Discusses ways to simulate a probability problem of interest to middle school students in which students calculate the average number of packets of trading cards purchased to obtain a complete set of cards. Simulations utilize a spinner, a table of random numbers, and a computer. Includes the BASIC program utilized in the simulation. (MDH)

Over the past 10 years, national conferences and committees investigating the state of American mathematics education have advocated an increased emphasis on problem solving and mathematical modeling situations in the secondary school curriculum. However, little effort has been made to prepare secondary school teachers to use mathematical modeling…

In this middle school mathematics unit two imaginary characters, Horatio and Portia, decide to make their fortune in Quincy Market (Boston, Massachusetts) running a Bull Market cart. In order to solve the problems that they encounter, they need to learn ratio and proportion, map reading, estimation, area and perimeter, population sampling, problem…

This article discusses the analysis of a decision-making process faced by contestants on the television game show "The Price is Right". The included analyses of the original and related problems concern pattern searching, inductive reasoning, quadratic functions, and graphing. Computer simulation programs in BASIC and tables of…

The purpose of this guide is to provide a resource for teacher use in computer mathematics instruction. Although it is not intended to be used as a textbook or a complete course syllabus, the guide does include a set of student objectives which are designed to define the content of a 1-year course in computer mathematics. The major focus of the…

Discusses the use of technology in solving compound interest-rate problems that can be modeled by linear relationships. Uses a graphing calculator to solve the specific problem of determining the amount of money that can be borrowed to buy a car for a given monthly payment and interest rate. (MDH)