The year 2020 saw the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic that not only had wide-reaching social and economic consequences but also put healthcare systems under stress. Strategies for coping with the virus depended heavily on the interpretation of data. This article uses information from a UK upper tier local authority to examine how closely the…

Pole vaulting, the aim of which is to jump over a crossbar with the help of a long flexible pole, is considered to be one of the most complicated and technically demanding motions in track and field athletics. Pole vault performance is basically influenced by the energy exchange between the vaulter and pole. It depends on the sprinting, jumping…

This project served as a capstone event for the United States Military Academy sophomore Calculus II course. This multi-disciplinary problem-solving exercise motivated the link between math and biology and many other fields of study. The seven-lesson block of instruction was developed to show students how mathematics play a role in every…

Discusses a misconception about the cycloid that asserts the final point on the path of shortest time in the "Brachistochrone" problem is at the lowest point on the cycloid. Uses a BASIC program for Newton's method to determine the correct least-time cycloid. (MDH)

In 1984 "Economics of Education Review" paper, E. Bell indicates that, when capital markets are imperfect in a certain sense, demand for education may not always be directly related with present net value of education. This study shows Bell's paradox is possible under the alternative definitions of capital market imperfections and…

Using a large German Socioeconomic Panel data set for the period 1984-98, investigates the wage effects of two different measures of educational mismatch, overeducation and undereducation, when controlling for unobserved heterogeneity. Finds that wages differences between overeducated and undereducated workers totally disappear in most cases.…

A mathematical model for costing college courses, designed for purposes of accountability, subprogram cost analysis, marketing to foreign students (in Australia), and course cost analysis across institutions, is presented and discussed. (MSE)

Presents a mathematical model concerning the implicit risks to employers and employees of investing in on-the-job training (OJT). Suggests how to reduce OJT risks through "training insurance," where risks are pooled among employers and employees, and discusses more efficient contracts, losses due to layoffs, and OJT technology improvement.…

Considers transitions from naive realism to formal mathematical modeling, using a Direct Manipulation Environment for Newtonian Mechanics. Highlights include a case study of pre-university students in the United Kingdom; the interplay of mathematical reasoning, modes of interaction with technology, and setting; and comparisons between direct…

The report describes a project for developing a linear programing technique and a data base to facilitate decision making in State level planning of occupational training programs. The first 32 pages of the report describe the methods and procedures, results, conclusions, and recommendations of the study and include a brief bibliography. The…

This paper reviews the present state, recent trends, and prospective lines of development concerning applied problem solving, modeling, and their respective applications. Four major trends are scrutinized with respect to curriculum inclusion: a widened spectrum of arguments, an increased universality, an increased consolidation, and an extended…

Discusses the theory of microeconomic efficiency measurement, including frontier efficiency-measurement techniques; reviews the research measuring inefficiency in education; discusses the determinants of educational efficiency; includes table listing author, methodology, inputs and output, analytical techniques, and main findings for 28 studies of…

This submission contains the Proceedings of the 2010 Annual Meeting of the Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group (CMESG), held at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia. The CMESG is a group of mathematicians and mathematics educators who meet annually to discuss mathematics education issues at all levels of learning. The aims…

A project was developed to link together the computer and an operations research technique (goal programming) and to bring them to bear on problems in improving vocational education planning. The process involves using the computer to solve a mathematical model designed to determine trade-off values among alternative goals and plans. Simulating…

A nationwide survey was conducted to determine the States' formulae for funding operating expenses of the public two-year colleges. A one-page questionnaire, mailed to each State director for community/junior colleges, requested information on allocation formulae for operating expenses, capital outlay, and the State's total community/junior…