Placement tests are rapidly joining the ranks of high-stakes testing and college freshmen are required to take mathematics placement exams to determine their first mathematics course upon entering college. Unfortunately, these exams tend to place students in a lower-level or remedial course. As a result, additional expenses are incurred, degree…

This article outlines a linear regression activity that engages learners, uses technology, and fosters cooperation. Students generated least-squares linear regression equations using TI-83 Plus[TM] graphing calculators, Microsoft[C] Excel, and paper-and-pencil calculations using derived normal equations to predict the 2004 presidential election.…

One problem that students have with mathematics is that they often view the topic as a series of unrelated ideas. Sometimes they are aware that they have to know one concept to move to the next, but what is done in geometry is not necessarily related to anything in algebra. This failure to recognize mathematical connections limits students'…

This report summarizes findings on strategies chosen by students (n=38) when solving algebra problems related to various functions with the freedom to use a TI-83 graphing calculator, influences on student problem-solving strategy choices, student ability to approach algebra problems with use of multiple representations, and student beliefs on how…

This paper reports the results of student use of a TI-92 graphing calculator to solve algebra and analytic geometry problems in 9th grade Austrian classes. Students who had been trained in using the TI-92 were asked to compute x, given that a right-angled triangle had sides x, x+3, and x+6 in at least three ways, and to document their solution…

Steiner's Porism states that if you can draw a connected ring of circles in the annular region between two original circles, the ring will be successfully completed no matter where you start. This paper explores how the TI-92 graphing calculator can be used to demonstrate Steiner's Porism and illustrate the main points of its proof. Inversion in…

This paper describes how 8th grade students are using CBR, a motion detector linked to a graphing calculator, as a way of generating mathematical ideas regarding the motions concepts that surround their action. Students were previously introduced to the calculators in the classroom and teaching experiments were then carried out afterwards with a…

This paper argues that using Computer Algebra Systems (CAS) to teach 12- to 18-year-old students is going to change teaching methods, the content of what has been taught, and exams. Traditional exam questions are analyzed and categorized according to their usefulness in a CAS environment. The goal is to give teachers new perspectives with which to…

This paper describes a classroom, instructor-led activity designed to show how graphic calculators can be used to explore coordinate geometry. The activity involves digitizing an image of a hand and transforming the image through geometrical transformations. Teaching notes and calculator instructions are included as are blackline masters. Also…

This project description is designed to show how graphing calculators and calculator-based laboratories (CBL) can be used to explore topics in the physics of sound. The activities address topics such as sound waves, musical notes, and chords. Teaching notes, calculator instructions, and blackline masters are included. (MM)

Presents an activity on solving equations of the form ax+b=Sqr(cx=d) using graphing calculators. (ASK)

Discusses the results of research which examines the perceptions of teachers as they initially engage in instruction using graphing calculators. Data were collected from 261 math and science teachers of grades 6-12. Participant views changed significantly overall in favor of viewing the graphing calculator as a thinking tool to enhance conceptual…

Presents two examples of using the limitations of calculators to help students understand important mathematical ideas. The first example shows how a simple algebraic calculation can make a recursive model work long enough to perform the job at hand while the second shows how the limitations of a calculator can be used to introduce the need for…

Presents a discovery activity that connects mathematics and the world of entertainment. Combines geometric transformations with a calculator's DRAW, MATRIX, and PRGM features to generate visual reinforcement of mathematical concepts. (Author/NB)

Aims for students to use a combination of stochastic ideas to simulate a basketball tournament. Uses the TI-83 calculator in the activity to simulate the binomial distribution. (KHR)