The hanging rope problem is considered. The rope is subject to rotation with the rotation axis being parallel to the rope. Using a continuum model and the basic principles of dynamics, the differential equation governing the motion is derived. The dynamic equilibrium case without vibrational motion is assumed in deriving the equation. The equation…

Mathematical modelling is an interlinking process between mathematics and real-world problems that can be applied as a means to increase motivation, develop cognitive competencies, and enhance the ability to transfer mathematical knowledge to other areas of science, such as engineering disciplines. This study was designed to investigate the effect…

Strategies are proposed that promote use of an Integrated Applied Mathematics (IAM) approach to enhance teaching of advanced problem-solving and analysis skills. Three scenarios of 1-dimensional transport processes are presented that support using Error Function analyses when considering short time/small penetration depths in finite geometries.…

Students are required to have the ability to implement mathematics in solving everyday life problems. A good solving process will produce an excellent solving ability. The existing problem-solving stages cannot be used in solving problems with the Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) category. The aims of this research are 1) to know students'…

The Physics One Mechanics in a community college syllabus usually allocates more time to cover the topics in kinematics, dynamics, energy, momentum, and rotation; with relatively less time for the topics of fluid mechanics and heat diffusion in the creation of a knowledge gap for those students deciding on mechanical and chemical engineering…

This study explores the effects of a computer algebra system on students' mathematical thinking. Mathematical thinking is identified with mathematical thinking powers and structures. We define mathematical thinking as students' capacity to specialize and generalize their previous knowledge to solve new mathematical problems. The study was…

Decomposition of organic matter controls the flow of carbon and nutrients in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Several kinetic laws have been proposed to describe decomposition rates, but they neglect adaptation of the microbial decomposer to environmental conditions. Here we formalise decomposition as an optimal control problem by assuming that…

The understanding mathematical concept is an error that often occurs in classroom learning among students when solving mathematical problems. The most difficult part for students is solving problems, because it requires numeracy skills, high concept mastery, as well as the ability to use good language, and so on so that students don't make any…

This article reports on a qualitative investigation into students' thinking about a differential equations problem posing task; i.e. an initial value problem. Analysis of written and verbal responses to the task indicate that only four of the 34 students who participated in the study were successful in posing problems. Furthermore, only one of the…

Contributing to research on undergraduate students' thinking about problem solving tasks, the present study reports on students' reasoning about two initial-value problems i.e. first-order linear ordinary differential equations with initial conditions. A qualitative analysis of task-based interviews and work written by 34 students revealed that…

Differential equations are an important mathematical concept used to model processes in many disciplines. However, the literature shows that students experience many difficulties when studying this topic. We investigate the effect of using context while teaching differential equations on engineering students' ability to construct and interpret…

Students' use of problem posing is an assessment tool for evaluating mathematical creativity, and it plays a substantial role in creative tasks. Integrating problem-posing tasks into a curriculum is beneficial for teaching and learning mathematics. The Photo-Math Project is an example of problem posing in terms of generating new problems. This…

The purpose of this study was to investigate university students' conceptions of the definite integral in the process of finding the volume of a solid of revolution. The participants were four students enrolled in a university calculus course in Turkey. Data were obtained by task-based interviews, in which the participants had to work on a problem…

This study used task-based interviews to examine students' reasoning about multivariable optimization problems in a volume maximization context. There are four major findings from this study. First, formulating the objective function (i.e. the function whose maximum or minimum value(s) is to be found) in each task came easily for 15 students who…

This study examined college calculus instructors' preferences in solving two calculus tasks to examine college calculus instructors' use of important cognitive roots in understanding derivatives of function. Our results showed that only one instructor consistently uses cognitive roots while other instructors either focus on algebraic methods or…