Offers examples of loss of accuracy when using digital computing devices. Discusses causes for loss of accuracy and methods of preventing loss. Presents implications that loss of accuracy has for mathematics instruction. (MDH)

Presented is an interactive PASCAL computer program that computes the true mortgage interest rate. The half-interval technique, a method from numerical analysis, is incorporated into the program algorithm to approximate a solution of a continuous function on a closed interval. (JJK)

Fractal geometry is introduced through examples of computational exploration of coastlines, self-similar curves, random walks, and population growth. These explorations, which include the construction of algorithms and the subsequent development and application of simple computer programs, lend themselves to self-directed study and advanced…

Graphs equations in two variables using a BASIC screen-sweep program that generates solutions to equations by applying the intermediate value theorem. Provides suggestions for investigations that result in graphs of a butterfly, the Cheshire cat, the Trisectrix of Catalna, E. T. waving goodbye, a praying mantis, and others. (MDH)

Students in an introductory statistics course are often preoccupied with learning the computational routines of specific summary statistics and thereby fail to develop an understanding of the meaning of those statistics or their conceptual basis. To help students develop a better understanding of the meaning of three frequently used statistics,…

Described are ways that specific concepts from abstract algebra can be programed using the software package features of the Ada Programming Language, which is the primary language of the Department of Defense. Included are typical programs with their respective outputs. (JJK)

Describes the approach taken and materials used for introducing computer symbolic mathematics to undergraduate calculus students. Explains the features of the muMATH software package and reviews the modifications that were made to the program. Includes an exercise on plotting graphs. (ML)

Describes the derivation of the parameters incorporated into computer programs that are utilized to draw hypocycloids, which are the loci of points traced out by a point on a disk as it rolls against a circle and its interior. Includes information to obtain copies of the programs described. (JJK)

Investigates the mathematical behavior of 30 college students in a problem situation that requires them to find the inverse of a given compound element in an environment of LOGO turtle graphics. Results from interviews indicate that, in searching for the inverse, students tend to invert the elements but not the order. (MDH)

Examples of subroutines that generate both symbolic and graphic solutions to differential equations are presented for the two computer algebra systems, MAPLE and Mathematica. Included are the listings for the Mathematica procedures developed for use in this article. (JJK)

Presented is the change-point estimation which is a variation on point estimation for a two-sample problem. This variation relies on the elementary properties of the expected value and variance operators, is intuitive and is easily accessible for introductory statistics courses. Data for this exercise may be produced by a BASIC program which is…

The author presents two examples of lattice multiplication followed by a computer algorithm to perform this multiplication. The algorithm is given in psuedocode but could easily be given in Pascal. (PK)

Reports on how experts in special education approach the problem of software selection. Offers guidance in examining if the software is modifiable and if it offers record-keeping options. Also contains a listing of sample programs that are suitable for special education students in language arts, mathematics, and problem solving. (ML)

Uses LOGO to enhance the applicability of curve stitching in the mathematics curriculum. Presents the formulas and computer programs for the construction of parabolas, concentric circles, and epicycloids. Diagrams of constructed figures are provided. (MDH)

Discussed are several different transformations based on the generation of fractals including self-similar designs, the chaos game, the koch curve, and the Sierpinski Triangle. Three computer programs which illustrate these concepts are provided. (CW)