The kaleidoscope is presented as a suitable topic for a preservice mathematics teacher's first contact with a nontrivial mathematical phenomenon. Included are historical notes on the kaleidoscope, explanation of the inner mechanisms of various kaleidoscope designs, and suggestions for further student investigations. (JJK)

Uses conic sections, trigonometric functions, and polar coordinates to solve the problem of determining the shape of a baseball outfield fence, given the distances along the foul lines and to straightaway center field. Graphing programs and calculators are utilized to plot different solutions. (MDH)

Examples of composite functions present students with intriguing questions that they can explore using calculators and computers, geometric and algebraic methods, and approximation techniques. Student-centered activities allow students to make discoveries about functions. (MLN)

The transformation to reform mathematics teaching is a daunting task. It is often unclear to teachers what such a classroom would really look like, let alone how to get there. This article addresses this question: How does a teacher, along with her students, go about establishing the sort of classroom community that can enact reform mathematics…

Geometer's Sketchpad is an interactive geometry software package used to help students learn geometry principles. Use of Sketchpad in a secondary education math course at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Oswego has allowed geometry to be taught in a dynamic manner. The paper provides three examples of how Sketchpad is used. Traditional…

Mathematics contests, such as the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges' Student Mathematics League competition, are an excellent vehicle for identifying talented students and promoting mathematics scholarship. On-campus tournaments can supplement the Student Mathematics League national competition, by providing immediate feedback…

A collection of word problems for fifth and sixth grade students are presented. The problems, which are divided into four sections and which get progressively more difficult in each section, include: (1) 38 problems on ratio and proportion; (2) 40 multistep problems (problems which require more than one calculation); (3) 40 problems on geometry…

Since 1982, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has published a student periodical five times a year. Each four-page issue focuses on a single theme, developing it from a simple opening-page activity through more challenging extensions at a higher level of understanding. In this document each four-page issue published from September,…

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…

The focus is on the formulation and solution of mathematical models with the idea of a population employed mainly as a pedogogical tool. If the biological setting is stripped away, the material can be interpreted as topics or the qualitative behavior of differential and difference equations. The first group of models investigate the dynamics of a…

The first four units cover aspects of medical applications of calculus: 71-Measuring Cardiac Output; 72-Prescribing Safe and Effective Dosage; 73-Epidemics; and 74-Tracer Methods in Permiability. All units include a set of exercises and answers to at least some of the problems. Unit 72 also contains a model exam and answers to this exam. The fifth…

This compilation is drawn from the IDEAS section that has been a feature of the "Arithmetic Teacher" since 1971. The contents are arranged in the following categories: Numeration, Computation, Geometry, Measurement, and Problem Solving. All selections are reprinted just as they originally appeared in the journal. On one side of each page is the…

Many of the suggestions that calculus instructors have published as articles from 1908 through 1973 are included in this book of readings. The main criterion for selecting an item was whether it would be helpful to teachers and students; therefore, those which dealt exclusively with curricular structure were not included. The selected articles are…

This module is recommended as an honors unit to follow a unit on logic. There are four basic parts: (1) What is a Boolean Algebra; (2) Using Boolean Algebra to Prove Theorems; (3) Using Boolean Algebra to Simplify Logical Statements; and (4) Circuit Problems with Logic and Boolean Algebra. Of these, sections 1, 2, and 3 are primarily written…

A SUMMER PROGRAM DESIGNED TO PROVIDE COMPENSATORY AND ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES IS PRESENTED. THE ACTIVITIES OF THE CHILDREN, PARENTS, AND STAFF ARE PLANNED TO--(1) OFFER ACADEMIC ASSISTANCE AS NEEDED, EMPHASIZING LANGUAGE ARTS AND MATHEMATICS, (2) STIMULATE IMAGINATION AND DEVELOP LEARNING THROUGH DIRECT EXPERIENCE, (3) PROVIDE EXPERIENCES SIMILAR TO…