• School Mathematics
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.557-571
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• 2008

The objective of this paper is to study De Morgan's thoughts on teaching and learning negative numbers. We studied De Morgan's point of view on negative numbers, and analyzed his didactical approaches for negative numbers. De Morgan make students explore impossible subtractions, investigate the rule of the impossible subtractions, and construct the signification of the impossible subtractions in succession. In De Morgan' approach, teaching and learning negative numbers are connected with that of linear equations, the signs of impossible subtractions are used, and the concept of negative numbers is developed gradually following the historic genesis of negative numbers. Also, we analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of the De Morgan's approaches compared with the mathematics curriculum.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.185-205
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• 2013

In this study, to begin with, it was discussed to gather vocabularies which are expected to be vocabularies related to four fundamental rules of arithmetic and classify them according to kinds and groups, to demarcate vocabularies related to four fundamental rules of arithmetic for using in elementary school mathematics which are associated with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division directly. Next, the basic vocabularies related to four fundamental rules of arithmetic were discussed. At this time, regarding vocabularies related addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division as coming from the verb add, subtract, multiply, divide respectively, vocabularies that contains the stem of each verb were considered as the basic vocabularies related to four fundamental rules of arithmetics. Following it, vocabularies which assist the operation and indicate the result of the operation were included, then, vocabularies related to four fundamental rules of arithmetic for using in elementary school mathematics were demarcated and presented according to the following criteria. First, a newly coined verb or derivative using the noun form of a certain verb as a root should not be used. Second, such vocabularies of which examples do not exist or rarely exist in textbooks/workbooks should not be used, even though they are registered in mathematics glossary book published by ministry of education or Korean dictionary published by the national institute of Korean language. Third, vocabularies which are not replaceable and vocabularies which have some didactical reasons for using them should be used.