Exponential growth is examined through an example describing the number pattern formed by postage stamp issuance. Number tables and graphs are used to discover the functional relationship between the number of new stamps issued and time. (MDH)

Presented is the development of school geometry in contemporary Greece since the era in which the secondary education system was established (1836). Identified and interpreted are the reasons for the endurance of Euclid's Elements as the basic component of school geometry in Greece. (KR)

Two approaches are discussed for calculating the work necessary to pump water from a conical or parabolic container. The direct method derived from the definition of work is easy to misuse, as illustrated by a student's incorrect solution. (JP)

Even for those passionate about both cricket and maths, each can have their dull moments. This article brings together the sometimes-dry binomial distribution with a problem of cricket matches where the result of the series has already been decided, and so are "dead". It is hoped that readers will become more interested in at least one…

This paper describes how the method of steepest descent can be used to find periodic solutions of differential equations. Applications to two suspension bridge models are discussed, and the method is used to find non-obvious large-amplitude solutions.

This article describes a method of solution that Ramanujan may have used in solving the following puzzle: The number of a house is both the sum of the house numbers below it on the street and the sum of those above it. (The houses on a street are numbered consecutively, starting with 1.)

We investigate the pendulum equation [theta] + [lambda][squared] sin [theta] = 0 and two approximations for it. On the one hand, we suggest that the third and fifth-order Taylor series approximations for sin [theta] do not yield very good differential equations to approximate the solution of the pendulum equation unless the initial conditions are…

This article describes Comer's Method, a student's discovery of an alternative approach to solving the determinant of a 3x3 matrix.

The purpose of this research is to find the relationships among attributes of creative problem solving ability and their relationships with the Math Creative Problem Solving Ability. In addition, the attribute patterns of high, medium, and low mathematical creative groups were identified and compared. There were 409 fifth and sixth graders…

This paper reports on a quasi-experimental study comparing a "productive failure" instructional design (Kapur in Cognition and Instruction 26(3):379-424, 2008) with a traditional "lecture and practice" instructional design for a 2-week curricular unit on rate and speed. Seventy-five, 7th-grade mathematics students from a…

Research reflects that graduates are leaving high school deficient in math, science and problem solving skills necessary for the demands of the workforce. In order to maintain a competitive position in high tech industries and attract new business, it is important to have a system where all students develop a confidence in learning math, science…

"Watch out, the stove will burn you," "Ooh, ice cream headache!" Students construct their conceptions about heat and temperature through their own intuitions about daily life experiences. As a result, misconceptions can be born from these constructed concepts. The activity described here addresses student misconceptions about thermal insulation…

Calculating the deficit between big-league baseball teams, and using that answer to prove the relationship between games behind and the described deficit, are each considered. (MNS)