. The participants, 53 undergraduate preservice teachers at a…

Viscoelastic Pavement Modeling with a Spreadsheet

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Levenberg, Eyal

2016-01-01

The aim herein was to equip civil engineers and students with an advanced pavement modeling tool that is both easy to use and highly adaptive. To achieve this, a mathematical solution for a layered viscoelastic half-space subjected to a moving load was developed and subsequently implemented...

The language of mathematics: investigating the ways language counts for children's mathematical development.

Science.gov (United States)

Vukovic, Rose K; Lesaux, Nonie K

2013-06-01

This longitudinal study examined how language ability relates to mathematical development in a linguistically and ethnically diverse sample of children from 6 to 9 years of age. Study participants were 75 native English speakers and 92 language minority learners followed from first to fourth grades. Autoregression in a structural equation modeling (SEM) framework was used to evaluate the relation between children's language ability and gains in different domains of mathematical cognition (i.e., arithmetic, data analysis/probability, algebra, and geometry). The results showed that language ability predicts gains in data analysis/probability and geometry, but not in arithmetic or algebra, after controlling for visual-spatial working memory, reading ability, and sex. The effect of language on gains in mathematical cognition did not differ between language minority learners and native English speakers. These findings suggest that language influences how children make meaning of mathematics but is not involved in complex arithmetical procedures whether presented with Arabic symbols as in arithmetic or with abstract symbols as in algebraic reasoning. The findings further indicate that early language experiences are important for later mathematical development regardless of language background, denoting the need for intensive and targeted language opportunities for language minority and native English learners to develop mathematical concepts and representations. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Exploring Customization in Higher Education: An Experiment in Leveraging Computer Spreadsheet Technology to Deliver Highly Individualized Online Instruction to Undergraduate Business Students

Science.gov (United States)

Kunzler, Jayson S.

2012-01-01

This dissertation describes a research study designed to explore whether customization of online instruction results in improved learning in a college business statistics course. The study involved utilizing computer spreadsheet technology to develop an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) designed to: a) collect and monitor individual real-time…

Unpacking the Male Superiority Myth and Masculinization of Mathematics at the Intersections: A Review of Research on Gender in Mathematics Education

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Leyva, Luis A.

2017-01-01

Gender research in mathematics education has experienced methodological and theoretical shifts over the past 45 years. Although achievement studies have used assessment tools to explore and subsequently challenge the assumption of male superiority on mathematics assessments, research on participation has unpacked these studies' sex-based…

Mathematical Problems in Biology : Victoria Conference

CERN Document Server

1974-01-01

A conference on "Some Mathematical Problems in Biology" was held at the University of Victoria, Victoria, B. C. , Canada, from May 7 - 10, 1973. The participants and invited speakers were mathematicians interested in problems of a biological nature, and scientists actively engaged in developing mathematical models in biological fields. One aim of the conference was to attempt to assess what the recent rapid growth of mathematical interaction with the biosciences has accomplished and may accomplish in the near future. The conference also aimed to expose the problems of communication bet~",een mathematicians and biological scientists, and in doing so to stimulate the interchange of ideas. It was recognised that the topic spans an enormous breadth, and little attempt was made to balance the very diverse areas. Widespread active interest was shown in the conference, and just over one hundred people registered. The varied departments and institutions across North America from which the participants came made it bo...

Developing Students' Understanding of Co-Opetition and Multilevel Inventory Management Strategies in Supply Chains: An In-Class Spreadsheet Simulation Exercise

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Fetter, Gary; Shockley, Jeff

2014-01-01

Instructors look for ways to explain to students how supply chains can be constructed so that competing suppliers can work together to improve inventory management performance (i.e., a phenomenon known as co-opetition). An Excel spreadsheet-driven simulation is presented that models a complete multilevel supply chain system--customer, retailer,…

Victorian Certificate of Education: Mathematics, Science and Gender

Science.gov (United States)

Cox, Peter J.; Leder, Gilah C.; Forgasz, Helen J.

2004-01-01

Gender differences in participation and performance at "high stakes" examinations have received much public attention, which has often focused on mathematics and science subjects. This paper describes the innovative forms of assessment introduced into mathematics and science subjects within the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE)…

Mathematics difficulties & classroom leadership

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schmidt, Maria Christina Secher

2016-01-01

This article investigates possible links between inclusion, students, for whom mathematics is extensively difficult, and classroom leadership through a case study on teaching strategies and student participation in four classrooms at two different primary schools in Denmark. Three sets of results...... are presented: 1) descriptions of the teachers’ classroom leadership to include all their students in the learning community, 2) the learning community produced by stated and practiced rules for teaching and learning behavior, 3) the classroom behavior of students who experience difficulties with mathematics....... The findings suggest that the teachers’ pedagogical choices and actions support an active learning environment for students in diverse learning needs, and that the teachers practise dimensions of inclusive classroom leadership that are known to be successful for teaching mathematics to all students. Despite...

2015 Association for Women in Mathematics Symposium

CERN Document Server

Lauter, Kristin; Chambers, Erin; Flournoy, Nancy; Grigsby, Julia; Martin, Carla; Ryan, Kathleen; Trivisa, Konstantina

2016-01-01

Presenting the latest findings in topics from across the mathematical spectrum, this volume includes results in pure mathematics along with a range of new advances and novel applications to other fields such as probability, statistics, biology, and computer science. All contributions feature authors who attended the Association for Women in Mathematics Research Symposium in 2015: this conference, the third in a series of biennial conferences organized by the Association, attracted over 330 participants and showcased the research of women mathematicians from academia, industry, and government.

Teacher Practices: How They Promote or Hinder Student Engagement in Mathematics

Science.gov (United States)

Skilling, Karen

2014-01-01

With persistent concerns about student engagement, interest and participation in mathematics, this research investigated the range of practices 31 Year 7 mathematics teachers reported using and how they perceived these practices influenced student engagement in mathematics. In-depth interviews revealed similarities in teachers' perceptions of…

ISA-TAB-Nano: A Specification for Sharing Nanomaterial Research Data in Spreadsheet-based Format

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background and motivation The high-throughput genomics communities have been successfully using standardized spreadsheet-based formats to capture and share data within labs and among public repositories. The nanomedicine community has yet to adopt similar standards to share the diverse and multi-dimensional types of data (including metadata) pertaining to the description and characterization of nanomaterials. Owing to the lack of standardization in representing and sharing nanomaterial data, most of the data currently shared via publications and data resources are incomplete, poorly-integrated, and not suitable for meaningful interpretation and re-use of the data. Specifically, in its current state, data cannot be effectively utilized for the development of predictive models that will inform the rational design of nanomaterials. Results We have developed a specification called ISA-TAB-Nano, which comprises four spreadsheet-based file formats for representing and integrating various types of nanomaterial data. Three file formats (Investigation, Study, and Assay files) have been adapted from the established ISA-TAB specification; while the Material file format was developed de novo to more readily describe the complexity of nanomaterials and associated small molecules. In this paper, we have discussed the main features of each file format and how to use them for sharing nanomaterial descriptions and assay metadata. Conclusion The ISA-TAB-Nano file formats provide a general and flexible framework to record and integrate nanomaterial descriptions, assay data (metadata and endpoint measurements) and protocol information. Like ISA-TAB, ISA-TAB-Nano supports the use of ontology terms to promote standardized descriptions and to facilitate search and integration of the data. The ISA-TAB-Nano specification has been submitted as an ASTM work item to obtain community feedback and to provide a nanotechnology data-sharing standard for public development and adoption. PMID

The contribution of parent-child numeracy activities to young Chinese children's mathematical ability.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Qi; Zhang, Xiao; Liu, Yingyi; Yang, Wen; Song, Zhanmei

2017-09-01

A growing body of recent research has shown that parent-child mathematical activities have a strong effect on children's mathematical learning. However, this research was conducted predominantly in Western societies and focused mainly on mothers' involvement in such activities. This study aimed to examine both mother-child and father-child numeracy activities in Hong Kong Chinese families and both parents' unique roles in predicting young Chinese children's mathematics ability. A sample of 104 Hong Kong Chinese children aged approximately 5 years and their mothers and fathers participated in this study. Mothers and fathers independently reported the frequency of their own numeracy activities with their children. Children were assessed individually using two measures of mathematical ability. Hierarchical regression models were used to investigate the contribution of parent-child numeracy activities to children's mathematical ability. Mothers' participation in number skill activities and fathers' participation in number game and application activities significantly predicted their children's mathematical performance even after controlling for background variables and children's language ability. This study extends previous research with a sample of Chinese kindergarten children and shows that parent-child numeracy activities are related to young children's mathematical ability. The findings highlight the important roles that mothers and fathers play in their young children's mathematical learning. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

Proceedings of the workshop on applied mathematics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, H C; Couture, M; Douglas, S; Leivo, H P

1992-10-01

The Workshop on Applied Mathematics was held at the Cockcroft Centre, Deep River, Ontario, 1992 February 7-8. The purpose of the workshop was to provide a forum for applied mathematicians to survey the use and to discuss the future of applied mathematics at AECL Research. There were 57 participants at the workshop A total of eight 30-minute and 25 15-minute talks were presented describing mathematical techniques used in the whole range of activities at AECL Research, from numerical simulation of fluid flow through eddy current testing to quantum algebra and accelerator physics.

Proceedings of the workshop on applied mathematics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, H.C.; Couture, M.; Douglas, S.; Leivo, H.P.

1992-10-01

The Workshop on Applied Mathematics was held at the Cockcroft Centre, Deep River, Ontario, 1992 February 7-8. The purpose of the workshop was to provide a forum for applied mathematicians to survey the use and to discuss the future of applied mathematics at AECL Research. There were 57 participants at the workshop A total of eight 30-minute and 25 15-minute talks were presented describing mathematical techniques used in the whole range of activities at AECL Research, from numerical simulation of fluid flow through eddy current testing to quantum algebra and accelerator physics

Using Culturally Responsive Stories in Mathematics: Responses from the Target Audience

Science.gov (United States)

Corp, Amy

2017-01-01

This study examined how Black students responded to the utilization of culturally responsive stories in their mathematics class. All students in the two classes participated in mathematics lessons that began with an African American story (culturally responsive to this population), followed by mathematical discussion and concluded with solving…

Main requirement for Zr-Zirconium alloys characteristics data base using the spreadsheet EXCEL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cesari, F.; Chiarini, A.; Izzo, N.

1995-01-01

The work, here exposed it is a result of a research that the authors have been performing during last years, using different kind of applicative software. Its justification is based on the observation that rarely a designer of components of nuclear plants, finds acceptable answers by queries put on a large Data Base of structural material. These DB, in fact, contain, in general, information not easily usable, often incomplete or not specific and particular of the project that the interrogator develops. In fact in his daily work a designer requires not only to retrieve data, but he want also to select and to fit them according to his criterion of evaluation almost never classifiable as a general one. Therefore, one envisage the utility of arranging such kind of information in an open system that allows from one side the creation of a DB containing data obtained from the current technical literature, together with models for their phenomenological representation (constitutive equations), and from the other one the aggregation of experimental data not available openly, to which however, the designer has access. Moreover it must insure to the designer the capability to apply particular mathematical models on subsets of selected data with criterion that originate from its experience and its original theoretical-experimental knowledge. It is obvious that in a similar context also becomes necessary a graphic representation of data and results with simple manipulations, provided by very effective graphic tools. The choice of the application software becomes therefore a very critical operation. Since the number of data necessary to characterize a material contained in such a Data Base is generally limited, one can safely envisage the use of a PC of last generation as a physical platform of the system, where a commercially available software is installed. A spreadsheet of more recent type, i.e. Microsoft's-EXCEL, seemed most opportune. In fact, it allows the protection of

Teachers, Equity, and Computers for Secondary Mathematics Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Forgasz, Helen

2006-01-01

The findings presented in this article were derived from a 3-year study aimed at examining issues associated with the use of computers for secondary mathematics learning in Victorian (Australia) schools. Gender and other equity factors were of particular interest. In this article, the focus is on the participating mathematics teachers. Data on…

Using Mathematics, Mathematical Applications, Mathematical Modelling, and Mathematical Literacy: A Theoretical Study

Science.gov (United States)

Mumcu, Hayal Yavuz

2016-01-01

The purpose of this theoretical study is to explore the relationships between the concepts of using mathematics in the daily life, mathematical applications, mathematical modelling, and mathematical literacy. As these concepts are generally taken as independent concepts in the related literature, they are confused with each other and it becomes…

Loving and Loathing: Portrayals of School Mathematics in Young Adult Fiction

Science.gov (United States)

Darragh, Lisa

2018-01-01

Images of mathematics and mathematicians are often negative and stereotyped. These portrayals may work to construct our impressions of mathematics and influence students' identity with and future participation in the subject. This study examined young adult fiction as a context in which school mathematics is portrayed and constructed. I used…

A Comparison of PISA and TIMSS 2003 Achievement Results in Mathematics

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Margaret

2009-01-01

This study compares the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2003 Mathematics results with the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2003 Grade 8 mathematics results, using country mean scores for 22 participants of both studies. It is found that Western countries generally performed better in PISA than in…

Math Autobiographies: A Window into Teachers' Identities as Mathematics Learners

Science.gov (United States)

McCulloch, Allison W.; Marshall, Patricia L.; DeCuir-Gunby, Jessica T.; Caldwell, Ticola S.

2013-01-01

Mathematics autobiographies have the potential to help teachers reflect on their identities as mathematics learners and to understand their role in the development of their students' mathematics identities. This paper reports on a professional development project for K-2 teachers (n = 41), in which participants were asked to write mathematics…

Mathematical Footprints Discovering Mathematics Everywhere

CERN Document Server

Pappas, Theoni

1999-01-01

MATHEMATICAL FOOTPRINTS takes a creative look at the role mathematics has played since prehistoric times, and will play in the future, and uncovers mathematics where you least expect to find it from its many uses in medicine, the sciences, and its appearance in art to its patterns in nature and its central role in the development of computers. Pappas presents mathematical ideas in a readable non-threatening manner. MATHEMATICAL FOOTPRINTS is another gem by the creator of THE MATHEMATICS CALENDAR and author of THE JOY OF MATHEMATICS. "Pappas's books have been gold mines of mathematical ent

Digital games and learning mathematics: Student, teacher and parent perspectives

OpenAIRE

Su Ting Yong; Peter Gates; Ian Harrison

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the potential use of digital games in learning mathematics at secondary school level in Malaysia. Three secondary school students, three mathematics teachers and three parents were interviewed in this study. All the participants were asked for their views and experiences in mathematics, technology usage and the use of digital games in learning mathematics. The results suggested that students were supportive and positive towards the use of computer game...

Mathematics and culture in Micronesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. J. (Sandy Dawson

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Wheatley and Frieze‟s book, Walk Out Walk On, provides the conceptual framework for an examination of Project MACIMISE, a National Science Foundation funded project that focused on the languages and cultural practices of nine Pacific islands and the state of Hawai„i. MACIMISE, pronounced as if spelled „maximize‟, is a 5-year Project. The Project‟s task is the development of elementary school mathematics curriculum units sensitive to local mathematical thought and experience. There were twenty-one participants (who call themselves the Macimisers in the Project. The participants were educated in ethnographic and anthropological research strategies to enable them to retrieve/uncover cultural practices extant in the communities where they lived. This academics work was accomplished partially via distance learning when the participants were registered in advanced degree programs at the University of Hawai„i—Mānoa. In this paper, the Project is analyzed in terms of the concepts (scaling across, start anywhere—follow it everywhere, intervention to friendship, the art of hosting and the use of circle advanced by Wheatley and Frieze.

DEVELOPMENT OF A SPREADSHEET BASED VENDOR MANAGED INVENTORY MODEL FOR A SINGLE ECHELON SUPPLY CHAIN: A CASE STUDY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karanam Prahlada Rao

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Vendor managed inventory (VMI is a supply chain initiative where the supplier assumes the responsibility for managing inventories using advanced communication means such as online messaging and data retrieval system. A well collaborated vendor manage inventory system can improve supply chain performance by decreasing the inventory level and increasing the fill rate. This paper investigates the implementation of vendor managed inventory systems in a consumer goods industry. We consider (r, Q policy for replenishing its inventory. The objective of work is to minimize the inventory across the supply chain and maximize the service level. The major contribution of this work is to develop a spreadsheet model for VMI system, Evaluation of Total inventory cost by using spreadsheet based method and Analytical method, Quantifying inventory reduction, Estimating service efficiency level, and validating the VMI spread sheet model with randomly generated demand. In the application, VMI as an inventory control system is able to reduce the inventory cost without sacrificing the service level. The results further more show that the inventory reduction obtained from analytical method is closer to the spread sheet based approach, which reveals the VMI success. However the VMI success is impacted by the quality of buyersupplier relationships, the quality of the IT system and the intensity of information sharing, but not by the quality of information shared.

The use of kragten spreadsheets for uncertainty evaluation of uranium potentiometric analysis by the Brazilian Safeguards Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, Jose Wanderley S. da; Barros, Pedro Dionisio de; Araujo, Radier Mario S. de

2009-01-01

In safeguards, independent analysis of uranium content and enrichment of nuclear materials to verify operator's declarations is an important tool to evaluate the accountability system applied by nuclear installations. This determination may be performed by nondestructive (NDA) methods, generally done in the field using portable radiation detection systems, or destructive (DA) methods by chemical analysis when more accurate and precise results are necessary. Samples for DA analysis are collected by inspectors during safeguards inspections and sent to Safeguards Laboratory (LASAL) of the Brazilian Nuclear Energy Commission - (CNEN), where the analysis take place. The method used by LASAL for determination of uranium in different physical and chemical forms is the Davies and Gray/NBL using an automatic potentiometric titrator, which performs the titration of uranium IV by a standard solution of K 2 Cr 2 O 7 . Uncertainty budgets have been determined based on the concepts of the ISO 'Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement' (GUM). In order to simplify the calculation of the uncertainty, a computational tool named Kragten Spreadsheet was used. Such spreadsheet uses the concepts established by the GUM and provides results that numerically approximates to those obtained by propagation of uncertainty with analytically determined sensitivity coefficients. The main parameters (input quantities) interfering on the uncertainty were studied. In order to evaluate their contribution in the final uncertainty, the uncertainties of all steps of the analytical method were estimated and compiled. (author)

The Professional Learning Experiences of Non-Mathematics Subject Specialist Teachers: A Descriptive Study

OpenAIRE

Ho Younghusband, Alice Christine

2017-01-01

Certified teachers in British Columbia (BC) schools can be assigned to teach secondary mathematics without having a major, minor, or formal background in mathematics. This is known as out-of-field teaching. These non-mathematics subject specialist teachers (NMSSTs) must learn or relearn the subject matter of mathematics to teach secondary mathematics. This study investigates what professional learning activities NMSSTs participate in to gain subject matter content knowledge in mathematics, wh...

Facilitating mathematics learning for students with upper extremity disabilities using touch-input system.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Kup-Sze; Chan, Tak-Yin

2015-03-01

To investigate the feasibility of using tablet device as user interface for students with upper extremity disabilities to input mathematics efficiently into computer. A touch-input system using tablet device as user interface was proposed to assist these students to write mathematics. User-switchable and context-specific keyboard layouts were designed to streamline the input process. The system could be integrated with conventional computer systems only with minor software setup. A two-week pre-post test study involving five participants was conducted to evaluate the performance of the system and collect user feedback. The mathematics input efficiency of the participants was found to improve during the experiment sessions. In particular, their performance in entering trigonometric expressions by using the touch-input system was significantly better than that by using conventional mathematics editing software with keyboard and mouse. The participants rated the touch-input system positively and were confident that they could operate at ease with more practice. The proposed touch-input system provides a convenient way for the students with hand impairment to write mathematics and has the potential to facilitate their mathematics learning. Implications for Rehabilitation Students with upper extremity disabilities often face barriers to learning mathematics which is largely based on handwriting. Conventional computer user interfaces are inefficient for them to input mathematics into computer. A touch-input system with context-specific and user-switchable keyboard layouts was designed to improve the efficiency of mathematics input. Experimental results and user feedback suggested that the system has the potential to facilitate mathematics learning for the students.

The EMERGE Summer Program: Supporting Incoming Freshmen's Success in Mathematics Developmental Coursework

Science.gov (United States)

Bird, Katherine; Oppland-Cordell, Sarah; Hibdon, Joseph

2016-01-01

This paper describes the development, results, and future directions of the mathematics component of the EMERGE Summer Program at Northeastern Illinois University. Initiated summer 2014, EMERGE offered English and mathematics sessions for incoming freshmen. The mathematics session aimed to strengthen participants' mathematical foundations,…

Numeric calculation of celestial bodies with spreadsheet analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Koch, Alexander

2016-04-01

The motion of the planets and moons in our solar system can easily be calculated for any time by the Kepler laws of planetary motion. The Kepler laws are a special case of the gravitational law of Newton, especially if you consider more than two celestial bodies. Therefore it is more basic to calculate the motion by using the gravitational law. But the problem is, that by gravitational law it is not possible to calculate the state of motion with only one step of calculation. The motion has to be numerical calculated for many time intervalls. For this reason, spreadsheet analysis is helpful for students. Skills in programmes like Excel, Calc or Gnumeric are important in professional life and can easily be learnt by students. These programmes can help to calculate the complex motions with many intervalls. The more intervalls are used, the more exact are the calculated orbits. The sutdents will first get a quick course in Excel. After that they calculate with instructions the 2-D-coordinates of the orbits of Moon and Mars. Step by step the students are coding the formulae for calculating physical parameters like coordinates, force, acceleration and velocity. The project is limited to 4 weeks or 8 lessons. So the calcualtion will only include the calculation of one body around the central mass like Earth or Sun. The three-body problem can only be shortly discussed at the end of the project.

Profiles of Opportunities to Learn for TEDS-M Future Secondary Mathematics Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ting-Ying; Tang, Shu-Jyh

2013-01-01

This study used the data set from the Teacher Education and Development Study in Mathematics to identify the profiles of opportunities to learn (OTL) regarding topics studied in teacher preparation programs by future secondary mathematics teachers from 15 participating countries. The topics of inquiry covered tertiary-level mathematics,…

Distributed Leadership: Key to Improving Primary Students' Mathematical Knowledge

Science.gov (United States)

Larson, Matthew R.; Smith, Wendy M.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this article is to present the findings of a quantitative study focused on primary mathematics teachers who participated in an intensive professional development program and then had leadership responsibility for the implementation of a new primary mathematics curriculum in their district. The study examines the effect of the…

A Multifaceted Mathematical Approach for Complex Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alexander, F.; Anitescu, M.; Bell, J.; Brown, D.; Ferris, M.; Luskin, M.; Mehrotra, S.; Moser, B.; Pinar, A.; Tartakovsky, A.; Willcox, K.; Wright, S.; Zavala, V.

2012-03-07

Applied mathematics has an important role to play in developing the tools needed for the analysis, simulation, and optimization of complex problems. These efforts require the development of the mathematical foundations for scientific discovery, engineering design, and risk analysis based on a sound integrated approach for the understanding of complex systems. However, maximizing the impact of applied mathematics on these challenges requires a novel perspective on approaching the mathematical enterprise. Previous reports that have surveyed the DOE's research needs in applied mathematics have played a key role in defining research directions with the community. Although these reports have had significant impact, accurately assessing current research needs requires an evaluation of today's challenges against the backdrop of recent advances in applied mathematics and computing. To address these needs, the DOE Applied Mathematics Program sponsored a Workshop for Mathematics for the Analysis, Simulation and Optimization of Complex Systems on September 13-14, 2011. The workshop had approximately 50 participants from both the national labs and academia. The goal of the workshop was to identify new research areas in applied mathematics that will complement and enhance the existing DOE ASCR Applied Mathematics Program efforts that are needed to address problems associated with complex systems. This report describes recommendations from the workshop and subsequent analysis of the workshop findings by the organizing committee.

MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTERS IN SPORT - OVERVIEW

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Hammond

2006-12-01

Full Text Available MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTERS IN SPORT - OVERVIEW The first 17 papers in this (December issue of the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine are selected papers from the Eighth Australasian Conference on Mathematics and Computers in Sport, held in Queensland in July 2006. Of the first seven conferences, five were held at Bond University in Queensland, one at the University of Technology in Sydney during the year of the Sydney Olympics, and the last one was in New Zealand at Massey University. The emerging discipline of mathematics and computers in sport has developed under the auspices of the Australian and New Zealand Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ANZIAM Division of the Australian Mathematics Society through an interest group known as MathSport, bringing together sports scientists who are interested inmathematical and statistical modelling in sport, the use of computers in sport, the application of these to improve coaching and individual performance, and teaching that combines mathematics, computers and sport. This eighth conference in the series returned to Queensland but not at Bond University, because campus accommodation for conference participants was no longer available at that venue. Instead delegates gathered at the Greenmount Beach Resort, which has been used during the past decade for a number of Applied Mathematics Conferences. There were 33 papers presented during the 3 days, across topics that covered a variety of individual and team sports. Participants attended from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, India, New Zealand and Australia. These participants were drawn from those working in mainstream mathematics, statistics, computers science, sports science support, coaching and education.Professor Steve Clarke and Emeritus Professor Neville de Mestre have been to all eight conferences and this year delivered papers on Australian rules football and golf putting respectively. Tony Lewis, of the Duckworth-Lewis formula for

How students process equations in solving quantitative synthesis problems? Role of mathematical complexity in students’ mathematical performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bashirah Ibrahim

2017-10-01

Full Text Available We examine students’ mathematical performance on quantitative “synthesis problems” with varying mathematical complexity. Synthesis problems are tasks comprising multiple concepts typically taught in different chapters. Mathematical performance refers to the formulation, combination, and simplification of equations. Generally speaking, formulation and combination of equations require conceptual reasoning; simplification of equations requires manipulation of equations as computational tools. Mathematical complexity is operationally defined by the number and the type of equations to be manipulated concurrently due to the number of unknowns in each equation. We use two types of synthesis problems, namely, sequential and simultaneous tasks. Sequential synthesis tasks require a chronological application of pertinent concepts, and simultaneous synthesis tasks require a concurrent application of the pertinent concepts. A total of 179 physics major students from a second year mechanics course participated in the study. Data were collected from written tasks and individual interviews. Results show that mathematical complexity negatively influences the students’ mathematical performance on both types of synthesis problems. However, for the sequential synthesis tasks, it interferes only with the students’ simplification of equations. For the simultaneous synthesis tasks, mathematical complexity additionally impedes the students’ formulation and combination of equations. Several reasons may explain this difference, including the students’ different approaches to the two types of synthesis problems, cognitive load, and the variation of mathematical complexity within each synthesis type.

The Use of Teachers' Baseline Normative Beliefs to Guide Professional Development in Teaching Mathematics

Science.gov (United States)

Lloyd, Mary Elizabeth Riley; Veal, William; Howell, Malia

2016-01-01

This article describes the normative beliefs and the discursive claims related to mathematics and teaching mathematics made by approximately 50 middle-level and secondary mathematics teachers within four high-need local education associations participating in a Mathematics and Science Partnership with a southeastern college's Science and Math for…

How do open-ended problems promote mathematical creativity? A reflection of bare mathematics problem and contextual problem

Science.gov (United States)

Wijaya, A.

2018-03-01

Creativity is often seen as one of the fundamental aspects of character education. As one of the 21st century skills, creativity has also been considered as an important goal of education across the world. This paper reports a study on promoting mathematical creativity through the use of open-ended mathematics problems. A total of 53 undergraduate students participated in the study. These students worked on open-ended problems in two types, i.e. bare mathematics problem and contextual problem. The contextual problem was presented in the form of paper-based and Geogebra-based. The students’ works were analysed qualitatively in order to describe how students’ mathematical creativity developed. It was found that the open-ended problems successfully promote students’ creativity as indicated by various solutions or strategies that were used by students to solve the problems. The analysis of students’ works show that students’ creativity developed through three kinds of exploration, i. e. (1) exploration of contexts, (2) exploration of software features, and (3) exploration of mathematics concepts. The use of metacognitive questioning was found to be helpful to develop the first two explorations into mathematical exploration.

Mathematics Teachers' Support and Retention: Using Maslow's Hierarchy to Understand Teachers' Needs

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, Molly H.; Royster, David

2016-01-01

As part of a larger study, four mathematics teachers from diverse backgrounds and teaching situations report their ideas on teacher stress, mathematics teacher retention, and their feelings about the needs of mathematics teachers, as well as other information crucial to retaining quality teachers. The responses from the participants were used to…

Exploring Rural High School Learners' Experience of Mathematics Anxiety in Academic Settings

Science.gov (United States)

Hlalele, Dipane

2012-01-01

The purpose of the study was to explore rural high school learners' experience of mathematics anxiety in academic settings. Mathematics anxiety has been found to have an adverse effect on confidence, motivation and achievement. This quantitative study is exploratory and descriptive in nature. The participants were 403 learners doing mathematics in…

Countries with Higher Levels of Gender Equality Show Larger National Sex Differences in Mathematics Anxiety and Relatively Lower Parental Mathematics Valuation for Girls.

Science.gov (United States)

Stoet, Gijsbert; Bailey, Drew H; Moore, Alex M; Geary, David C

2016-01-01

Despite international advancements in gender equality across a variety of societal domains, the underrepresentation of girls and women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) related fields persists. In this study, we explored the possibility that the sex difference in mathematics anxiety contributes to this disparity. More specifically, we tested a number of predictions from the prominent gender stratification model, which is the leading psychological theory of cross-national patterns of sex differences in mathematics anxiety and performance. To this end, we analyzed data from 761,655 15-year old students across 68 nations who participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Most importantly and contra predictions, we showed that economically developed and more gender equal countries have a lower overall level of mathematics anxiety, and yet a larger national sex difference in mathematics anxiety relative to less developed countries. Further, although relatively more mothers work in STEM fields in more developed countries, these parents valued, on average, mathematical competence more in their sons than their daughters. The proportion of mothers working in STEM was unrelated to sex differences in mathematics anxiety or performance. We propose that the gender stratification model fails to account for these national patterns and that an alternative model is needed. In the discussion, we suggest how an interaction between socio-cultural values and sex-specific psychological traits can better explain these patterns. We also discuss implications for policies aiming to increase girls' STEM participation.

Countries with Higher Levels of Gender Equality Show Larger National Sex Differences in Mathematics Anxiety and Relatively Lower Parental Mathematics Valuation for Girls

Science.gov (United States)

2016-01-01

Despite international advancements in gender equality across a variety of societal domains, the underrepresentation of girls and women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) related fields persists. In this study, we explored the possibility that the sex difference in mathematics anxiety contributes to this disparity. More specifically, we tested a number of predictions from the prominent gender stratification model, which is the leading psychological theory of cross-national patterns of sex differences in mathematics anxiety and performance. To this end, we analyzed data from 761,655 15-year old students across 68 nations who participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Most importantly and contra predictions, we showed that economically developed and more gender equal countries have a lower overall level of mathematics anxiety, and yet a larger national sex difference in mathematics anxiety relative to less developed countries. Further, although relatively more mothers work in STEM fields in more developed countries, these parents valued, on average, mathematical competence more in their sons than their daughters. The proportion of mothers working in STEM was unrelated to sex differences in mathematics anxiety or performance. We propose that the gender stratification model fails to account for these national patterns and that an alternative model is needed. In the discussion, we suggest how an interaction between socio-cultural values and sex-specific psychological traits can better explain these patterns. We also discuss implications for policies aiming to increase girls’ STEM participation. PMID:27100631

Usability of American Sign Language Videos for Presenting Mathematics Assessment Content.

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, Eric G; Loew, Ruth C; Laitusis, Cara C; Kushalnagar, Poorna; Pagliaro, Claudia M; Kurz, Christopher

2018-04-12

There is considerable interest in determining whether high-quality American Sign Language videos can be used as an accommodation in tests of mathematics at both K-12 and postsecondary levels; and in learning more about the usability (e.g., comprehensibility) of ASL videos with two different types of signers - avatar (animated figure) and human. The researchers describe the results of administering each of nine pre-college mathematics items in both avatar and human versions to each of 31 Deaf participants with high school and post-high school backgrounds. This study differed from earlier studies by obliging the participants to rely on the ASL videos to answer the items. While participants preferred the human version over the avatar version (apparently due largely to the better expressiveness and fluency of the human), there was no discernible relationship between mathematics performance and signed version.

Pre-service mathematics teachers' attitudes towards learning English: A case study in Yogyakarta

Science.gov (United States)

Setyaningrum, Wahyu

2017-08-01

This study investigated attitudes of pre-service mathematics teachers towards English as one of the subject at the university. It is a qualitative study in which questionnaire and face-to-face interview were employed to collect the data. The participants of this study were sixty students of mathematics education department at one of the university in Yogyakarta. The main research question was concern with how pre-service mathematics teachers perceive the importance of learning English. This study found that most of the participants perceive English as an important language that should be acquired by mathematics teachers. Their beliefs about the importance of English were mostly due to instrumental orientation rather than integrative orientation, such as getting a good job, getting a scholarship and understanding learning sources that are written in English. The data also revealed some obstacles faced by pre-service mathematics teachers in learning English as an additional language for them. The main obstacles were related to the differences between English for mathematics and English in daily life including its vocabulary and structure. Most of the participants argued that several mathematics vocabularies had precise meaning and different from daily English. In addition, they found difficult to understand some sentences used in the paper journal due to its structure. This study therefore, provided an insight into the pre-service mathematics teachers' perception and obstacles when learning English that could be use in improving pre-service teachers' education.

From the University to the Classroom: Prospective Elementary Mathematics Specialists' Pedagogical Shifts

Science.gov (United States)

Myers, Kayla D.; Swars, Susan L.; Smith, Stephanie Z.

2016-01-01

This project focuses on the development of prospective Elementary Mathematics Specialists (EMSs) in a K-5 Mathematics Endorsement Program. Program courses emphasized elementary mathematics content and pedagogy while providing opportunities for participants to evidence their learning through classroom teaching practice, all in an attempt to…

Visuospatial training improves elementary students' mathematics performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Lowrie, Tom; Logan, Tracy; Ramful, Ajay

2017-06-01

Although spatial ability and mathematics performance are highly correlated, there is scant research on the extent to which spatial ability training can improve mathematics performance. This study evaluated the efficacy of a visuospatial intervention programme within classrooms to determine the effect on students' (1) spatial reasoning and (2) mathematics performance as a result of the intervention. The study involved grade six students (ages 10-12) in eight classes. There were five intervention classes (n = 120) and three non-intervention control classes (n = 66). A specifically designed 10-week spatial reasoning programme was developed collaboratively with the participating teachers, with the intervention replacing the standard mathematics curriculum. The five classroom teachers in the intervention programme presented 20 hr of activities aimed at enhancing students' spatial visualization, mental rotation, and spatial orientation skills. The spatial reasoning programme led to improvements in both spatial ability and mathematics performance relative to the control group who received standard mathematics instruction. Our study is the first to show that a classroom-based spatial reasoning intervention improves elementary school students' mathematics performance. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

Secondary School Mathematics Teachers’ and Students’ Views on Computer Assisted Mathematics Instruction in Turkey: Mathematica Example

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Mehmet Alper Ardıç

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This study aimed at determining the secondary school mathematics teachers’ and students’ views on computer-assisted mathematics instruction (CAMI conducted via Mathematica. Accordingly, three mathematics teachers in Adıyaman and nine 10th-grade students participated in the research. Firstly, the researchers trained the mathematics teachers in the Mathematica program, a computer algebra system (CAS and CAMI. Then, they provided a suitable environment for teachers to practice CAMI with their students to teach quadratic functions (parabola. Case study, a qualitative research design, was utilized in the study. Semi-structured interview forms were used as data collection tools. The interview data were analyzed using descriptive and content analysis, and the codes and themes related to the topic were obtained. The findings revealed that all the teachers found CAMI implementations interesting as supported by students’ views. While all mathematics teachers wanted to benefit from CAMI in mathematics and geometry courses, most of the students asked that CAMI be used in different courses. It was found that students did not have any problems with the Mathematica used with CAMI activities. However, it was also revealed by one student and one teacher that involving CAMI constantly in the courses would hinder preparations for the university entrance exam.

Preservice Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Knowledge of Students

OpenAIRE

Kılıç, Hülya

2011-01-01

The aim of this paper is to present the nature of preservice secondary mathematics teachers’ knowledge of students as emerged from a study investigating the development of their pedagogical content knowledge in a methods course and its associated field experience. Six preservice teachers participated in the study and the data were collected in the forms of observations, interviews and written documents. Knowledge of students is defined as teachers’ knowledge of what mathematical concepts are ...

Acknowledging Spanish and English resources during mathematical reasoning

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LópezLeiva, Carlos A.; Torres, Zayoni; Khisty, Lena L.

2013-12-01

As English-only efforts continue in the US schooling system, dual-language programs have served as attempts to preserve students' home language. An after-school, dual-language, Spanish-English, mathematics program, Los Rayos was developed in a predominantly Mexican/Mexican-American neighborhood in Chicago. As participant observers with a sociocultural perspective, we explored the linguistic and personal resources used by participating 4th grade bilingual Latina/o students. We found that students used imaginative, playful, and hybrid linguistic resources to make sense of and solve probability tasks when engaged within a zone of mathematical practice. Results challenge narrow perspectives on bilingual students' linguistic resources. Language implications are discussed.

The use of mobile technologies for mathematical engagement in informal learning environments

OpenAIRE

2014-01-01

M.Ed. (Ict in Education) South African learners are underperforming in Mathematics. Annual National Assessments for grade 9 and grade 12 results in Mathematics are shocking according to the Ministry of Education. This study investigates informal learning as an alternative method of addressing underperformance in Mathematics in South African schools. Informal learning with the use of mobile technology enhances engagement in Mathematics learning. The participants of this study had access to ...

Efforts to Improve Mathematics Teacher Competency Through Training Program on Design Olympiad Mathematics Problems Based on Higher Order Thinking Skills in The Junior High School

Science.gov (United States)

Arnellis, A.; Jamaan, E. Z.; Amalita, N.

2018-04-01

The goal to analyse a improvement of teacher competence after being trained in preparing high-order math olympicad based on high order thinking skills in junior high school teachers in Pesisir Selatan Regency. The sample of these activities are teachers at the MGMP junior high school in Pesisir Selatan District. Evaluation of the implementation is done by giving a pre test and post test, which will measure the success rate of the implementation of this activities. The existence of the devotion activities is expected to understand the enrichment of mathematics olympiad material and training in the preparation of math olympiad questions for the teachers of South Pesisir district junior high school, motivating and raising the interest of the participants in order to follow the mathematics olympiad with the enrichment of mathematics materials and the training of problem solving about mathematics olympiad for junior high school teachers, the participants gain experience and gain insight, as well as the ins and outs of junior mathematics olympiad and implement to teachers and students in olympic competitions. The result of that the post-test is better than the result of pretest in the training of mathematics teacher competence improvement in composing the mathematics olympiad problem based on high order thinking skills of junior high school (SMP) in Pesisir Selatan District, West Sumatra, Indonesia.

THE QUALITY OF MATHEMATICAL PROBLEMS - EVALUATION AND SELF-EVALUATION

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Patáková, Eva

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The research presented in the article consists of two parts. Firstly, opinions on mathematical problem quality are explored within four groups of participants (novices, specialists and experts in problem posing; high school students who never posed their own problems. Secondly, self-reflections written by the participants who have some experience in problem posing (novices, specialists and experts are explored and compared with the general view of problem quality received in the first part of the research. The more experienced problem posers have more requirements on problem quality (both as general requirements and within their own work on posing problems. There is a slight decrease in ability to notice important features of mathematical problem quality after the first experience in problem posing. Experts lay stress on mathematical features of the problem whilst novices and specialists more on problem – student interaction.

Improving Mathematics Learning of Kindergarten Students through Computer-Assisted Instruction

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Foster, Matthew E.; Anthony, Jason L.; Clements, Doug H.; Sarama, Julie; Williams, Jeffrey M.

2016-01-01

This study evaluated the effects of a mathematics software program, the Building Blocks software suite, on young children's mathematics performance. Participants included 247 Kindergartners from 37 classrooms in 9 schools located in low-income communities. Children within classrooms were randomly assigned to receive 21 weeks of computer-assisted…

Preservice to Inservice: Does Mathematics Anxiety Change with Teaching Experience?

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Gresham, Gina

2018-01-01

Inservice teachers, participants in a prior study on mathematics anxiety, were revisited to determine whether their levels of mathematics anxiety still existed and/or continued to change after 5 years teaching experience. A 98-item Likert-type survey, informal discussions, informal interviews, and questionnaire-guided narrative interviews were…

Online Mathematics Homework Increases Student Achievement

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Jeremy Roschelle

2016-10-01

Full Text Available In a randomized field trial with 2,850 seventh-grade mathematics students, we evaluated whether an educational technology intervention increased mathematics learning. Assigning homework is common yet sometimes controversial. Building on prior research on formative assessment and adaptive teaching, we predicted that combining an online homework tool with teacher training could increase learning. The online tool ASSISTments (a provides timely feedback and hints to students as they do homework and (b gives teachers timely, organized information about students’ work. To test this prediction, we analyzed data from 43 schools that participated in a random assignment experiment in Maine, a state that provides every seventh-grade student with a laptop to take home. Results showed that the intervention significantly increased student scores on an end-of-the-year standardized mathematics assessment as compared with a control group that continued with existing homework practices. Students with low prior mathematics achievement benefited most. The intervention has potential for wider adoption.

Predicting Relationships between Mathematics Anxiety, Mathematics Teaching Anxiety, Self-efficacy Beliefs towards Mathematics and Mathematics Teaching

OpenAIRE

Unlu, Melihan; Ertekin, Erhan; Dilmac, Bulent

2017-01-01

The purpose of the research is to investigate the relationships betweenself-efficacy beliefs toward mathematics, mathematics anxiety and self-efficacybeliefs toward mathematics teaching, mathematics teaching anxiety variables andtesting the relationships between these variables with structural equationmodel. The sample of the research, which was conducted in accordance withrelational survey model, consists of 380 university students, who studied atthe department of Elementary Mathematics Educ...

Equity Analytics: A Methodological Approach for Quantifying Participation Patterns in Mathematics Classroom Discourse

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Reinholz, Daniel L.; Shah, Niral

2018-01-01

Equity in mathematics classroom discourse is a pressing concern, but analyzing issues of equity using observational tools remains a challenge. In this article, we propose equity analytics as a quantitative approach to analyzing aspects of equity and inequity in classrooms. We introduce a classroom observation tool that focuses on relatively…

Design based Investigation on Construction of Mathematical Modelling Problems: Example of Financial Content

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Melike TURAL SÖNMEZ

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to examine the construction of mathematical modelling problems process in the content of financial literacy. It is also aimed to create design proposals for construction of mathematical modelling problems. A design based research method was used in this study. The participants were three seventh grade students, six finance experts and nine mathematics education experts. Data collection tools were transcription of video and tapes group discussions, presentations and worksheets during mathematical modelling activities, and participant experts’ feedback form about mathematical modelling problems. There were three stages in this study. First stage was application of preliminary study. This stage gave information about convenience of problems to grade level, students’ timing for solution of problems, clarity of problems and students’ background about content. In second stage, finance experts commented on convenience of mathematical modelling problems to financial literacy standards. In third stage, mathematics education experts commented on convenience of problems to students’ grade level, mathematical modelling principles and seventh grade mathematics lesson objectives. They also gave suggestion on progress. The frequency value of theme in feedback forms was calculated and experts’ expressions were given as citation. It was given suggestion about stages and application of the design guide

Modelling accidental releases of tritium in the environment: application as an excel spreadsheet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Dizes, S.; Tamponnet, C.

2004-01-01

An application as an Excel spreadsheet of the simplified modelling approach of tritium transfer in the environment developed by Tamponnet (2002) is presented. Based on the use of growth models of biological systems (plants, animals, etc.), the two-pool model (organic tritium and tritiated water) that was developed estimates the concentration of tritium within the different compartments of the food chain and in fine the dose to man by ingestion in the case of a chronic or accidental release of tritium in a river or the atmosphere. Data and knowledge have been implemented on Excel using the object-oriented programming language VisualBasic (Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0). The structure of the conceptual model and the Excel sheet are first briefly exposed. A numerical application of the model under a scenario of an accidental release of tritium in the atmosphere is then presented. Simulation results and perspectives are discussed. (author)

The Cognitive Differences According to Regionality and Mathematical Minds

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Inchan; Igarashi, Hiroya; Yamanaka, Toshimasa

The purpose of this research is to explore factors that create cognitive diversity. We studied two different ways of recognizing images in our preliminary experiment: attribute-oriented thoughts and relationship-oriented thoughts. We examined whether we could observe the divergences in recognition processes between Asian and European cultures. From the result, we found that European (Dutch and British) subjects had stronger tendencies in attribute-oriented thoughts than the Korean subjects. However, in spite of their regional similarity, the Japanese subjects had greater tendencies in attribute-oriented thoughts than Korean subjects when comparing two Asian countries. This result made us question if there would be any other factors that could create the cognitive differences. Through the consideration of the participants' educational background, we found a possibility that the mathematical thoughts of the European and Japanese subjects were greater than the Korean subjects. Furthermore, in our subsequent study, we discovered that mathematical minds (skill and interest) effected on creating attribute-oriented thoughts as factors. We found the interesting discovery of the Japanese male participants, who had different cognitive tendencies with their mathematical skills and interests; the male subjects who had high-leveled mathematical skills, and who liked mathematics showed stronger tendencies of Attribute-oriented thoughts than those who did not. Based on the result, a possibility was suggested that the Japanese males' strong mathematical minds might be one of the factors that create the cognitive difference between Japanese and Korean subjects in the preliminary experiment.

A study of students' learning styles and mathematics anxiety amongst form four students in Kerian Perak

Science.gov (United States)

Esa, Suraya; Mohamed, Nurul Akmal

2017-05-01

This study aims to identify the relationship between students' learning styles and mathematics anxiety amongst Form Four students in Kerian, Perak. The study involves 175 Form Four students as respondents. The instrument which is used to assess the students' learning styles and mathematic anxiety is adapted from the Grasha's Learning Styles Inventory and the Mathematics Anxiety Scale (MAS) respectively. The types of learning styles used are independent, avoidant, collaborative, dependent, competitive and participant. The collected data is processed by SPSS (Statistical Packages for Social Sciences 16.0). The data is analysed by using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics that include t-test and Pearson correlation. The results show that majority of the students adopt collaborative learning style and the students have moderate level of mathematics anxiety. Moreover, it is found that there is significant difference between learning style avoidant, collaborative, dependent and participant based on gender. Amongst all students' learning style, there exists a weak but significant correlation between avoidant, independent and participant learning style and mathematics anxiety. It is very important for the teachers need to be concerned about the effects of learning styles on mathematics anxiety. Therefore, the teachers should understand mathematics anxiety and implement suitable learning strategies in order for the students to overcome their mathematics anxiety.

Predicting Relationships between Mathematics Anxiety, Mathematics Teaching Anxiety, Self-Efficacy Beliefs towards Mathematics and Mathematics Teaching

Science.gov (United States)

Unlu, Melihan; Ertekin, Erhan; Dilmac, Bulent

2017-01-01

The purpose of the research is to investigate the relationships between self-efficacy beliefs toward mathematics, mathematics anxiety and self-efficacy beliefs toward mathematics teaching, mathematics teaching anxiety variables and testing the relationships between these variables with structural equation model. The sample of the research, which…

Digital games and learning mathematics: Student, teacher and parent perspectives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Su Ting Yong

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to explore the potential use of digital games in learning mathematics at secondary school level in Malaysia. Three secondary school students, three mathematics teachers and three parents were interviewed in this study. All the participants were asked for their views and experiences in mathematics, technology usage and the use of digital games in learning mathematics. The results suggested that students were supportive and positive towards the use of computer games in learning mathematics. Nevertheless, parents preferred conventional teaching approach, in which they recognized personal communication and socialization as a significant component in learning. Although the teachers did not go on to oppose the idea of using computer games for teaching mathematics, they still perceived the use of discursive approaches as the best teaching approach for learning mathematics with digital technologies at best a possible additional complementary feature. In view of that, the combination of classroom teaching and computer games might the best mathematics pedagogy. 

Mathematics Anxiety and Beliefs of Turkish Pre-Service Elementary Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Uysal, Figen; Dede, Yüksel

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between pre-service elementary teachers' mathematics teaching beliefs and mathematics anxiety. The participants of the study consist of 96 pre-service elementary teachers from a department of primary education in a state university in Turkey during the 2010-2011 spring term. Mathematics…

Students' Attitudes towards Mathematics in Single-Sex and Coeducational Schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Norton, Stephen J.; Rennie, Leonie J.

1998-01-01

Discusses part of study stimulated by the continuing debate over differences between boys and girls in their attitudes towards mathematics and their participation and performance in this subject at school. Concludes that there were clear differences between boys and girls on the Mathematics as a Male Domain scale with girls being less stereotyped…

The Impact of an Online Tutoring Program on Mathematics Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Amy K.; Whetstone, Patti

2014-01-01

The authors explored the impact of an online tutoring program, Math Whizz (Whizz Education, 2014), on student mathematics achievement at 15 elementary schools. Students participated in the use of the Math Whizz program for the duration of the school year as a supplement to mathematics instruction. The Math Whizz program recorded such information…

The Relevance of Mathematics: Leaders and Teachers as Gatekeeper for Queensland Senior Calculus Mathematics

Science.gov (United States)

Easey, Michael; Gleeson, Jim

2016-01-01

The aim of the larger study, of which this paper is a part, is to investigate the decline in Year 10 male students' participation in senior calculus mathematics courses at an independent boys' school located in metropolitan Queensland. This paper draws on Sealey and Noyes's (2010) relevance framework to conduct document analysis and interviews…

Mathematics education, democracy and development: Exploring connections

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Renuka Vithal

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Mathematics education and its links to democracy and development are explored in this article, with specific reference to the case of South Africa. This is done by engaging four key questions. Firstly, the question of whether mathematics education can be a preparation for democracy and include a concern for development, is discussed by drawing on conceptual tools of critical mathematics education and allied areas in a development context. Secondly, the question of how mathematics education is distributed in society and participates in shaping educational possibilities in addressing its development needs and goals is used to examine the issues emerging from mathematics performance in international studies and the national Grade 12 examination; the latter is explored specifically in respect of the South African mathematics curriculum reforms and teacher education challenges. Thirdly, the question of whether a mathematics classroom can be a space for democratic living and learning that equally recognises the importance of issues of development in contexts like South Africa, as a post-conflict society still healing from its apartheid wounds, continuing inequality and poverty, is explored through pedagogies of conflict, dialogue and forgiveness. Finally the question of whether democracy and development can have anything to do with mathematics content matters, is discussed by appropriating, as a metaphor, South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s framework of multiple ‘truths’, to seek links within and across the various forms and movements in mathematics and mathematics education that have emerged in the past few decades.

Mathematical competencies and the role of mathematics in physics education: A trend analysis of TIMSS Advanced 1995 and 2008

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Trude Nilsen

2013-10-01

Full Text Available As students advance in their learning of physics over the course of their education, the requirement of mathematical applications in physics-related tasks increases, especially so in upper secondary school and in higher education. Yet there is little empirical work (particularly large-scale or longitudinal on the application of mathematics in physics education compared with the research related to the conceptual knowledge of physics. In order to clarify the nature of mathematics in physics education, we developed a theoretical framework for mathematical competencies pertinent to various physics tasks based on theoretical frameworks from mathematics and physics education. We used this synthesis of frameworks as a basis to create a model for physics competence. The framework also served as a tool for analyzing and categorizing trend items from the international large-scale survey, TIMSS Advanced 1995 and 2008. TIMSS Advanced assessed students in upper secondary school with special preparation in advanced physics and mathematics. We then investigated the changes in achievements on these categorized items across time for nations who participated in both surveys. The results from our analysis indicate that students whose overall physics achievement declined struggled the most with items requiring mathematics, especially items requiring them to handle symbols, such as manipulating equations. This finding suggests the importance of collaboration between mathematics and physics education as well as the importance of traditional algebra for physics education.

Hong Kong and U.S. Teachers' Perceptions of Mathematical Disagreements and Their Resolution Processes

Science.gov (United States)

Barlow, Angela T.; Huang, Rongjin; Law, Huk-Yuen; Chan, Yip Cheung; Zhang, Qiaoping; Baxter, Wesley A.; Gaddy, Angeline K.

2016-01-01

Mathematical disagreements occur when students challenge each other's ideas related to a mathematical concept. In this research, we examined Hong Kong and U.S. elementary teachers' perceptions of mathematical disagreements and their resolutions using a video-stimulated survey. Participants were directed to give particular attention to the…

Teaching science and mathematics to students with visual impairments: Reflections of a visually impaired technician.

Science.gov (United States)

Maguvhe, Mbulaheni

2015-01-01

This study reports on factors that limit the participation of blind and partially sighted learners in mathematics and science education. Since the teacher, still remains one of the most crucial factors in any education system, the researcher deemed it important to investigate the role of the teacher as understood by a blind technician in promoting the participation of blind and partially sighted learners in mathematics and science subjects, which few of these learners take beyond primary school. A case study was conducted interrogating a blind technician, who regards himself as an unqualified scientist, in his understanding of various school factors that could entice blind and partially sighted learners to participate in mathematics and science education, and to promote their retention in related professions. The participant thus drew from his own experiences of the school environment and wider concentric social institutions. A semi-structured interview schedule was followed and the responses were recorded by mutual consent. Analysis was conducted based on questions put to the participant. The study revealed that teacher motivation and mentorship in mathematics and science methodologies and the use of tools for learner empowerment are lacking. It further revealed that teachers lack the requisite skills in special education to harness learner potential in mathematics and science. This situation necessitates government action in teacher training and development.

Developing a Study Orientation Questionnaire in Mathematics for primary school students.

Science.gov (United States)

Maree, Jacobus G; Van der Walt, Martha S; Ellis, Suria M

2009-04-01

The Study Orientation Questionnaire in Mathematics (Primary) is being developed as a diagnostic measure for South African teachers and counsellors to help primary school students improve their orientation towards the study of mathematics. In this study, participants were primary school students in the North-West Province of South Africa. During the standardisation in 2007, 1,013 students (538 boys: M age = 12.61; SD = 1.53; 555 girls: M age = 11.98; SD = 1.35; 10 missing values) were assessed. Factor analysis yielded three factors. Analysis also showed satisfactory reliability coefficients and item-factor correlations. Step-wise linear regression indicated that three factors (Mathematics anxiety, Study attitude in mathematics, and Study habits in mathematics) contributed significantly (R2 = .194) to predicting achievement in mathematics as measured by the Basic Mathematics Questionnaire (Primary).

Structural and Conceptual Interweaving of Mathematics Methods Coursework and Field Practica

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Bahr, Damon L.; Monroe, Eula Ewing; Eggett, Dennis

2014-01-01

This paper describes a study of observed relationships between the design of a preservice elementary mathematics methods course with accompanying field practicum and changes in the extent to which participating prospective teachers identified themselves with the mathematics reform movement after becoming practicing teachers. The curriculum of the…

Integrating interactive multimedia into mathematics course modules ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

kofi.mereku

African Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics and Sciences Vol. 12, 2016. 35 ... diploma in basic education at one of 23 study centers of the University of Education, Winneba participated. ..... State College, PA: Learning. Services.

Using collective argumentation to engage students in a primary mathematics classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Raymond

2017-02-01

This article focuses on using sociocultural theory to support student engagement with mathematics. The sociocultural approach used, collective argumentation (CA), is based on interactive principles necessary for coordinating student engagement in the discourse of the classroom. A goal of the research was to explore the affordances and constraints of using CA to enrich student engagement with mathematics. The design of the research was based on a teaching experiment that sought to capture the influence of social and cultural processes on learning and development. Participants included primary and secondary school teachers and their mathematics classes. This article focuses on the practice of one female primary school teacher. Data sources included interview transcripts, report writings, journal entries and observational records. Data were analysed using a participation framework. Findings suggest that aspects of CA such as students explaining and justifying ideas and presenting ideas to the whole class can be used by teachers to promote student engagement with mathematics.

Mathematics related anxiety: Mathematics bogeyman or not?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Videnović Marina

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Data of the PISA 2003 survey indicate high levels of mathematics anxiety of students in Serbia. More than half of our students worry whether they will have difficulties in mathematics class or whether they will earn poor marks. Aims of this study therefore are: examining relationship between math anxiety and achievement at mathematics literacy scale; establishing possible predictors of math anxiety and identification of students' groups in relations to their relationship towards mathematics as a subject. Mathematics anxiety is statistically negatively correlated with school achievement and achievement at mathematics literacy scale. Socio-demographic factors, motivational and cognitive aspects related to learning mathematics, perception of school and classroom climate explain 40% variance of mathematics anxiety. Based on students' relationship towards mathematics they cam be divided into three groups; while dimensions that apart them are uninterested-interested in mathematics and presence-absence of anxiety. The group displaying anxiety scores lowest among the three. Applying qualitative analysis students' and teachers' attitudes on specific issues related to teaching and learning mathematics was examined.

PREFACE: Algebra, Geometry, and Mathematical Physics 2010

Science.gov (United States)

Stolin, A.; Abramov, V.; Fuchs, J.; Paal, E.; Shestopalov, Y.; Silvestrov, S.

2012-02-01

This proceedings volume presents results obtained by the participants of the 6th Baltic-Nordic workshop 'Algebra, Geometry, and Mathematical Physics (AGMP-6)' held at the Sven Lovén Centre for Marine Sciences in Tjärnö, Sweden on October 25-30, 2010. The Baltic-Nordic Network AGMP 'Algebra, Geometry, and Mathematical Physics' http://www.agmp.eu was created in 2005 on the initiative of two Estonian universities and two Swedish universities: Tallinn University of Technology represented by Eugen Paal (coordinator of the network), Tartu University represented by Viktor Abramov, Lund University represented by Sergei Silvestrov, and Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg represented by Alexander Stolin. The goal was to promote international and interdisciplinary cooperation between scientists and research groups in the countries of the Baltic-Nordic region in mathematics and mathematical physics, with special emphasis on the important role played by algebra and geometry in modern physics, engineering and technologies. The main activities of the AGMP network consist of a series of regular annual international workshops, conferences and research schools. The AGMP network also constitutes an important educational forum for scientific exchange and dissimilation of research results for PhD students and Postdocs. The network has expanded since its creation, and nowadays its activities extend beyond countries in the Baltic-Nordic region to universities in other European countries and participants from elsewhere in the world. As one of the important research-dissimilation outcomes of its activities, the network has a tradition of producing high-quality research proceedings volumes after network events, publishing them with various international publishers. The PDF also contains the following: List of AGMP workshops and other AGMP activities Main topics discussed at AGMP-6 Review of AGMP-6 proceedings Acknowledgments List of Conference Participants

Methodology for Outdoor Water Savings Model and Spreadsheet Tool for U.S. and Selected States

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Williams, Alison A. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Chen, Yuting [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Dunham, Camilla [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Fuchs, Heidi [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Price, Sarah [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Stratton, Hannah [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2017-07-31

Green lawns and landscaping are archetypical of the populated American landscape, and typically require irrigation, which corresponds to a significant fraction of residential, commercial, and institutional water use. In North American cities, the estimated portion of residential water used for outdoor purposes ranges from 22-38% in cooler climates up to 59-67% in dry and hot environments, while turfgrass coverage within the United States spans 11.1-20.2 million hectares (Milesi et al. 2009). One national estimate uses satellite and aerial photography data to develop a relationship between impervious surface and lawn surface area, yielding a conservative estimate of 16.4 (± 3.6) million hectares of lawn surface area in the United States—an area three times larger than that devoted to any irrigated crop (Milesi et al. 2005). One approach that holds promise for cutting unnecessary outdoor water use is the increased deployment of “smart” irrigation controllers to increase the water efficiency of irrigation systems. This report describes the methodology and inputs employed in a mathematical model that quantifies the effects of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense labeling program for one such type of controller, weather-based irrigation controllers (WBIC). This model builds off that described in “Methodology for National Water Savings Model and Spreadsheet Tool–Outdoor Water Use” and uses a two-tiered approach to quantify outdoor water savings attributable to the WaterSense program for WBIC, as well as net present value (NPV) of that savings. While the first iteration of the model assessed national impacts using averaged national values, this version begins by evaluating impacts in three key large states that make up a sizable portion of the irrigation market: California, Florida, and Texas. These states are considered to be the principal market of “smart” irrigation controllers that may result in the bulk of national savings. Modeled

A novel real-time data acquisition using an Excel spreadsheet in pendulum experiment tool with light-based timer

Science.gov (United States)

Adhitama, Egy; Fauzi, Ahmad

2018-05-01

In this study, a pendulum experimental tool with a light-based timer has been developed to measure the period of a simple pendulum. The obtained data was automatically recorded in an Excel spreadsheet. The intensity of monochromatic light, sensed by a 3DU5C phototransistor, dynamically changes as the pendulum swings. The changed intensity varies the resistance value and was processed by the microcontroller, ATMega328, to obtain a signal period as a function of time and brightness when the pendulum crosses the light. Through the experiment, using calculated average periods, the gravitational acceleration value has been accurately and precisely determined.

Teachers' Mathematics as Mathematics-at-Work

Science.gov (United States)

Bednarz, Nadine; Proulx, Jérôme

2017-01-01

Through recognising mathematics teachers as professionals who use mathematics in their workplace, this article traces a parallel between the mathematics enacted by teachers in their practice and the mathematics used in workplaces found in studies of professionals (e.g. nurses, engineers, bankers). This parallel is developed through the five…

Coaches' and Principals' Conceptualizations of the Roles of Elementary Mathematics Coaches

Science.gov (United States)

Salkind, Gwenanne M.

2010-01-01

Many schools employ coaches to support mathematics instruction and student learning. This research study investigated the roles of coaches from five school districts in Virginia. Participants included 125 elementary mathematics coaches and 59 principals. Results from cross-sectional surveys revealed that most coaches did not have a degree in…

Teachers' Views of the Challenges of Teaching Grade 9 Applied Mathematics in Toronto Schools

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Stoilescu, Dorian; McDougall, Douglas; Egodawatte, Gunawardena

2016-01-01

Mathematics teachers, mathematics department heads, curriculum leaders, and administrators from 11 schools in four school boards from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, participated in a project to improve the teaching and learning in grade 9 mathematics classrooms. In each of these schools, an implementation team was created, so that at least three…

Effectiveness of an Online Social Constructivist Mathematical Problem Solving Course for Malaysian Pre-Service Teachers

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Kim-Leong Lai

2009-07-01

Full Text Available This study assessed the effectiveness of an online mathematical problem solving course designed using a social constructivist approach for pre-service teachers. Thirty-seven pre-service teachers at the Batu Lintang Teacher Institute, Sarawak, Malaysia were randomly selected to participate in the study. The participants were required to complete the course online without the typical face-to-face classes and they were also required to solve authentic mathematical problems in small groups of 4-5 participants based on the Polya’s Problem Solving Model via asynchronous online discussions. Quantitative and qualitative methods such as questionnaires and interviews were used to evaluate the effects of the online learning course. Findings showed that a majority of the participants were satisfied with their learning experiences in the course. There were no significant changes in the participants’ attitudes toward mathematics, while the participants’ skills in problem solving for “understand the problem” and “devise a plan” steps based on the Polya Model were significantly enhanced, though no improvement was apparent for “carry out the plan” and “review”. The results also showed that there were significant improvements in the participants’ critical thinking skills. Furthermore, participants with higher initial computer skills were also found to show higher performance in mathematical problem solving as compared to those with lower computer skills. However, there were no significant differences in the participants’ achievements in the course based on gender. Generally, the online social constructivist mathematical problem solving course is beneficial to the participants and ought to be given the attention it deserves as an alternative to traditional classes. Nonetheless, careful considerations need to be made in the designing and implementing of online courses to minimize problems that participants might encounter while

Examining Fourth-Grade Mathematics Writing: Features of Organization, Mathematics Vocabulary, and Mathematical Representations

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Hebert, Michael A.; Powell, Sarah R.

2016-01-01

Increasingly, students are expected to write about mathematics. Mathematics writing may be informal (e.g., journals, exit slips) or formal (e.g., writing prompts on high-stakes mathematics assessments). In order to develop an effective mathematics-writing intervention, research needs to be conducted on how students organize mathematics writing and…

The Computer Bulletin Board.

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Batt, Russell H., Ed.

1990-01-01

Described is how spreadsheet and problem solver microcomputer programs may assist students in performing mathematical calculations. Discussed is the application of the equation solver "MathCAD" to various areas in the undergraduate curriculum. (KR)

9th Annual UNCG Regional Mathematics and Statistics Conference

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Chhetri, Maya; Gupta, Sat; Shivaji, Ratnasingham

2015-01-01

This volume contains rigorously reviewed papers on the topics presented by students at The 9th Annual University of North Carolina at Greensboro Regional Mathematics and Statistics Conference (UNCG RMSC) that took place on November 2, 2013.  All papers are coauthored by student researchers and their faculty mentors. This conference series was inaugurated in 2005, and it now attracts over 150 participants from over 30 universities from North Carolina and surrounding states. The conference is specifically tailored for students to present their research projects that encompass a broad spectrum of topics in mathematics, mathematical biology, statistics, and computer science.

The Building of Pre-Service Primary Teachers' Knowledge of Mathematics Teaching: Interaction and Online Video Case Studies

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Llinares, Salvador; Valls, Julia

2009-01-01

This study explores how preservice primary teachers became engaged in meaning-making mathematics teaching when participating in online discussions within learning environments integrating video-clips of mathematics teaching. We identified different modes of participation in the online discussions and different levels of knowledge-building. The…

Teaching Mathematical Modeling in Mathematics Education

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Saxena, Ritu; Shrivastava, Keerty; Bhardwaj, Ramakant

2016-01-01

Mathematics is not only a subject but it is also a language consisting of many different symbols and relations. Taught as a compulsory subject up the 10th class, students are then able to choose whether or not to study mathematics as a main subject. The present paper discusses mathematical modeling in mathematics education. The article provides…

An investigation of elementary preservice teachers’ self-efficacy for teaching mathematics

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Rebecca McMahon Giles

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Research has consistently shown that teacher efficacy is related to a variety of desirable student outcomes, thus, making teacher efficacy an important factor in high quality mathematics instruction. The purpose of this study was to determine elementary preservice teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs related to teaching mathematics. Forty-one participants from a single university responded to the Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Instrument (MTEBI after completing a constructivist-based elementary mathematics methods course prior to student teaching. The MTEBI is 21-item survey using a 5-point, forced choice Likert-like scale to provide an individual's perceptions of mathematics teaching efficacy beliefs on two subscales—Personal Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Belief (PMTE and Mathematics Teaching Outcome Expectancy (MTOE. Responses on the PMTE subscale (Mean = 51.08, SD=5.171 indicate that the respondents’ personal mathematics teach efficacy is positive. Participants’ responses (Mean = 29.32, SD = 3.29 on the MTOE subscale indicate positive expectations of students' mathematics learning. Attending to preservice teacher efficacy is worthy of examination. Teacher preparation programs must identify opportunities to positively impact mathematics teaching efficacy of preservice teachers.

Mathematical Modeling and Pure Mathematics

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Usiskin, Zalman

2015-01-01

Common situations, like planning air travel, can become grist for mathematical modeling and can promote the mathematical ideas of variables, formulas, algebraic expressions, functions, and statistics. The purpose of this article is to illustrate how the mathematical modeling that is present in everyday situations can be naturally embedded in…

The Integration of technology in teaching mathematics

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Muhtadi, D.; Wahyudin; Kartasasmita, B. G.; Prahmana, R. C. I.

2017-12-01

This paper presents the Transformation of Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) of three pre-service math teacher. They participate in technology-based learning modules aligned with teaching practice taught school and became characteristic of teaching method by using the mathematical software. ICT-based learning environment has been the demands in practice learning to build a more effective approach to the learning process of students. Also, this paper presents the results of research on learning mathematics in middle school that shows the influence of design teaching on knowledge of math content specifically.

Analytical resource assessment method for continuous (unconventional) oil and gas accumulations - The "ACCESS" Method

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Crovelli, Robert A.; revised by Charpentier, Ronald R.

2012-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) periodically assesses petroleum resources of areas within the United States and the world. The purpose of this report is to explain the development of an analytic probabilistic method and spreadsheet software system called Analytic Cell-Based Continuous Energy Spreadsheet System (ACCESS). The ACCESS method is based upon mathematical equations derived from probability theory. The ACCESS spreadsheet can be used to calculate estimates of the undeveloped oil, gas, and NGL (natural gas liquids) resources in a continuous-type assessment unit. An assessment unit is a mappable volume of rock in a total petroleum system. In this report, the geologic assessment model is defined first, the analytic probabilistic method is described second, and the spreadsheet ACCESS is described third. In this revised version of Open-File Report 00-044 , the text has been updated to reflect modifications that were made to the ACCESS program. Two versions of the program are added as appendixes.

The effects of computer-assisted instruction on the mathematics performance and classroom behavior of children with ADHD.

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Mautone, Jennifer A; DuPaul, George J; Jitendra, Asha K

2005-08-01

The present study examines the effects of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) on the mathematics performance and classroom behavior of three second-through fourth-grade students with ADHD. A controlled case study is used to evaluate the effects of the computer software on participants' mathematics performance and on-task behavior. Participants' mathematics achievement improve and their on-task behavior increase during the CAI sessions relative to independent seatwork conditions. In addition, students and teachers consider CAI to be an acceptable intervention for some students with ADHD who are having difficulty with mathematics. Implications of these results for practice and research are discussed.

Examining Change in K-3 Teachers' Mathematical Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs: The Case of Primarily Math

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Kutaka, T. S.; Ren, L.; Smith, W. M.; Beattie, H. L.; Edwards, C. P.; Green, J. L.; Chernyavskiy, P.; Stroup, W.; Heaton, R. M.; Lewis, W. J.

2018-01-01

This study examines the impact of the Primarily Math Elementary Mathematics Specialist program on K-3 teachers' mathematical content knowledge for teaching, attitudes toward learning mathematics, and beliefs about mathematics teaching and learning. Three cohorts of teachers participating in the program were compared to a similar group of…

A Critical Discourse Analysis of Practical Problems in a Foundation Mathematics Course at a South African University

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le Roux, Kate; Adler, Jill

2016-01-01

Mathematical problems that make links to the everyday and to disciplines other than mathematics--variously referred to as practical, realistic, real-world or applied problems in the literature--feature in school and undergraduate mathematics reforms aimed at increasing mathematics participation in contexts of inequity and diversity. In this…

Modelling accidental releases of carbon 14 in the environment: application as an excel spreadsheet

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Le Dizes, S.; Tamponnet, C.

2004-01-01

An application as an Excel spreadsheet of the simplified modelling approach of carbon 14 transfer in the environment developed by Tamponnet (2002) is presented. Based on the use of growth models of biological systems (plants, animals, etc.), the one-pool model (organic carbon) that was developed estimates the concentration of carbon 14 within the different compartments of the food chain and in fine the dose to man by ingestion in the case of a chronic or accidental release of carbon 14 in a river or the atmosphere. Data and knowledge have been implemented on Excel using the object-oriented programming language VisualBasic (Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0). The structure of the conceptual model and the Excel sheet are first briefly exposed. A numerical application of the model under a scenario of an accidental release of carbon 14 in the atmosphere is then presented. Simulation results and perspectives are discussed. (author)

Relationship between mathematical abstraction in learning parallel coordinates concept and performance in learning analytic geometry of pre-service mathematics teachers: an investigation

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Nurhasanah, F.; Kusumah, Y. S.; Sabandar, J.; Suryadi, D.

2018-05-01

As one of the non-conventional mathematics concepts, Parallel Coordinates is potential to be learned by pre-service mathematics teachers in order to give them experiences in constructing richer schemes and doing abstraction process. Unfortunately, the study related to this issue is still limited. This study wants to answer a research question “to what extent the abstraction process of pre-service mathematics teachers in learning concept of Parallel Coordinates could indicate their performance in learning Analytic Geometry”. This is a case study that part of a larger study in examining mathematical abstraction of pre-service mathematics teachers in learning non-conventional mathematics concept. Descriptive statistics method is used in this study to analyze the scores from three different tests: Cartesian Coordinate, Parallel Coordinates, and Analytic Geometry. The participants in this study consist of 45 pre-service mathematics teachers. The result shows that there is a linear association between the score on Cartesian Coordinate and Parallel Coordinates. There also found that the higher levels of the abstraction process in learning Parallel Coordinates are linearly associated with higher student achievement in Analytic Geometry. The result of this study shows that the concept of Parallel Coordinates has a significant role for pre-service mathematics teachers in learning Analytic Geometry.

Implication of formative assessment practices among mathematics teacher

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Samah, Mas Norbany binti Abu; Tajudin, Nor'ain binti Mohd

2017-05-01

Formative assessment of school-based assessment (SBA) is implemented in schools as a move to improve the National Education Assessment System (NEAS). Formative assessment focuses on assessment for learning. There are various types of formative assessment instruments used by teachers of mathematics, namely the form of observation, questioning protocols, worksheets and quizzes. This study aims to help teachers improve skills in formative assessments during the teaching and learning (t&l) Mathematics. One mathematics teacher had been chosen as the study participants. The collecting data using document analysis, observation and interviews. Data were analyzed narrative and assessments can help teachers implement PBS. Formative assessment is conducted to improve the skills of students in t&l effectively.

Contrasts in Mathematical Challenges in A-Level Mathematics and Further Mathematics, and Undergraduate Mathematics Examinations

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Darlington, Ellie

2014-01-01

This article describes part of a study which investigated the role of questions in students' approaches to learning mathematics at the secondary-tertiary interface, focussing on the enculturation of students at the University of Oxford. Use of the Mathematical Assessment Task Hierarchy taxonomy revealed A-level Mathematics and Further Mathematics…

A simple method to estimate the optimum iodine concentration of contrast material through microcatheters: hydrodynamic calculation with spreadsheet software

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Yamauchi, Teiyu; Hayashi, Toshihiko; Yamada, Takeshi; Futami, Choichiro; Tsukiyama, Yumiko; Harada, Motoko; Furui, Shigeru; Suzuki, Shigeru; Mimura, Kohshiro

2008-01-01

It is important to increase the iodine delivery rate (I), that is the iodine concentration of the contrast material (C) x the flow rate of the contrast material (Q), through microcatheters to obtain arteriograms of the highest contrast. It is known that C is an important factor that influences I. The purpose of this study is to establish a method of hydrodynamic calculation of the optimum iodine concentration (i.e., the iodine concentration at which I becomes maximum) of the contrast material and its flow rate through commercially available microcatheters. Iopamidol, ioversol and iohexol of ten iodine concentrations were used. Iodine delivery rates (I meas) of each contrast material through ten microcatheters were measured. The calculated iodine delivery rate (I cal) and calculated optimum iodine concentration (calculated C opt) were obtained with spreadsheet software. The agreement between I cal and I meas was studied by correlation and logarithmic Bland-Altman analyses. The value of the calculated C opt was within the optimum range of iodine concentrations (i.e. the range of iodine concentrations at which I meas becomes 90% or more of the maximum) in all cases. A good correlation between I cal and I meas (I cal = 1.08 I meas, r = 0.99) was observed. Logarithmic Bland-Altman analysis showed that the 95% confidence interval of I cal/I meas was between 0.82 and 1.29. In conclusion, hydrodynamic calculation with spreadsheet software is an accurate, generally applicable and cost-saving method to estimate the value of the optimum iodine concentration and its flow rate through microcatheters

Applied Mathematics, Modelling and Computational Science

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Kotsireas, Ilias; Makarov, Roman; Melnik, Roderick; Shodiev, Hasan

2015-01-01

The Applied Mathematics, Modelling, and Computational Science (AMMCS) conference aims to promote interdisciplinary research and collaboration. The contributions in this volume cover the latest research in mathematical and computational sciences, modeling, and simulation as well as their applications in natural and social sciences, engineering and technology, industry, and finance. The 2013 conference, the second in a series of AMMCS meetings, was held August 26–30 and organized in cooperation with AIMS and SIAM, with support from the Fields Institute in Toronto, and Wilfrid Laurier University. There were many young scientists at AMMCS-2013, both as presenters and as organizers. This proceedings contains refereed papers contributed by the participants of the AMMCS-2013 after the conference. This volume is suitable for researchers and graduate students, mathematicians and engineers, industrialists, and anyone who would like to delve into the interdisciplinary research of applied and computational mathematics ...

When social actions get translated into spreadsheets: economics and social work with children and youth in Denmark

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Schrøder, Ida Marie

2013-01-01

interventions to help children and young people. Inspired by the sociologist John Law, my preliminary study suggests that taking into account economy often becomes a question of translating social interventions into spreadsheets, rather than making economically-based decisions. I classify three kinds...... in order to strengthen collaborative knowledge of how to take into account public sector economy, and to reflect on how technologies can interfere with decision processes in social work.......As a means of reducing public spending, social workers in Danish municipalities are expected to take into account public sector economy when deciding on how to solve social problems. Researchers have previously investigated the impact of social work on the public sector economy, the cost...

Investigating Gender Differences in Mathematics and Science: Results from the 2011 Trends in Mathematics and Science Survey

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Reilly, David; Neumann, David L.; Andrews, Glenda

2017-06-01

The underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-related fields remains a concern for educators and the scientific community. Gender differences in mathematics and science achievement play a role, in conjunction with attitudes and self-efficacy beliefs. We report results from the 2011 Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), a large international assessment of eighth grade students' achievement, attitudes, and beliefs among 45 participating nations (N = 261,738). Small- to medium-sized gender differences were found for most individual nations (from d = -.60 to +.31 in mathematics achievement, and d = -.60 to +.26 for science achievement), although the direction varied and there were no global gender differences overall. Such a pattern cross-culturally is incompatible with the notion of immutable gender differences. Additionally, there were different patterns between OECD and non-OECD nations, with girls scoring higher than boys in mathematics and science achievement across non-OECD nations. An association was found between gender differences in science achievement and national levels of gender equality, providing support for the gender segregation hypothesis. Furthermore, the performance of boys was more variable than that of girls in most nations, consistent with the greater male variability hypothesis. Boys reported more favorable attitudes towards mathematics and science, and girls reported lower self-efficacy beliefs. While the gender gap in STEM achievement may be closing, there are still large sections of the world where differences remain.

Using Mathematics Literature with Prospective Secondary Mathematics Teachers

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Jett, Christopher C.

2014-01-01

Literature in mathematics has been found to foster positive improvements in mathematics learning. This manuscript reports on a mathematics teacher educator's use of literature via literature circles with 11 prospective secondary mathematics teachers in a mathematics content course. Using survey and reflection data, the author found that…

Persistent gender inequities in mathematics achievement and expectations in Australia, Canada and the UK

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Forgasz, Helen J.; Leder, Gilah C.

2017-09-01

We report the general public's perceptions and those of 15-year-old school students, about aspects of mathematics learning. For the adult sample, survey data were gathered from pedestrians and Facebook users in Australia, Canada and the UK—countries in which English is the dominant language spoken. Participants responded to items about the teaching and learning of mathematics, the gender stereotyping of mathematics and the perceived importance of studying mathematics for future careers. Collection of the data from the pedestrian samples partially overlapped with the period of data gathering via Facebook and coincided loosely with the administration of the Programme for International Student Assessment [PISA] 2012 in the three countries of interest. We examined participants' views/beliefs by country and by respondent age. We also compared the results of the adult samples with student responses to four PISA 2012 attitudinal items for which the foci were comparable to items administered to the general public. Thus, we were able to compare the responses of three different age groups. While participants considered mathematics to be important for everyone to study, and important for employment, vestiges of traditional gender stereotyped beliefs and expectations were evident, more so among the younger than older respondents.

Spatial Skill Profile of Mathematics Pre-Service Teachers

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Putri, R. O. E.

2018-01-01

This study is aimed to investigate the spatial intelligence of mathematics pre-service teachers and find the best instructional strategy that facilitates this aspect. Data were collected from 35 mathematics pre-service teachers. The Purdue Spatial Visualization Test (PSVT) was used to identify the spatial skill of mathematics pre-service teachers. Statistical analysis indicate that more than 50% of the participants possessed spatial skill in intermediate level, whereas the other were in high and low level of spatial skill. The result also shows that there is a positive correlation between spatial skill and mathematics ability, especially in geometrical problem solving. High spatial skill students tend to have better mathematical performance compare to those in two other levels. Furthermore, qualitative analysis reveals that most students have difficulty in manipulating geometrical objects mentally. This problem mostly appears in intermediate and low-level spatial skill students. The observation revealed that 3-D geometrical figures is the best method that can overcome the mentally manipulation problem and develop the spatial visualization. Computer application can also be used to improve students’ spatial skill.

The Influence of Mathematics Professional Development, School-Level, and Teacher-Level Variables on Primary Students' Mathematics Achievement

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Polly, Drew; Wang, Chuang; Martin, Christie; Lambert, Richard; Pugalee, David; Middleton, Catherina

2018-01-01

This study examined the influence of a professional development project about an internet-based mathematics formative assessment tool and related pedagogies on primary teachers' instruction and student achievement. Teachers participated in 72 h of professional development during the year. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses of…

Doing Mathematics with Purpose: Mathematical Text Types

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Dostal, Hannah M.; Robinson, Richard

2018-01-01

Mathematical literacy includes learning to read and write different types of mathematical texts as part of purposeful mathematical meaning making. Thus in this article, we describe how learning to read and write mathematical texts (proof text, algorithmic text, algebraic/symbolic text, and visual text) supports the development of students'…

Annual Perspectives in Mathematics Education 2016: Mathematical Modeling and Modeling Mathematics

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Hirsch, Christian R., Ed.; McDuffie, Amy Roth, Ed.

2016-01-01

Mathematical modeling plays an increasingly important role both in real-life applications--in engineering, business, the social sciences, climate study, advanced design, and more--and within mathematics education itself. This 2016 volume of "Annual Perspectives in Mathematics Education" ("APME") focuses on this key topic from a…

Students’ Perceptions of Learning Mathematics With Cellular Phones and Applets

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Wajeeh M. Daher

2009-03-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the perceptions of middle school students regarding learning mathematics with cellular phones and web applets, their perceptions regarding the differences between these two electronic devices and their preferences regarding using the devices in learning mathematics. To analyze these perceptions I used the grounded theory approach which involves: open coding, axial coding, and selective coding, where the unit of analysis was the sentence in each of the interviews. The research findings imply that the participants perceived different aspects of both of the electronic devices: the availability of the device, the collaboration aspect, the communication aspect, the size of the device, and the swiftness of working with the device. These aspects influenced the participants’ decisions when, where and how to use each of the devices for the learning of mathematics. More participants preferred the cellular phone over the applet primarily for its small size which makes easy its portability as well as for its communication facilities.

Enhancing Parent Involvement in NC-CCSS for K-2 Mathematics

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Johnson, D.

2014-12-01

Key Terms:Parent Involvement, Common Core State Standards, Homework, K - 2 Mathematics In this study, the 2014 REU math team developed and provided a workshop that assisted parents in understanding the North Carolina Common Core State Standards for K-2 Mathematics to assist with student homework assignments. Parent involvement is defined as parent participating in the educational processes and experiences of their children. A chi-square analysis was used to analyze data collected from the pre survey and the post survey administered to participants in the workshop. The study revealed all of the individual components of parent involvement were positively and significantly related to educational goals. The study identified various aspects of parent involvement that yielded statistically significant results in affirming that parent involvement attributed to urban student achievement. These findings were particularly helpful for indicating which kinds of parent involvement influenced academic success. Most notably, parent expectations and styles demonstrated a strong relationship with scholastic outcomes. Parent expectations and styles created an educationally oriented ambience that established an understanding of the certain level of support the child needed to succeed academically. The REU mathematics team focused on three essential questions in this study: (1) What practices will increase parent awareness of K-2 NC-CCSS for mathematics at P. W. Moore Elementary School? (2) What methods can be used to strengthen parent skills in assisting with mathematics homework assignments at P. W. Moore Elementary School? (3) What actions can be taken to motivate parent involvement in the school improvement process focusing on mathematics at P. W. Moore Elementary School?

Short report The DeDiMa battery: a tool for identifying students’ mathematical learning profiles

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Giannis Karagiannakis

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Background The DeDiMa battery is designed for assessing students’ mathematical learning profiles, and it has been used to validate a 4-dimensional model for classifying mathematical learning difficulties. The model arises from existing hypotheses in the cognitive psychology and neuroscience literature, while the DeDiMa battery provides a reliable set of mathematical tasks that help to match characteristics of students’ mathematical performances to their more basic learning difficulties. Participants and procedure In this report we address the question of how these tools can help sketch out a student’s mathematical learning profile. The participants are 5th and 6th grade students. Results We compare the emerging profiles of two students with mathematical learning difficulties (MLD matched for age, performance on a standardized test, non-verbal IQ, and educational experiences. The profiles are very different. Conclusions We believe that this approach can inform the design of individualized remedial interventions for MLD students.

Visual short term memory related brain activity predicts mathematical abilities.

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Boulet-Craig, Aubrée; Robaey, Philippe; Lacourse, Karine; Jerbi, Karim; Oswald, Victor; Krajinovic, Maja; Laverdière, Caroline; Sinnett, Daniel; Jolicoeur, Pierre; Lippé, Sarah

2017-07-01

Previous research suggests visual short-term memory (VSTM) capacity and mathematical abilities are significantly related. Moreover, both processes activate similar brain regions within the parietal cortex, in particular, the intraparietal sulcus; however, it is still unclear whether the neuronal underpinnings of VSTM directly correlate with mathematical operation and reasoning abilities. The main objective was to investigate the association between parieto-occipital brain activity during the retention period of a VSTM task and performance in mathematics. The authors measured mathematical abilities and VSTM capacity as well as brain activity during memory maintenance using magnetoencephalography (MEG) in 19 healthy adult participants. Event-related magnetic fields (ERFs) were computed on the MEG data. Linear regressions were used to estimate the strength of the relation between VSTM related brain activity and mathematical abilities. The amplitude of parieto-occipital cerebral activity during the retention of visual information was related to performance in 2 standardized mathematical tasks: mathematical reasoning and calculation fluency. The findings show that brain activity during retention period of a VSTM task is associated with mathematical abilities. Contributions of VSTM processes to numerical cognition should be considered in cognitive interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Development of a VBA macro-based spreadsheet application for RELAP5 data post-processing

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Belchior Junior, Antonio; Andrade, Delvonei A.; Sabundjian, Gaiane; Macedo, Luiz A.; Angelo, Gabriel; Torres, Walmir M.; Umbehaun, Pedro E.; Conti, Thadeu N.; Bruel, Renata N.

2011-01-01

During the use of thermal-hydraulic codes such as RELAP5, large amount of data has to be managed in order to prepare its input data and also to analyze the produced results. This work presents a helpful tool developed to make it easier to handle the RELAP5 output data file. The XTRIP application is an electronic spreadsheet that contains some programmed macros that should be used for post-processing the RELAP5 output file. It can directly read the RELAP5 restart-plot binary output file and, through a user-friendly interface, transient results can be chosen and exported directly into an electronic worksheet. The XTRIP program can also do some data unit conversion as well as export these data to other programs such as Wingraf, Grapher and COBRA, etc. The main features of the developed Excel Visual Basic for Application macro as well as an example of use are presented and discussed. (author)

Influence of Math Club Activities on Primary Students’ Mathematics Achievement

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Alenka Lipovec

2014-12-01

Full Text Available An intervention program called Didactic pentagon is described. Participants are teachers, students, parents, pre-service teachers and teacher educators. The programme is shaped as a math club activity. Empirical results focus on comparing mathematics achievements of students included in the programme and mathematically promising students taking part in TIMSS 2003. Experimental group has surpassed control group in overall results. Statistically significant differences in favour of experimental group can be found at intermediate international benchmark of mathematics achievements and at problem solving cognitive domain. The results can be assigned to pentagon activities guided by pre-service teachers. Cooperation between university and schools has evidently overcome the lack of pre-service teachers’ experience and helped in raising mathematical knowledge of school youth.

Accessing and assessing young learner’s mathematical dispositions

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mellony Graven

2012-07-01

Full Text Available It is argued in this paper that there is an absence of literature relating to research on learner mathematical dispositions, particularly with young learners. Drawing on Kilpatrick, Swafford and Findell’s (2001 five interrelated strands of mathematical proficiency, which include: conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, strategic competence, adaptive reasoning and productive disposition, it is argued that there has been little engagement with productive disposition in the field of mathematics education and how we might access and assess this strand. Despite competence in all strands being essential for mathematical proficiency, literature and assessments that seek to establish learner levels of mathematical proficiency have tended to focus on the first four and have neglected the last; productive disposition. Finding ways in which to access student mathematical learning dispositions can be challenging, especially with young learners who struggle to articulate their views. An instrument is shared that the author has designed with doctoral fellow, Debbie Stott, in order to access and assess the productive disposition of learners participating in maths clubs run within the South African Numeracy Chair. The findings that emerge in one Grade 3 club with six learners is shared. These findings are related to the data collected through instruments that assess the other four strands of mathematical proficiency. This enables a holistic picture of learner’s mathematical proficiency as intended in the conceptualisation of the interrelated five strands of proficiency.

The presence of mathematics and computer anxiety in nursing students and their effects on medication dosage calculations.

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Glaister, Karen

2007-05-01

To determine if the presence of mathematical and computer anxiety in nursing students affects learning of dosage calculations. The quasi-experimental study compared learning outcomes at differing levels of mathematical and computer anxiety when integrative and computer based learning approaches were used. Participants involved a cohort of second year nursing students (n=97). Mathematical anxiety exists in 20% (n=19) of the student nurse population, and 14% (n=13) experienced mathematical testing anxiety. Those students more anxious about mathematics and the testing of mathematics benefited from integrative learning to develop conditional knowledge (F(4,66)=2.52 at pComputer anxiety was present in 12% (n=11) of participants, with those reporting medium and high levels of computer anxiety performing less well than those with low levels (F(1,81)=3.98 at pmathematical and computer anxiety when planning an educational program to develop competency in dosage calculations.

Construction and reconstruction concept in mathematics instruction

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Mumu, Jeinne; Charitas Indra Prahmana, Rully; Tanujaya, Benidiktus

2017-12-01

The purpose of this paper is to describe two learning activities undertaken by lecturers, so that students can understand a mathematical concept. The mathematical concept studied in this research is the Vector Space in Linear Algebra instruction. Classroom Action Research used as a research method with pre-service mathematics teacher at University of Papua as the research subject. Student participants are divided into two parallel classes, 24 students in regular class, and remedial class consist of 18 students. Both approaches, construct and reconstruction concept, are implemented on both classes. The result shows that concept construction can only be done in regular class while in remedial class, learning with concept construction approach is not able to increase students' understanding on the concept taught. Understanding the concept of a student in a remedial class can only be carried out using the concept reconstruction approach.

Mathematical Tasks without Words and Word Problems: Perceptions of Reluctant Problem Solvers

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Holbert, Sydney Margaret

2013-01-01

This qualitative research study used a multiple, holistic case study approach (Yin, 2009) to explore the perceptions of reluctant problem solvers related to mathematical tasks without words and word problems. Participants were given a choice of working a mathematical task without words or a word problem during four problem-solving sessions. Data…

A mathematical medley fifty easy pieces on mathematics

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Szpiro, George G

2010-01-01

Szpiro's book provides a delightful, well-written, eclectic selection of mathematical tidbits that makes excellent airplane reading for anyone with an interest in mathematics, regardless of their mathematical background. Excellent gift material. -Keith Devlin, Stanford University, author of The Unfinished Game and The Language of Mathematics It is great to have collected in one volume the many varied, insightful and often surprising mathematical stories that George Szpiro has written in his mathematical columns for the newspapers through the years. -Marcus du Sautoy, Oxford University, author

Investigating Lebanese Grade Seven Biology Teachers Mathematical Knowledge and Skills: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Raad, Nawal Abou; Chatila, Hanadi

2016-01-01

This paper investigates Lebanese grade 7 biology teachers' mathematical knowledge and skills, by exploring how they explain a visual representation in an activity depending on the mathematical concept "Function". Twenty Lebanese in-service biology teachers participated in the study, and were interviewed about their explanation for the…

The Relationship among Elementary Teachers’ Mathematics Anxiety, Mathematics Instructional Practices, and Student Mathematics Achievement

OpenAIRE

Hadley, Kristin M.; Dorward, Jim

2011-01-01

Many elementary teachers have been found to have high levels of mathematics anxiety but the impact on student achievement was unknown. Elementary teachers (N = 692) completed the modified Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale-Revised (Hopko, 2003) along with a questionnaire probing anxiety about teaching mathematics and current mathematics instructional practices. Student mathematics achievement data were collected for the classrooms taught by the teachers. A positive relationship was found betwee...

The language of mathematics telling mathematical tales

CERN Document Server

Barton, Bill

2008-01-01

Everyday mathematical ideas are expressed differently in different languages. This book probes those differences and explores their implications for mathematics education, arguing for alternatives to how we teach and learn mathematics.

Mathematical Modelling Approach in Mathematics Education

Science.gov (United States)

Arseven, Ayla

2015-01-01

The topic of models and modeling has come to be important for science and mathematics education in recent years. The topic of "Modeling" topic is especially important for examinations such as PISA which is conducted at an international level and measures a student's success in mathematics. Mathematical modeling can be defined as using…

Mathematics Underground

Science.gov (United States)

Luther, Kenneth H.

2012-01-01

Mathematical modeling of groundwater flow is a topic at the intersection of mathematics and geohydrology and is rarely encountered in undergraduate mathematics. However, this subject is full of interesting and meaningful examples of truly "applied" mathematics accessible to undergraduates, from the pre-calculus to advanced mathematics levels. This…

Exploring rural high school learners' experience of mathematics anxiety in academic settings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dipane Hlalele

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the study was to explore rural high school learners' experience of mathematics anxiety in academic settings. Mathematics anxiety has been found to have an adverse effect on confidence, motivation and achievement. This quantitative study is exploratory and descriptive in nature. The participants were 403 learners doing mathematics in 18 rural schools in the Free State province of South Africa. Participants completed a 20-item questionnaire and 373 (92.5% questionnaires were found to contain valid responses and were analysed by a professional statistician at the University of the Free State using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS, Version 17.0. The questionnaire was testedfor reliability using the Cronbach alpha coefficient and was found to have a reliability score of .841, indicating an acceptable reliability coefficient. Findings reveal that all learners sometimes, often, or always experience mathematics anxiety in academic settings. It is therefore important for teachers and authorities in education to observe its prevalence and to implement strategies toward the alleviation of the effects ofmathematics anxiety.

Mathematics anxiety reduces default mode network deactivation in response to numerical tasks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Belinda ePletzer

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Mathematics anxiety is negatively related to mathematics performance, thereby threatening the professional success. Preoccupation with the emotional content of the stimuli may consume working memory resources, which may be reflected in decreased deactivation of areas associated with the default mode network (DMN activated during self-referential and emotional processing. The common problem is that math anxiety is usually associated with poor math performance, so that any group differences are difficult to interpret.Here we compared the BOLD-response of 18 participants with high (HMAs and 18 participants with low mathematics anxiety (LMAs matched for their mathematical performance to two numerical tasks (number comparison, number bisection. During both tasks, we found stronger deactivation within the DMN in LMAs compared to HMAs, while BOLD-response in task-related activation areas did not differ between HMAs and LMAs. The difference in DMN deactivation between the HMA and LMA group was more pronounced in stimuli with additional requirement on inhibitory functions, but did not differ between number magnitude processing and arithmetic fact retrieval.

Mathematics anxiety reduces default mode network deactivation in response to numerical tasks.

Science.gov (United States)

Pletzer, Belinda; Kronbichler, Martin; Nuerk, Hans-Christoph; Kerschbaum, Hubert H

2015-01-01

Mathematics anxiety is negatively related to mathematics performance, thereby threatening the professional success. Preoccupation with the emotional content of the stimuli may consume working memory resources, which may be reflected in decreased deactivation of areas associated with the default mode network (DMN) activated during self-referential and emotional processing. The common problem is that math anxiety is usually associated with poor math performance, so that any group differences are difficult to interpret. Here we compared the BOLD-response of 18 participants with high (HMAs) and 18 participants with low mathematics anxiety (LMAs) matched for their mathematical performance to two numerical tasks (number comparison, number bisection). During both tasks, we found stronger deactivation within the DMN in LMAs compared to HMAs, while BOLD-response in task-related activation areas did not differ between HMAs and LMAs. The difference in DMN deactivation between the HMA and LMA group was more pronounced in stimuli with additional requirement on inhibitory functions, but did not differ between number magnitude processing and arithmetic fact retrieval.

Mathematical bridges

CERN Document Server

Andreescu, Titu; Tetiva, Marian

2017-01-01

Building bridges between classical results and contemporary nonstandard problems, Mathematical Bridges embraces important topics in analysis and algebra from a problem-solving perspective. Blending old and new techniques, tactics and strategies used in solving challenging mathematical problems, readers will discover numerous genuine mathematical gems throughout that will heighten their appreciation of the inherent beauty of mathematics. Most of the problems are original to the authors and are intertwined in a well-motivated exposition driven by representative examples. The book is structured to assist the reader in formulating and proving conjectures, as well as devising solutions to important mathematical problems by making connections between various concepts and ideas from different areas of mathematics. Instructors and educators teaching problem-solving courses or organizing mathematics clubs, as well as motivated mathematics students from high school juniors to college seniors, will find Mathematical Bri...

A Case Study on the Impact of Teacher Mathematical Knowledge on Pedagogical Practices

Science.gov (United States)

Hughes, Sally

2016-01-01

This study explores the implications for mathematical knowledge and pedagogical practices of primary teachers in Papua New Guinea making a shift from a transmission approach to a connectionist approach to teaching mathematics. The research participants were engaged in a professional development program designed to support the teaching and learning…

Mathematics in middle schools in Western European countries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pelgrum, W.J.

1988-01-01

The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement has conducted a number of cross-national studies in which Western European countries participated. Results from the Second International Mathematics Study regarding the content and outcomes of this study in some Western

Processes of negotiation of meanings on algebraic thinking in a community of practice of pre-service mathematics teacher education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Márcia Cristina de Costa Trindade Cyrino

2011-12-01

Full Text Available We presented in this paper results of a research which aimed to investigate how the community of practice context of pre-service mathematics teacher education collaborates for learning on algebraic thinking by these future teachers. We analyzed, taking into account the Social Theory of Learning developed by Wenger (1998 as a theoretical frame, processes of negotiation of meanings present in participants' algebraic thinking in the development of tasks in one of the actions of the project "Mathematical Education of Teachers of Mathematics" inside the program "Universidade sem Fronteiras". This analysis allowed us to define some forms of member participation and explicit reification of algebraic thinking, due to some interactions in the processes of negotiation of meanings, which revealed changes in the identity of participants in become teachers of mathematics.

A Capstone Mathematics Course for Prospective Secondary Mathematics Teachers

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Artzt, Alice F.; Sultan, Alan; Curcio, Frances R.; Gurl, Theresa

2012-01-01

This article describes an innovative capstone mathematics course that links college mathematics with school mathematics and pedagogy. It describes how college juniors in a secondary mathematics teacher preparation program engage in leadership experiences that enable them to learn mathematics for teaching while developing student-centered…

Students' meaning making in science: solving energy resource problems in virtual worlds combined with spreadsheets to develop graphs

Science.gov (United States)

Krange, Ingeborg; Arnseth, Hans Christian

2012-09-01

The aim of this study is to scrutinize the characteristics of conceptual meaning making when students engage with virtual worlds in combination with a spreadsheet with the aim to develop graphs. We study how these tools and the representations they contain or enable students to construct serve to influence their understanding of energy resource consumption. The data were gathered in 1st grade upper-secondary science classes and they constitute the basis for the interaction analysis of students' meaning making with representations. Our analyses demonstrate the difficulties involved in developing students' orientation toward more conceptual orientations to representations of the knowledge domain. Virtual worlds do not in themselves represent a solution to this problem.

Factors Considered by Elementary Teachers When Developing and Modifying Mathematical Tasks to Support Children's Mathematical Thinking

Science.gov (United States)

Fredenberg, Michael Duane

The idea that problems and tasks play a pivotal role in a mathematics lesson has a long standing in mathematics education research. Recent calls for teaching reform appeal for training teachers to better understand how students learn mathematics and to employ students' mathematical thinking as the basis for pedagogy (CCSSM, 2010; NCTM, 2000; NRC 1999). The teaching practices of (a) developing a task for a mathematics lesson and, (b) modifying the task for students while enacting the lesson fit within the scope of supporting students' mathematical thinking. Surprisingly, an extensive search of the literature did not yield any research aimed to identify and refine the constituent parts of the aforementioned teaching practices in the manner called for by Grossman and xiii colleagues (2009). Consequently, my research addresses the two questions: (a) what factors do exemplary elementary teachers consider when developing a task for a mathematics lesson? (b) what factors do they consider when they modify a task for a student when enacting a lesson? I conducted a multiple case study involving three elementary teachers, each with extensive training in the area of Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI), as well as several years experience teaching mathematics following the principles of CGI (Carpenter et al., 1999). I recorded video of three mathematics lessons with each participant and after each lesson I conducted a semi-structured stimulated recall interview. A subsequent follow-up clinical interview was conducted soon thereafter to further explore the teacher's thoughts (Ginsberg, 1997). In addition, my methodology included interjecting myself at select times during a lesson to ask the teacher to explain her reasoning. Qualitative analysis led to a framework that identified four categories of influencing factors and seven categories of supporting objectives for the development of a task. Subsets of these factors and objectives emerged as particularly relevant when the

Workshop on Women of Applied Mathematics: Research and Leadership

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dianne P. O' Leary; Tamara G. Kolda

2004-09-28

We held a two and a half day workshop on Women of Applied Mathematics: Research and Leadership at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland, October 8--10, 2003. The workshop provided a technical and professional forum for eleven senior women and twenty-four early-career women in applied mathematics. Each participant committed to an outreach activity and publication of a report on the workshop's web site. The final session of the workshop produced recommendations for future action.

On Mathematical Understanding: Perspectives of Experienced Chinese Mathematics Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Jinfa; Ding, Meixia

2017-01-01

Researchers have long debated the meaning of mathematical understanding and ways to achieve mathematical understanding. This study investigated experienced Chinese mathematics teachers' views about mathematical understanding. It was found that these mathematics teachers embrace the view that understanding is a web of connections, which is a result…

Hands-On Mathematics: Two Cases from Ancient Chinese Mathematics

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Youjun

2009-01-01

In modern mathematical teaching, it has become increasingly emphasized that mathematical knowledge should be taught by problem-solving, hands-on activities, and interactive learning experiences. Comparing the ideas of modern mathematical education with the development of ancient Chinese mathematics, we find that the history of mathematics in…

Theoretical Mathematics

Science.gov (United States)

Stöltzner, Michael

Answering to the double-faced influence of string theory on mathematical practice and rigour, the mathematical physicists Arthur Jaffe and Frank Quinn have contemplated the idea that there exists a `theoretical' mathematics (alongside `theoretical' physics) whose basic structures and results still require independent corroboration by mathematical proof. In this paper, I shall take the Jaffe-Quinn debate mainly as a problem of mathematical ontology and analyse it against the backdrop of two philosophical views that are appreciative towards informal mathematical development and conjectural results: Lakatos's methodology of proofs and refutations and John von Neumann's opportunistic reading of Hilbert's axiomatic method. The comparison of both approaches shows that mitigating Lakatos's falsificationism makes his insights about mathematical quasi-ontology more relevant to 20th century mathematics in which new structures are introduced by axiomatisation and not necessarily motivated by informal ancestors. The final section discusses the consequences of string theorists' claim to finality for the theory's mathematical make-up. I argue that ontological reductionism as advocated by particle physicists and the quest for mathematically deeper axioms do not necessarily lead to identical results.

Students’ mathematical representations on secondary school in solving trigonometric problems

Science.gov (United States)

Istadi; Kusmayadi, T. A.; Sujadi, I.

2017-06-01

This research aimed to analyse students’ mathematical representations on secondary school in solving trigonometric problems. This research used qualitative method. The participants were 4 students who had high competence of knowledge taken from 20 students of 12th natural-science grade SMAN-1 Kota Besi, Central Kalimantan. Data validation was carried out using time triangulation. Data analysis used Huberman and Miles stages. The results showed that their answers were not only based on the given figure, but also used the definition of trigonometric ratio on verbal representations. On the other hand, they were able to determine the object positions to be observed. However, they failed to determine the position of the angle of depression at the sketches made on visual representations. Failure in determining the position of the angle of depression to cause an error in using the mathematical equation. Finally, they were unsuccessful to use the mathematical equation properly on symbolic representations. From this research, we could recommend the importance of translations between mathematical problems and mathematical representations as well as translations among mathematical representaions (verbal, visual, and symbolic) in learning mathematics in the classroom.

Mathematics Curriculum, the Philosophy of Mathematics and its ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

It is my observation that the current school mathematics curriculum in Ethiopia is not producing competent mathematics students. Many mathematicians in Ethiopia and other part of the world have often expressed grief that the majority of students do not understand mathematical concepts, or do not see why mathematical ...

Mathematics, the Computer, and the Impact on Mathematics Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Tooke, D. James

2001-01-01

Discusses the connection between mathematics and the computer; mathematics curriculum; mathematics instruction, including teachers learning to use computers; and the impact of the computer on learning mathematics. (LRW)

Finite Mathematics and Discrete Mathematics: Is There a Difference?

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Marvin L.

Discrete mathematics and finite mathematics differ in a number of ways. First, finite mathematics has a longer history and is therefore more stable in terms of course content. Finite mathematics courses emphasize certain particular mathematical tools which are useful in solving the problems of business and the social sciences. Discrete mathematics…

A Longitudinal Study on Mathematics Teaching Efficacy: Which Factors (Un)Support the Development?

Science.gov (United States)

Isiksal-Bostan, Mine

2016-01-01

The aim of this longitudinal study was to examine prospective teachers' mathematics teaching efficacy belief during their enrollment in teacher education program and at the end of their first year of teaching. In addition, the factors that enhance or inhibit participants' efficacy belief and how these factors affect their mathematics teaching…

Secondary Mathematics Pre-Service Teachers' Processes of Selection and Integration of Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Uzan, Erol

2017-01-01

This study investigated secondary mathematics pre-service teachers' (PSTs) knowledge of resources in terms of digital technologies, and explored the processes of both selection and integration of technology into their lesson plans. This study employed a case study design. Participants were six secondary mathematics PSTs who enrolled in a methods…

What Mathematics Teachers Say about the Teaching Strategies in the Implementation of Tasks

Science.gov (United States)

Enríquez, Jakeline Amparo Villota; de Oliveira, Andréia María Pereira; Valencia, Heriberto González

2018-01-01

In this article we will discuss, through the explanations given by teachers who teach Mathematics, the importance of using teaching strategies in the implementation of tasks. Teachers who participated in it belong to the group "Observatory Mathematics Education" (OME-Bahia). This study was framed in a qualitative approach and data were…

A Cross-National Comparison of Reported Effort and Mathematics Performance in TIMSS Advanced

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Eklöf, Hanna; Pavešic, Barbara Japelj; Grønmo, Liv Sissel

2014-01-01

The purpose of the study was to measure students' reported test-taking effort and the relationship between reported effort and performance on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) Advanced mathematics test. This was done in three countries participating in TIMSS Advanced 2008 (Sweden, Norway, and Slovenia), and the…

EULER - A Real Virtual Library for Mathematics

CERN Document Server

Jost, Michael

2004-01-01

The EULER project completed its work in November 2002. It forms the last part of a very successful project in the specialized but global discipline of mathematics. After a successful RTD project had created the technology, a take-up project has effectively exploited it to the point where its future is assured through a not-for-profit consortium. EULER is a European based, world class, real virtual library for mathematics with up-to-date technological solutions, well accepted by users. In particular, EULER provides a world reference and delivery service, transparent to the end user and offering full coverage of the mathematics literature world-wide, including bibliographic data, peer reviews and/or abstracts, indexing, classification and search, transparent access to library services, co-operation with commercial information providers (publishers, bookstores). The EULER services provide a gateway to the electronic catalogues and repositories of participating institutions, while the latter retain complete respo...

Mathematical Intelligence and Mathematical Creativity: A Causal Relationship

Science.gov (United States)

Tyagi, Tarun Kumar

2017-01-01

This study investigated the causal relationship between mathematical creativity and mathematical intelligence. Four hundred thirty-nine 8th-grade students, age ranged from 11 to 14 years, were included in the sample of this study by random cluster technique on which mathematical creativity and Hindi adaptation of mathematical intelligence test…

Transformation of teacher identity through a Mathematical Literacy ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The Advanced Certificate in Education in Mathematical Literacy programme was designed to expose participants to knowledge and understanding of the ML curriculum (meaning), development of an integrated approach to teaching and learning, classroom didactics, lesson plans (practice), and group work activities where ...

Mathematics Anxiety Among 4th And 5th Grade Turkish Elementary School Students

OpenAIRE

Fulya Yüksel-Şahin

2008-01-01

Using a sample of 4th and 5th graders, this study investigated whether students’ mathematics anxiety differed significantly according to a group of variables. A total of 249 students participated in the study. “The Mathematics Anxiety Scale for Elementary School Students” and “The Personal Information Form” were used for data collection. Independent samples t-tests, Oneway Anova and Schefee test were used to analyze the data. Results showed that students’ mathematics anxiety differed signific...

Using Digital Games to Learn Mathematics – What students think?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Su Ting Yong

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to explore how university foundation students perceive the use of digital games in learning mathematics. Data was collected using an online questionnaire and 209 foundation university students participated in this study.  The questionnaire was used to explore students’ gaming experience and students’ attitude towards mathematics learning with digital games.  It was found that most of the university foundation students liked to play different types of digital games.  Males preferred playing digital games in more traditional male genres namely sport, racing, shooter, action adventure, role play and strategy games.  As for females, they generally preferred playing puzzle and simulation games.  Astonishingly, the foundation students were not very positive towards the use of digital games in learning mathematics, and their attitude was essentially influenced by their mathematics interest.  Students with greater interest in mathematics were more likely to support the use of digital games in learning. 

Participation of Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University in Prague, in training of personnel for nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sterba, F.

1983-01-01

Graduates of application oriented fields of all mathematics and physics specializations of Solid state physics and Nuclear physics work successfully in nuclear power. In the mathematics fields great attention is devoted to optimization, control, process modeling, etc. The subject Solid state physics is subdivided into the following specializations: physics of metals, magnetic properties of the solid state and structural analysis. These specializations educate specialists with a good knowledge of the structure and properties of metal materials. Great attention is devoted to the causes and development of defects, materials creep and the radiation damage of crystal lattices. The nuclear physics specialization Applied nuclear physics deals with the use of nuclear methods in diverse fields and provides basic knowledge in nuclear power generation and the operation of nuclear reactors. The Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of the Charles University in Prague also runs postgraduate study courses in nuclear physics measurement methods, solid state physics, etc. (E.S.)

Cross-national Retrospective Studies of Mathematics Olympians.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, James Reed, Ed.

1996-01-01

The eight chapters of this theme issue use quantitative and qualitative methods to explore the nature and nurture of young participants in the mathematics Olympiad from five countries. Parallel studies are presented of winners from China, Taiwan, and the United States, along with descriptions of programs in Japan and Russia. (SLD)

Gender Differences in Online Participation: Examining a History and a Mathematics Open Foundation Online Course

Science.gov (United States)

Morante, Annette; Djenidi, Valerie; Clark, Helene; West, Susan

2017-01-01

With enrolment and completion rates in the University of Newcastle's online Open Foundation enabling program being considerably higher for women than for men, this case study investigates the engagement of male and female students in two different subject areas. History and Mathematics students' online behaviour is examined to identify whether…

The Relationship between Handedness and Mathematics Is Non-linear and Is Moderated by Gender, Age, and Type of Task

Science.gov (United States)

Sala, Giovanni; Signorelli, Michela; Barsuola, Giulia; Bolognese, Martina; Gobet, Fernand

2017-01-01

The relationship between handedness and mathematical ability is still highly controversial. While some researchers have claimed that left-handers are gifted in mathematics and strong right-handers perform the worst in mathematical tasks, others have more recently proposed that mixed-handers are the most disadvantaged group. However, the studies in the field differ with regard to the ages and the gender of the participants, and the type of mathematical ability assessed. To disentangle these discrepancies, we conducted five studies in several Italian schools (total participants: N = 2,314), involving students of different ages (six to seventeen) and a range of mathematical tasks (e.g., arithmetic and reasoning). The results show that (a) linear and quadratic functions are insufficient for capturing the link between handedness and mathematical ability; (b) the percentage of variance in mathematics scores explained by handedness was larger than in previous studies (between 3 and 10% vs. 1%), and (c) the effect of handedness on mathematical ability depended on age, type of mathematical tasks, and gender. In accordance with previous research, handedness does represent a correlate of achievement in mathematics, but the shape of this relationship is more complicated than has been argued so far. PMID:28649210

Students' Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation Level and Its Relationship with Their Mathematics Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Acar Güvendir, Meltem

2016-01-01

This study focused on the extrinsic and intrinsic motivation levels of eighth grade students and its relationship with their mathematical achievement. The participants of the study included 6,829 students who took TIMSS in 2011 and 239 mathematics teachers. The data obtained from the student and teacher questionnaires that are included in the…

Student and Teacher Perceptions of First Language Use in Secondary French Immersion Mathematics Classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Culligan, Karla

2015-01-01

This phenomenological study (Creswell, 2003, 2007; van Manen, 1997) explores student and teacher perceptions of first language use in French immersion mathematics classrooms at a large, urban high school in Canada. During individual interviews, participants discussed their perceptions and experiences of French immersion mathematics, language use,…

School Effectiveness and Teacher Effectiveness in Mathematics: Some Preliminary Findings from the Evaluation of the Mathematics Enhancement Program (Primary).

Science.gov (United States)

Muijs, Daniel; Reynolds, David

2000-01-01

Examines effects of teacher behaviors and classroom organization on 2,128 pupils' progress in mathematics in UK primary schools participating in a math intervention program. Using multilevel modeling techniques, finds that teacher behaviors could explain between 60 and 70 percent of pupils' progress on numeracy tests. (Contains 35 references.)…

Learning Mathematics for Teaching Mathematics: Non-Specialist Teachers' Mathematics Teacher Identity

Science.gov (United States)

Crisan, Cosette; Rodd, Melissa

2017-01-01

A non-specialist teacher of mathematics is a school teacher who qualified to teach in a subject other than mathematics yet teaches mathematics to students in secondary school. There is an emerging interest internationally in this population, a brief report of which is given in the paper. Because of concerns about the quality of non-specialists'…

Norms for Participation in a Middle School Mathematics Classroom and Its Effect on Student Motivation

Science.gov (United States)

Megowan-Romanowicz, M. Colleen; Middleton, James A.; Ganesh, Tirupalavanam; Joanou, Jamie

2013-01-01

In this article we examine how students engage in learning mathematical concepts in the middle grades of an urban public school in the Southwestern United States. In the context of a 3-year National Science Foundation-funded longitudinal study of the development of students' rational number understanding, we encountered differing levels of…

Microsoft excel spreadsheets for calculation of P-V-T relations and thermodynamic properties from equations of state of MgO, diamond and nine metals as pressure markers in high-pressure and high-temperature experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Sokolova, Tatiana S.; Dorogokupets, Peter I.; Dymshits, Anna M.; Danilov, Boris S.; Litasov, Konstantin D.

2016-09-01

We present Microsoft Excel spreadsheets for calculation of thermodynamic functions and P-V-T properties of MgO, diamond and 9 metals, Al, Cu, Ag, Au, Pt, Nb, Ta, Mo, and W, depending on temperature and volume or temperature and pressure. The spreadsheets include the most common pressure markers used in in situ experiments with diamond anvil cell and multianvil techniques. The calculations are based on the equation of state formalism via the Helmholtz free energy. The program was developed using Visual Basic for Applications in Microsoft Excel and is a time-efficient tool to evaluate volume, pressure and other thermodynamic functions using T-P and T-V data only as input parameters. This application is aimed to solve practical issues of high pressure experiments in geosciences and mineral physics.

Mathematics Education in Multilingual Contexts for the Indigenous Population in Latin America

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Parra, Aldo; Mendes, Jackeline; Valero, Paola

2016-01-01

In Latin America, there is a considerable Indigenous population whose participation in the educational system has been systematically obstructed by the imposition of Spanish and Portuguese, the languages of the colonial powers. The historical process of Indigenous education was rooted in the colo...... the development of mathematical registers and language revitalization as central issues within the mathematics education of Indigenous people....

Using Digital Games to Learn Mathematics – What students think?

OpenAIRE

Su Ting Yong; Ian Harrison; Peter Gates

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to explore how university foundation students perceive the use of digital games in learning mathematics. Data was collected using an online questionnaire and 209 foundation university students participated in this study.  The questionnaire was used to explore students’ gaming experience and students’ attitude towards mathematics learning with digital games.  It was found that most of the university foundation students liked to play different types of digital games.  ...

Crossroads in the History of Mathematics and Mathematics Education. The Montana Mathematics Enthusiast: Monograph Series in Mathematics Education

Science.gov (United States)

Sriraman, Bharath, Ed.

2012-01-01

The interaction of the history of mathematics and mathematics education has long been construed as an esoteric area of inquiry. Much of the research done in this realm has been under the auspices of the history and pedagogy of mathematics group. However there is little systematization or consolidation of the existing literature aimed at…

Discrete Mathematics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, John Aasted

2011-01-01

The objectives of Discrete Mathematics (IDISM2) are: The introduction of the mathematics needed for analysis, design and verification of discrete systems, including the application within programming languages for computer systems. Having passed the IDISM2 course, the student will be able...... to accomplish the following: -Understand and apply formal representations in discrete mathematics. -Understand and apply formal representations in problems within discrete mathematics. -Understand methods for solving problems in discrete mathematics. -Apply methods for solving problems in discrete mathematics......; construct a finite state machine for a given application. Apply these concepts to new problems. The teaching in Discrete Mathematics is a combination of sessions with lectures and students solving problems, either manually or by using Matlab. Furthermore a selection of projects must be solved and handed...

What Spreadsheet and Database Skills Do Business Students Need?

Science.gov (United States)

Coleman, Phillip D.; Blankenship, Ray J.

2017-01-01

The Principles of Information Systems course taught at a medium-sized Midwest University consists of Information Systems conceptual material plus Microsoft Excel and Access skills that the Information Systems faculty feel are most important to business students from all business disciplines. These skills range from using basic mathematic functions…

Mathematical Literacy: A new literacy or a new mathematics?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renuka Vithal

2006-10-01

Full Text Available Mathematical Literacy is a ‘hot’ topic at present in most countries, whether it is referred to by that name, or in some cases as Numeracy, or Quantitative Literacy, or Matheracy, or as some part of Ethnomathematics, or related to Mathematics in Society. Questions continue to be asked about what is meant by mathematics in any concept of Mathematical Literacy and the use of the very word ‘Literacy’ in its association with Mathematics has been challenged. Its importance, however, lies in changing our perspective on mathematics teaching, away from the elitism so often associated with much mathematics education, and towards a more equitable, accessible and genuinely educational ideal.

The Relationship of Mathematics Anxiety and Mathematical Knowledge to the Learning of Mathematical Pedagogy by Preservice Elementary Teachers.

Science.gov (United States)

Battista, Michael T.

1986-01-01

Examined how preservice elementary teachers' (N=38) mathematical knowledge and mathematics anxiety affect their success in a mathematics methods course. Also examined the hypothesis that a mathematics methods course can reduce the mathematics anxiety of these teachers. One finding is that mathematics anxiety does not inhibit their learning of…

influence of gender and learned helplessness on some mathematics ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

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MATHEMATICS-RELATED AFFECTIVE BEHAVIOUR OF LESOTHO. SENIOR ... influences such behaviour among senior secondary school students in the Kingdom of Lesotho. ... environmental set up, stress, emotions and .... significant to students, teachers, educational ..... difference in the level of classroom participation.

The Relationships among Mathematics Teaching Efficacy, Mathematics Self-Efficacy, and Mathematical Beliefs for Elementary Pre-Service Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Briley, Jason S.

2012-01-01

Ninety-five elementary pre-service teachers enrolled in a mathematics content course for elementary school teachers completed 3 surveys to measure mathematics teaching efficacy, mathematics self-efficacy, and mathematical beliefs. The pre-service teachers who reported stronger beliefs in their capabilities to teach mathematics effectively were…

ATC-lab(Advanced): an air traffic control simulator with realism and control.

Science.gov (United States)

Fothergill, Selina; Loft, Shayne; Neal, Andrew

2009-02-01

ATC-lab(Advanced) is a new, publicly available air traffic control (ATC) simulation package that provides both realism and experimental control. ATC-lab(Advanced) simulations are realistic to the extent that the display features (including aircraft performance) and the manner in which participants interact with the system are similar to those used in an operational environment. Experimental control allows researchers to standardize air traffic scenarios, control levels of realism, and isolate specific ATC tasks. Importantly, ATC-lab(Advanced) also provides the programming control required to cost effectively adapt simulations to serve different research purposes without the need for technical support. In addition, ATC-lab(Advanced) includes a package for training participants and mathematical spreadsheets for designing air traffic events. Preliminary studies have demonstrated that ATC-lab(Advanced) is a flexible tool for applied and basic research.

International Conference on Recent Advances in Mathematical Biology, Analysis and Applications

CERN Document Server

Saleem, M; Srivastava, H; Khan, Mumtaz; Merajuddin, M

2016-01-01

The book contains recent developments and contemporary research in mathematical analysis and in its application to problems arising from the biological and physical sciences. The book is of interest to readers who wish to learn of new research in such topics as linear and nonlinear analysis, mathematical biology and ecology, dynamical systems, graph theory, variational analysis and inequalities, functional analysis, differential and difference equations, partial differential equations, approximation theory, and chaos. All papers were prepared by participants at the International Conference on Recent Advances in Mathematical Biology, Analysis and Applications (ICMBAA-2015) held during 4–6 June 2015 in Aligarh, India. A focal theme of the conference was the application of mathematics to the biological sciences and on current research in areas of theoretical mathematical analysis that can be used as sophisticated tools for the study of scientific problems. The conference provided researchers, academicians and ...

Learners' Performance in Mathematics: A Case Study of Public High Schools, South Africa

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Mapaire, Lawrence

2016-01-01

Mathematics is fundamental to national prosperity in providing tools for understanding science, technology, engineering and economics. It is essential in public decision-making and for participation in the knowledge economy. Mathematics equips pupils with uniquely powerful ways to describe, analyse and change the world. It can stimulate moments of…

Instructional characteristics in mathematics classrooms: relationships to achievement goal orientation and student engagement

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Lazarides, Rebecca; Rubach, Charlott

2017-02-01

This longitudinal study examined relationships between student-perceived teaching for meaning, support for autonomy, and competence in mathematic classrooms (Time 1), and students' achievement goal orientations and engagement in mathematics 6 months later (Time 2). We tested whether student-perceived instructional characteristics at Time 1 indirectly related to student engagement at Time 2, via their achievement goal orientations (Time 2), and, whether student gender moderated these relationships. Participants were ninth and tenth graders (55.2% girls) from 46 classrooms in ten secondary schools in Berlin, Germany. Only data from students who participated at both timepoints were included (N = 746 out of total at Time 1 1118; dropout 33.27%). Longitudinal structural equation modeling showed that student-perceived teaching for meaning and support for competence indirectly predicted intrinsic motivation and effort, via students' mastery goal orientation. These paths were equivalent for girls and boys. The findings are significant for mathematics education, in identifying motivational processes that partly explain the relationships between student-perceived teaching for meaning and competence support and intrinsic motivation and effort in mathematics.

Didactital design of mathematics teaching in primary school

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Nur’aeni, E.; Muharram, M. R. W.

2018-05-01

The fact that the low ability of geometrical understanding of primary school students is what triggers this study to be conducted. Thus, this research aimed to find out how to create a didactical design of students' mathematical understanding, particularly on one of geometry materials that is unit of length. A qualitative approach promoting Didactical Design Research (DDR) was administered in this study. Participants of the study were primary school students in Tasikmalaya, an city in West Java Province, Indonesia. The results show that there was a learning design based on learning obstacles found in the mathematics teaching and learning processes. The learning obstacles comprised students' difficulties in memorizing, relating, and operating the standards of unit of lengths. It has been proven that the most influential factor in the success of mathematics teaching and learning processes is the use of creative media.

Mathematical modelling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Blomhøj, Morten

2004-01-01

Developing competences for setting up, analysing and criticising mathematical models are normally seen as relevant only from and above upper secondary level. The general belief among teachers is that modelling activities presuppose conceptual understanding of the mathematics involved. Mathematical...... roots for the construction of important mathematical concepts. In addition competences for setting up, analysing and criticising modelling processes and the possible use of models is a formative aim in this own right for mathematics teaching in general education. The paper presents a theoretical...... modelling, however, can be seen as a practice of teaching that place the relation between real life and mathematics into the centre of teaching and learning mathematics, and this is relevant at all levels. Modelling activities may motivate the learning process and help the learner to establish cognitive...

Participation in Science and Technology: Young People's Achievement-Related Choices in Late-Modern Societies

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Boe, Maria Vetleseter; Henriksen, Ellen Karoline; Lyons, Terry; Schreiner, Camilla

2011-01-01

Young people's participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is a matter of international concern. Studies and careers that require physical sciences and advanced mathematics are most affected by the problem and women in particular are under-represented in many STEM fields. This article views international research about…

Calculation of economic and financing of NPP and conventional power plant using spreadsheet innovation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moch Djoko Birmano; Imam Bastori

2008-01-01

The study for calculating the economic and financing of Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) and conventional power plant using spreadsheet Innovation has been done. As case study, the NPP of PWR type of class 1050 MWe is represented by OPR-1000 (Optimized Power Reactor, 1000 MWe) and the conventional plant of class 600 MWe, is coal power plant (Coal PP). The purpose of the study is to assess the economic and financial feasibility level of OPR-1000 and Coal PP. The study result concludes that economically, OPR-1000 is more feasible compared to Coal PP because its generation cost is cheaper. Whereas financially, OPR-1000 is more beneficial compared to Coal PP because the higher benefit at the end of economic lifetime (NPV) and the higher ratio of benefit and cost (B/C Ratio). For NPP and Coal PP, the higher Discount Rate (%) is not beneficial. NPP is more sensitive to the change of discount rate compared to coal PP, whereas Coal PP is more sensitive to the change of power purchasing price than NPP. (author)

Discrete Mathematics and the Secondary Mathematics Curriculum.

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Dossey, John

Discrete mathematics, the mathematics of decision making for finite settings, is a topic of great interest in mathematics education at all levels. Attention is being focused on resolving the diversity of opinion concerning the exact nature of the subject, what content the curriculum should contain, who should study that material, and how that…

Early mathematical competencies and later achievement: insights from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children

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MacDonald, Amy; Carmichael, Colin

2017-11-01

International research suggests that early mathematical competence predicts later mathematical achievement. In this article, we explore the relationship between mathematical competencies at 4-5 years, as measured by teacher ratings, and later results on Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) numeracy tests. Data from a nationally representative sample of 2343 children participating in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) are examined. In line with international studies, we report moderate correlations between preschool-entry mathematics and later NAPLAN numeracy test results. However, analysis of individual growth trajectories indicates that early mathematics predicts the initial (Year 3) level, but not subsequent growth. This suggests that early mathematical competencies are important for enhancing achievement in early schooling, but that the quality of mathematics education provided in the schooling years is critical for future development.

The effects of CLIL on mathematical content learning: A longitudinal study

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Jill Surmont

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Previous research has shown that content and language integrated learning (CLIL, an educational approach that offers content courses through more than one educational language, increases metalinguistic awareness. This improved insight into language structures is supposed to extend beyond the linguistic domain. In the present study, the question whether pupils who learn in a CLIL environment outperform their traditionally schooled peers in mathematics is investigated. In total, 107 pupils entered the study. All participants were in the first year of secondary education at a school in Ostend, in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. Thirty-five pupils followed CLIL education in a foreign language (French and 72 followed traditional education that was given in the native language (Dutch. All participants were tested using a mathematical test at the beginning of the year, after three months, and after ten months. The first measurement of the mathematical scores showed that the two groups did not differ. In accordance with our hypothesis, the CLIL group scored higher than the non-CLIL group after ten months. Surprisingly, an effect was also found after three months. To conclude, CLIL appears to have a positive impact on the mathematical performance of pupils even after a short period of time.

Preservice Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Knowledge of Students

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Kilic, Hulya

2011-01-01

The aim of this paper is to present the nature of preservice secondary mathematics teachers' knowledge of students as emerged from a study investigating the development of their pedagogical content knowledge in a methods course and its associated field experience. Six preservice teachers participated in the study and the data were collected in the…

Mathematics education for social justice

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Suhendra

2016-02-01

Mathematics often perceived as a difficult subject with many students failing to understand why they learn mathematics. This situation has been further aggravated by the teaching and learning processes used, which is mechanistic without considering students' needs. The learning of mathematics tends to be just a compulsory subject, in which all students have to attend its classes. Social justice framework facilitates individuals or groups as a whole and provides equitable approaches to achieving equitable outcomes by recognising disadvantage. Applying social justice principles in educational context is related to how the teachers treat their students, dictates that all students the right to equal treatment regardless of their background and completed with applying social justice issues integrated with the content of the subject in order to internalise the principles of social justice simultaneously the concepts of the subject. The study examined the usefulness of implementing the social justice framework as a means of improving the quality of mathematics teaching in Indonesia involved four teacher-participants and their mathematics classes. The study used action research as the research methodology in which the teachers implemented and evaluated their use of social justice framework in their teaching. The data were collected using multiple research methods while analysis and interpretation of the data were carried out throughout the study. The findings of the study indicated that there were a number of challengesrelated to the implementation of the social justice framework. The findings also indicated that, the teachers were provided with a comprehensive guide that they could draw on to make decisions about how they could improve their lessons. The interactions among students and between the teachers and the students improved, they became more involved in teaching and learning process. Using social justice framework helped the teachers to make mathematics more

Using Video Prompting to Teach Mathematical Problem Solving of Real-World Video-Simulation Problems

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Saunders, Alicia F.; Spooner, Fred; Ley Davis, Luann

2018-01-01

Mathematical problem solving is necessary in many facets of everyday life, yet little research exists on how to teach students with more severe disabilities higher order mathematics like problem solving. Using a multiple probe across participants design, three middle school students with moderate intellectual disability (ID) were taught to solve…

Meeting in mathematics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mogensen, Arne; Georgiev, Vladimir; Ulovec, Andreas

To encourage many more young people to appreciate the real nature and spirit of mathematics and possibly to be enrolled in mathematics study it is important to involve them in doing mathematics (not just learning about mathematics). This goal could be achieved if mathematics teachers are prepared...... to identify and work with mathematically gifted students (without loosing the rest). The book offers chapters on gifted students, mathematical competences and other issues....

Perception of mathematics teachers on cooperative learning method in the 21st century

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Taufik, Nurshahira Alwani Mohd; Maat, Siti Mistima

2017-05-01

Mathematics education is one of the branches to be mastered by students to help them compete with the upcoming challenges that are very challenging. As such, all parties should work together to help increase student achievement in Mathematics education in line with the Malaysian Education Blueprint (MEB) 2010-2025. Teaching methods play a very important role in attracting and fostering student understanding and interested in learning Mathematics. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify the perceptions of teachers in carrying out cooperative methods in the teaching and learning of mathematics. Participants of this study involving 4 teachers who teach Mathematics in primary schools around the state of Negeri Sembilan. Interviews are used as a method for gathering data. The findings indicate that cooperative methods help increasing interest and understanding in the teaching and learning of mathematics. In conclusion, the teaching methods affect the interest and understanding of students in the learning of Mathematics in the classroom.

Investigation of Mathematics Teacher Candidates' Conceptual Structures about "Measurement" through Word Association Test: The Example of Turkey

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Erdogan, Ahmet

2017-01-01

The purpose of this research is to determine mathematics teacher candidates' conceptual structures about the concept of "measurement" that is the one of the important learning fields of mathematics. Qualitative research method was used in this study. Participants of this study were 58 mathematics teacher candidates studying in one of the…

Analyzing Mathematics Beliefs of Pre-Service Teachers Using Confirmatory Factor Analysis

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Mazlini Adnan

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Mathematics beliefs play an important role in enhancing the quality and the effectiveness of teaching and learning. This study analyzes the mathematics beliefs of 317 pre-service teachers from six Higher Education Institutions (HEIs (Government Public Universities who were randomly selected to participate in this study. Questionnaires consisting of twenty three items were given to the respondents during the data collection process. The validation of the items was done by using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA. In order to obtain a model fit for the measurement model of mathematics beliefs, several fit index tests such as CMINDF, GFI, AGFI, IFI, NFI, CFI, TLI and RMSEA were used. Constructivist beliefs and traditional beliefs were identified as the contributing factors in the model. The analysis also revealed that mathematics beliefs consist of structures of two hidden variables. The correlation between the two variables (constructivist beliefs and traditional beliefs is at a moderate level. Hence, pre-service teachers should be able to recognize their type of mathematics beliefs in order to become effective mathematics teachers.

An analysis of primary school students’ representational ability in mathematics based on gender perspective

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Kowiyah; Mulyawati, I.

2018-01-01

Mathematic representation is one of the basic mathematic skills that allows students to communicate their mathematic ideas through visual realities such as pictures, tables, mathematic expressions and mathematic equities. The present research aims at: 1) analysing students’ mathematic representation ability in solving mathematic problems and 2) examining the difference of students’ mathematic ability based on their gender. A total of sixty primary school students participated in this study comprising of thirty males and thirty females. Data required in this study were collected through mathematic representation tests, interviews and test evaluation rubric. Findings of this study showed that students’ mathematic representation of visual realities (image and tables) was reported higher at 62.3% than at in the form of description (or statement) at 8.6%. From gender perspective, male students performed better than the females at action planning stage. The percentage of males was reported at 68% (the highest), 33% (medium) and 21.3% (the lowest) while the females were at 36% (the highest), 37.7% (medium) and 32.6% (the lowest).

Effects of Mathematics Anxiety and Mathematical Metacognition on Word Problem Solving in Children with and without Mathematical Learning Difficulties

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Lai, Yinghui; Zhu, Xiaoshuang; Chen, Yinghe; Li, Yanjun

2015-01-01

Mathematics is one of the most objective, logical, and practical academic disciplines. Yet, in addition to cognitive skills, mathematical problem solving also involves affective factors. In the current study, we first investigated effects of mathematics anxiety (MA) and mathematical metacognition on word problem solving (WPS). We tested 224 children (116 boys, M = 10.15 years old, SD = 0.56) with the Mathematics Anxiety Scale for Children, the Chinese Revised-edition Questionnaire of Pupil’s Metacognitive Ability in Mathematics, and WPS tasks. The results indicated that mathematical metacognition mediated the effect of MA on WPS after controlling for IQ. Second, we divided the children into four mathematics achievement groups including high achieving (HA), typical achieving (TA), low achieving (LA), and mathematical learning difficulty (MLD). Because mathematical metacognition and MA predicted mathematics achievement, we compared group differences in metacognition and MA with IQ partialled out. The results showed that children with MLD scored lower in self-image and higher in learning mathematics anxiety (LMA) than the TA and HA children, but not in mathematical evaluation anxiety (MEA). MLD children’s LMA was also higher than that of their LA counterparts. These results provide insight into factors that may mediate poor WPS performance which emerges under pressure in mathematics. These results also suggest that the anxiety during learning mathematics should be taken into account in mathematical learning difficulty interventions. PMID:26090806

International note: Are Emirati parents' attitudes toward mathematics linked to their adolescent children's attitudes toward mathematics and mathematics achievement?

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Areepattamannil, Shaljan; Khine, Myint Swe; Melkonian, Michael; Welch, Anita G; Al Nuaimi, Samira Ahmed; Rashad, Fatimah F

2015-10-01

Drawing on data from the 2012 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and employing multilevel modeling as an analytic strategy, this study examined the relations of adolescent children's perceptions of their parents' attitudes towards mathematics to their own attitudes towards mathematics and mathematics achievement among a sample of 5116 adolescents from 384 schools in the United Arab Emirates. The results of this cross-sectional study revealed that adolescents who perceived that their parents liked mathematics and considered mathematics was important for their children not only to study but also for their career tended to report higher levels of intrinsic and instrumental motivation to learn mathematics, mathematics self-concept and self-efficacy, and mathematics work ethic. Moreover, adolescents who perceived that their parents liked mathematics and considered mathematics was important for their children's career tended to report positive intentions and behaviors toward mathematics. However, adolescents who perceived that their parents considered mathematics was important for their children's career tended to report higher levels of mathematics anxiety. Finally, adolescents who perceived that their parents considered mathematics was important for their children to study performed significantly better on the mathematics assessment than did their peers whose parents disregarded the importance of learning mathematics. Copyright © 2015 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of Mathematics Anxiety and Mathematical Metacognition on Word Problem Solving in Children with and without Mathematical Learning Difficulties.

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Yinghui Lai

Full Text Available Mathematics is one of the most objective, logical, and practical academic disciplines. Yet, in addition to cognitive skills, mathematical problem solving also involves affective factors. In the current study, we first investigated effects of mathematics anxiety (MA and mathematical metacognition on word problem solving (WPS. We tested 224 children (116 boys, M = 10.15 years old, SD = 0.56 with the Mathematics Anxiety Scale for Children, the Chinese Revised-edition Questionnaire of Pupil's Metacognitive Ability in Mathematics, and WPS tasks. The results indicated that mathematical metacognition mediated the effect of MA on WPS after controlling for IQ. Second, we divided the children into four mathematics achievement groups including high achieving (HA, typical achieving (TA, low achieving (LA, and mathematical learning difficulty (MLD. Because mathematical metacognition and MA predicted mathematics achievement, we compared group differences in metacognition and MA with IQ partialled out. The results showed that children with MLD scored lower in self-image and higher in learning mathematics anxiety (LMA than the TA and HA children, but not in mathematical evaluation anxiety (MEA. MLD children's LMA was also higher than that of their LA counterparts. These results provide insight into factors that may mediate poor WPS performance which emerges under pressure in mathematics. These results also suggest that the anxiety during learning mathematics should be taken into account in mathematical learning difficulty interventions.

Effects of Mathematics Anxiety and Mathematical Metacognition on Word Problem Solving in Children with and without Mathematical Learning Difficulties.

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Yinghui; Zhu, Xiaoshuang; Chen, Yinghe; Li, Yanjun

2015-01-01

Mathematics is one of the most objective, logical, and practical academic disciplines. Yet, in addition to cognitive skills, mathematical problem solving also involves affective factors. In the current study, we first investigated effects of mathematics anxiety (MA) and mathematical metacognition on word problem solving (WPS). We tested 224 children (116 boys, M = 10.15 years old, SD = 0.56) with the Mathematics Anxiety Scale for Children, the Chinese Revised-edition Questionnaire of Pupil's Metacognitive Ability in Mathematics, and WPS tasks. The results indicated that mathematical metacognition mediated the effect of MA on WPS after controlling for IQ. Second, we divided the children into four mathematics achievement groups including high achieving (HA), typical achieving (TA), low achieving (LA), and mathematical learning difficulty (MLD). Because mathematical metacognition and MA predicted mathematics achievement, we compared group differences in metacognition and MA with IQ partialled out. The results showed that children with MLD scored lower in self-image and higher in learning mathematics anxiety (LMA) than the TA and HA children, but not in mathematical evaluation anxiety (MEA). MLD children's LMA was also higher than that of their LA counterparts. These results provide insight into factors that may mediate poor WPS performance which emerges under pressure in mathematics. These results also suggest that the anxiety during learning mathematics should be taken into account in mathematical learning difficulty interventions.

The Relationships among Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers' Beliefs about Mathematics, Mathematics Teaching, and Use of Technology in China

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Yang, Xinrong; Leung, Frederick K. S.

2015-01-01

This paper investigated pre-service mathematics teachers' mathematics beliefs, beliefs about information and communication technology (ICT), and their relationships. 787 pre-service mathematics teachers in China completed a survey questionnaire measuring their beliefs about the nature of mathematics, beliefs about mathematics learning and…

Mathematics without boundaries surveys in pure mathematics

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Pardalos, Panos

2014-01-01

The contributions in this volume have been written by eminent scientists from the international mathematical community and present significant advances in several theories, methods and problems of Mathematical Analysis, Discrete Mathematics, Geometry and their Applications. The chapters focus on both old and recent developments in Functional Analysis, Harmonic Analysis, Complex Analysis, Operator Theory, Combinatorics, Functional Equations, Differential Equations as well as a variety of Applications. The book also contains some review works, which could prove particularly useful for a broader audience of readers in Mathematical Sciences, and especially to graduate students looking for the  latest information.

Self-concept mediates the relation between achievement and emotions in mathematics.

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Van der Beek, Jojanneke P J; Van der Ven, Sanne H G; Kroesbergen, Evelyn H; Leseman, Paul P M

2017-09-01

Mathematics achievement is related to positive and negative emotions. Pekrun's control-value theory of achievement emotions suggests that students' self-concept (i.e., self-appraisal of ability) may be an important mediator of the relation between mathematics achievement and emotions. The aims were (1) to investigate the mediating role of mathematical self-concept in the relation between mathematics achievement and the achievement emotions of enjoyment and anxiety in a comprehensive model, and (2) to test possible differences in this mediating role between low-, average-, and high-achieving students. Participants were ninth-grade students (n = 1,014) from eight secondary schools in the Netherlands. Through an online survey including mathematical problems, students were asked to indicate their levels of mathematics enjoyment, anxiety, and self-concept. Structural equation modelling was used to test the mediating role of self-concept in the relation between mathematics achievement and emotions. Multigroup analyses were performed to compare these relations across the three achievement groups. Results confirmed full mediation of the relation between mathematics achievement and emotions by mathematical self-concept. Furthermore, we found higher self-concepts, more enjoyment and less math anxiety in high-achieving students compared to their average and low-achieving peers. No differences across these achievement groups were found in the relations in the mediational model. Mathematical self-concept plays a pivotal role in students' appraisal of mathematics. Mathematics achievement is only one factor explaining students' self-concept. Likely also classroom instruction and teachers' feedback strategies help to shape students' self-concept. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

Pre-Service Teachers' Mathematics Self-Efficacy and Mathematics Teaching Self-Efficacy

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Zuya, Habila Elisha; Kwalat, Simon Kevin; Attah, Bala Galle

2016-01-01

Pre-service mathematics teachers' mathematics self-efficacy and mathematics teaching self-efficacy were investigated in this study. The purpose was to determine the confidence levels of their self-efficacy in mathematics and mathematics teaching. Also, the study was aimed at finding whether their mathematics self-efficacy and teaching…

Mathematics Teachers' Perceptions of Their Students' Mathematical Competence: Relations to Mathematics Achievement, Affect, and Engagement in Singapore and Australia

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Areepattamannil, Shaljan; Kaur, Berinderjeet

2013-01-01

This study, drawing on data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011, examined whether mathematics teachers' perceptions of their students' mathematical competence were related to mathematics achievement, affect toward mathematics, and engagement in mathematics lessons among Grade 8 students in Singapore and…

Mathematics education a spectrum of work in mathematical sciences departments

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Hsu, Pao-sheng; Pollatsek, Harriet

2016-01-01

Many in the mathematics community in the U.S. are involved in mathematics education in various capacities. This book highlights the breadth of the work in K-16 mathematics education done by members of US departments of mathematical sciences. It contains contributions by mathematicians and mathematics educators who do work in areas such as teacher education, quantitative literacy, informal education, writing and communication, social justice, outreach and mentoring, tactile learning, art and mathematics, ethnomathematics, scholarship of teaching and learning, and mathematics education research. Contributors describe their work, its impact, and how it is perceived and valued. In addition, there is a chapter, co-authored by two mathematicians who have become administrators, on the challenges of supporting, evaluating, and rewarding work in mathematics education in departments of mathematical sciences. This book is intended to inform the readership of the breadth of the work and to encourage discussion of its val...

Developing teaching material based on realistic mathematics andoriented to the mathematical reasoning and mathematical communication

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Fitria Habsah

2017-05-01

Full Text Available This research aims to produce mathematics textbook for grade VII junior high school students based on realistic mathematics and oriented to the mathematical reasoning and mathematical communication. The quality is determined based on Nieveen criteria, including validity, practicality, and effectiveness.This study was a research and development and used Borg & Gall model. The subject of this research were the students of SMPN 2 Pujon-Kabupaten Malang, that is 30 students in an experimental class (using the developed textbook and 29 students in a control class (using BSE book from the government. The teaching material was categorized valid if the expert's judgment at least is categorized as “good”. The teaching material was categorized practical if both of teachers and students assessment at least categorized as “good”. The teaching material was categorized effectively if minimum 75% of student scores at least is categorized as “good” for the mathematical reasoning test and mathematical communication test. This research resulted in a valid, practical, and effective teaching material. The resulted of the validation show that material teaching is valid. The resulted of teachers and students assessment show that the product is practical. The tests scores show that the product is effective. Percentage of students who categorized at least as “good” is 83,33% for the mathematical reasoning and 86,67% for the mathematical communication. The resulted of statistic test shows that the product more effective than the BSE book from the government in terms of mathematical reasoning and mathematical communication.

Emotion Regulation in Mathematics Homework: An Empirical Study

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Xu, Jianzhong

2018-01-01

The author examined 2 distinctive aspects of emotion regulation in mathematics homework, including emotion management and cognitive reappraisal. Participants were 1,799 high school students from 46 classes in China. Two multilevel models were run, 1 with emotion management and another with cognitive reappraisal as the dependent variable. Both…

Teacher Perspectives on Literacy and Mathematics Professional Development

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Martin, Christie; Polly, Drew; Mraz, Maryann; Algozzine, Robert

2018-01-01

This study examines teacher's perspectives of the most beneficial professional development they have participated in over the last three years in the content areas of literacy and mathematics. It also investigates teachers views on how professional development influences student learning. Specifically, this study is grounded in the following…

Exploring student teachers' perceptions of the influence of technology in learning and teaching mathematics

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Sarah Bansilal

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Rapid global technological developments have affected all facets of life, including the teaching and learning of mathematics. This qualitative study was designed to identify the ways in which technology was used and to explore the nature of this use by a group of 52 mathematics student teachers. The participants were pre-service Mathematics students who were enrolled for a Mathematics module at a South African university. The research instruments were an open question and a semi-structured interview schedule. Saxe's framework was used to analyse the data. Some benefits of mathematics software were found to be the provision of different representations, dynamic visualisation of concepts and variation in mathematical situations. It was also found that students used technology more often in their own learning than in their teaching, because the schools did not have many resources. It is recommended that the education department prioritise the provision of specialist mathematics software that can be used to improve learning outcomes in mathematics.

Mathematical Modeling in Mathematics Education: Basic Concepts and Approaches

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Erbas, Ayhan Kürsat; Kertil, Mahmut; Çetinkaya, Bülent; Çakiroglu, Erdinç; Alacaci, Cengiz; Bas, Sinem

2014-01-01

Mathematical modeling and its role in mathematics education have been receiving increasing attention in Turkey, as in many other countries. The growing body of literature on this topic reveals a variety of approaches to mathematical modeling and related concepts, along with differing perspectives on the use of mathematical modeling in teaching and…

A Complex Formula: Girls and Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in Asia

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