Using the basic properties of the base-b representation of rational numbers, we will give an elementary proof of Gauss's lemma: "Every real root of a monic polynomial with integer coefficients is either an integer or irrational." The paper offers a new perspective in understanding the meaning of 'irrational numbers' from a deeper…

In this short note I present an elementary proof of irrationality for the number "e," the base of the natural logarithm. It is simpler than other known proofs as it does not use comparisons with geometric series, nor Beukers' integrals, and it does not assume that "e" is a rational number from the beginning.

We view the (real) Laplace transform through the lens of linear algebra as a continuous analogue of the power series by a negative exponential transformation that switches the basis of power functions to the basis of exponential functions. This approach immediately points to how the complex Laplace transform is a generalisation of the Fourier…

The study examines the levels of understanding logarithmic expressions within the frames of a mathematical card game. The game is based on the popular card game Saboteur. In this paper, we analyse the progress of a group of six undergraduate students participating in a remedial course using games for recalling some fundamental mathematical…

This paper contains interesting facts regarding the powers of odd ordered special circulant magic squares along with their magic constants. It is shown that we always obtain circulant semi-magic square and special circulant magic square in the case of even and odd positive integer powers of these magic squares respectively. These magic squares…

The basic notions of combinatorics, including systematic listing and permutations, are important topics of mathematics that are recommended to be learned eventually from elementary schools. However, there is little research in mathematics education regarding elementary students' combinatorial strategies. The purpose of this research is to…

The natural exponential and logarithm are typically introduced to undergraduate engineering students in a calculus course using the notion of limits. We here present an approach to introduce the natural exponential/logarithm through a novel interpretation of derivatives. This approach does not rely on limits, allowing an early and intuitive…

Every application of integration by parts can be done with a tabular method. The trick is to identify and consider each new integral in the table before deciding how to proceed. This paper supplements a classic introduction to integration by parts with a particular tabular method called Row Integration by Parts (RIP). Approaches to tabular methods…

In a pre-service mathematics methods class I taught, in which we mathematized political districting (first horizontally, then vertically), student questions led to engaging mathematics, in particular, the development of a new number sequence.

In this paper, we first focus on the sum of powers of the first n positive odd integers, T[subscript k](n)=1[superscript k]+3[superscript k]+5[superscript k]+...+(2n-1)[superscript k], and derive in an elementary way a polynomial formula for T[subscript k](n) in terms of a specific type of generalized Stirling numbers. Then we consider the sum of…

In this paper we discuss the important Abel's summation formula, which is a very powerful tool for analysing series of real or complex numbers. We derive from it an integral test which may be useful in cases where the classical integral test may not be applied. We also discuss how this new integral test may be used when one is dealing with…

This study aims to explore the notion of the density of the set of rational numbers in the set of real numbers, as interpreted by undergraduate mathematics students. The data comprise 95 responses to a scripting task, in which participants were asked to extend a hypothetical dialog between two student characters, who argue about the existence of…

The Tchokwe people lived on the African continent, in Mozambique and Angola. The sona belong to their cultural tradition. The sona are drawings made in the sand by older members of the tribe to tell stories, essential in the youngests' formation. In this article, we show a relationship between the sona and the greatest common divisor (GCD) of two…

In this paper, drawing on semi-structured interviews with generalist teachers of year-one children in England and Sweden, we examine comparatively the influence of the intended curriculum (teachers in both countries work within mandated national curricula) and the received curriculum (the collectively assumed efficacious practices and goals handed…

This paper describes a study for teaching number system in a computer arithmetic course and addresses the existing gap in the current course by focusing on the characteristics of applications. A redundant residue number system (RRNS) is an efficient and innovative number system that inherits the interesting properties of both residue number system…