The column for teachers of deaf students addresses issues in mathematics instruction including the impact of calculators, the need to ask students more "why" questions, the value of students writing about mathematics, and the effectiveness of pairing students for problem solving. (DB)

Using De Moivre's theorem and a parametric graphing utility, examines powers and roots of complex numbers and allows students to establish connections between the visual and numerical representations of complex numbers. Provides a program to numerically verify the roots of complex numbers. (MDH)

Presents a game to capture student interest in probability by giving them an opportunity to explore the idea of various outcomes and the likelihood of the occurrence of one of those outcomes to explain the benefits of using a large sample rather than a small one. (ASK)

Describes four activities that use graphing calculators to model nuclear-decay phenomena. Students ultimately develop a notion about the radioactive waste produced by nuclear fission. These activities are in line with national educational standards and allow for the integration of science and mathematics. Contains 13 references. (Author/WRM)

Presents the general postage-stamp problem on Diophantine equations. Discusses ways to uncover all solutions to the problem. (ASK)

Extends O'Callaghan's computer-intensive algebra study by using his component competencies and the process-object framework to investigate the effects of a graphing-approach curriculum employing the TI-82 graphing calculator. Concludes that students in the graphing-approach classes demonstrated significantly better understanding of functions on…

Presents a study in which a group of 25 undergraduate students was given seven whole- or decimal-number estimations and asked to determine the exact answer using a calculator programmed to give incorrect answers. Points out subjects' lack of confidence in their estimation skills as well as a reluctance to question calculator-produced results.…

Indicates the importance of teaching discrete mathematics. Describes how the use of technology can enhance the teaching and learning of discrete mathematics. Explorations using Excel, Derive, and the TI-92 proved how preservice and inservice teachers experienced a new dimension in problem solving and discovery. (ASK)

Surveys a group of students who enrolled in a first year university mathematics course to study the impacts of graphing calculators on the Western Australian Tertiary Entrance Examination (TEE). Considers the perceptions of students on their use of and preparation to use graphing calculators. (ASK)

Presents a case study of one high school student's experiences in a first-year algebra course. Emphasizes the use of technology and how it changed the mathematics curriculum. (ASK)

Discusses the rationale behind the technique of rationalizing the denominator in algebra. Argues that the importance of this technique is greatly exaggerated and is usually unnecessary. Examines an appropriate application of rationalizing the denominator. (ASK)

Presents an activity to investigate physico-mathematical concepts and provide mathematics arguments that are very close to a proof with the advent and availability of powerful technology. Demonstrates without using calculus how the law of reflection for parabolas is derived from Fermat's principle of least time. (ASK)

Explains how to code and decode messages using Hill ciphers which combine matrix multiplication and modular arithmetic. Discusses how a graphing calculator can facilitate the matrix and modular arithmetic used in the coding and decoding procedures. (ASK)

Presents an activity in which students work in cooperative groups and roll balls down inclined planes, collect data with the help of an electronic motion detector, and represent data with a graphing calculator to explore concepts such as mass, gravity, velocity, and acceleration. (Contains 12 references.) (Author/ASK)

Focuses on the implications of key findings and theoretical positions from social and cognitive developmental psychology of the use of information technology (IT) tools to support learning in algebra. Presents evidence from a small-scale study of graphics calculators in Hong Kong that supports the feasibility of the UK Cognitive Acceleration…