This study investigates when and how university students in first-semester introductory calculus interpret multiple representations of the same function. Specifically, it focuses on three tasks. The first task has students give their definitions of 'function sameness', the results of which suggests that many students understand a function as being…

A significant portion of mathematics education research has focused on factors that impact student pursuit of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Low rates of STEM student enrollment combined with high drop-out rates have consistently drawn attention from educators, administrators and policy-makers at all levels. Many studies…

In spring 2018, an inquiry-oriented differential equations course was offered at the Lebanese American University. This paper highlights students' comprehension of some qualitative aspects of differential equations, namely their understanding of the equations and their solutions. It also explores the students' success in moving between the…

We use Taylor's formula with Lagrange remainder to prove that functions with bounded second derivative are rectifiable in the case when polygonal paths are defined by interval subdivisions which are equally spaced. As a means for generating interesting examples of exact arc length calculations in calculus courses, we recall two large classes of…

Given the importance of the ability to use variables flexibly in Calculus and students' difficulties related to various uses of variables, this study examined how variables are treated in calculus class. Data for this study came from graduate teaching assistants' (TAs') classroom teaching, which plays a crucial role in undergraduate students'…

From an APOS (Action-Process-Object-Schema) theory perspective, learning mathematics involves construction of knowledge through mental mechanisms, which evolves between different mental structures or stages. The focus of this study is to explore how transition occurs from an Action to a Process conception, in the context of a task related to the…

Approaches to learning have been identified as crucial factors that influence students' mathematics performance. However, there have been mixed findings on which of the different approaches improve performance in undergraduate mathematics. Thus, this study aimed to unravel the specific effects of prior mathematics knowledge and approaches to…

We use Taylor's formula with Lagrange remainder to make a modern adaptation of Poisson's proof of a version of the fundamental theorem of calculus in the case when the integral is defined by Euler sums, that is Riemann sums with left endpoints which are equally spaced. We discuss potential benefits for such an approach in basic calculus courses.

In this article, we revisit the concept of strong differentiability of real functions of one variable, underlying the concept of differentiability. Our discussion is guided by the Straddle Lemma, which plays a key role in this context. The proofs of the results presented are designed to meet a young audience in mathematics, typical of students in…

This paper investigates outcomes of building students' intuitive understanding of a limit as a function's predicted value by examining introductory calculus students' conceptions of limit both before and after instruction. Students' responses suggest that while this approach is successful at reducing the common "limit equals function…

This study embarks on the question in the title with the construct of epistemological status, which pertains to the solver's satisfaction with the way and the degree to which their solution had fulfilled their intellectual and psychological needs in a particular problem situation. The construct is used to hypothesize that a solver's decision to…

This paper reports on the first part of a multiphase research project that seeks to identify and address the difficulties encountered by physics students when studying differential equations. Differential equations are used extensively by undergraduate physics students, particularly in the advanced modules of their degree. It is, therefore,…

We present an approach to the impulsive response method for solving linear constant-coefficient ordinary differential equations of any order based on the factorization of the differential operator. The approach is elementary, we only assume a basic knowledge of calculus and linear algebra. In particular, we avoid the use of distribution theory, as…

Four different families of linear recurrences are derived for Catalan numbers. The derivations rest on John Riordan's 1973 generalization of Catalan numbers to a set of polynomials. Elementary differential and integral calculus techniques are used and the results should be of interest to teachers and students of introductory courses in calculus…

If f is a continuous positive-valued function defined on the closed interval from a to x and if k[subscript 0] is greater than 0, then lim[subscript k[right arrow]0[superscript +] [integral][superscript x] [subscript a] f (t)[superscript k-k[subscript 0]] dt= [integral][superscript x] [subscript a] f (t)[superscript -k[subscript 0] dt. This…