• School Mathematics
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.397-408
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• 2007

This research intends to look into how mathematically gifted 6th graders (age12) who have not learned conditional probability before solve conditional probability problems. In this research, 9 conditional probability problems were given to 3 gifted students, and their problem solving approaches were analysed through the observation of their problem solving processes and interviews. The approaches the gifted students made in solving conditional probability problems were categorized, and characteristics revealed in their approaches were analysed. As a result of this research, the gifted students' problem solving approaches were classified into three categories and it was confirmed that their approaches depend on the context included in the problem.

• 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.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.301-318
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• 2017

This paper explores students' question generation process and their study in small group discussion. The research is based on Anthropological Theory of the Didactic developed by Chevallard. He argues that the savior (knowledge) we are dealing with at school is based on a paradigm that we prevail over whether we 'learn' or 'study' socially. In other words, we haven't provided students with autonomous research and learning opportunities under 'the dominant paradigm of visiting works'. As an alternative, he suggests that we should move on to a new didactic paradigm for 'questioning the world a question', and proposes the Study and Research Courses (SRC) as its pedagogical structure. This study explores the SRC structure of small group activities in solving ill-structured problems. In order to explore the SRC structure generated in the small group discussion, one middle school teacher and 7 middle school students participated in this study. The students were divided into two groups with 4 students and 3 students. The teacher conducted the lesson with ill-structured problems provided by researchers. We collected students' presentation materials and classroom video records, and then analyzed based on SRC structure. As a result, we have identified that students were able to focus on the valuable information they needed to explore. We found that the nature of the questions generated by students focused on details more than the whole of the problem. In the SRC course, we also found pattern of a small group discussion. In other words, they generated questions relatively personally, but sought answer cooperatively. This study identified the possibility of SRC as a tool to provide a holistic learning mode of small group discussions in small class, which bring about future mathematics classrooms. This study is meaningful to investigate how students develop their own mathematical inquiry process through self-directed learning, learner-specific curriculum are emphasized and the paradigm shift is required.

• School Mathematics
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.391-402
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• 2005

The purpose of this study is to resolve misunderstanding for centroid of a triangle and to clarify several logical problems in finding the centroid of a Polygon. The conclusions are the followings. For a triangle, the misunderstanding that the centroid of a figure is the intersection of two lines that divide the area of the figure into two equal part is more easily accepted caused by the misinterpretation of a median. Concerning the equilibrium of a triangle, the median of it has the meaning that it makes the torques of both regions it divides to be equal, not the areas. The errors in students' strategies aiming for finding the centroid of a polygon fundamentally lie in the lack of their understanding of the mathematical investigation of physical phenomena. To investigate physical phenomena mathematically, we should abstract some mathematical principals from the phenomena which can provide the appropriate explanations for then. This abstraction is crucial because the development of mathematical theories for physical phenomena begins with those principals. However, the students weren't conscious of this process. Generally, we use the law of lever, the reciprocal proportionality of mass and distance, to explain the equilibrium of an object. But some self-evident principles in symmetry may also be logically sufficient to fix the centroid of a polygon. One of the studies by Archimedes, the famous ancient Greek mathematician, gives a solution to this rather awkward situation. He had developed the general theory of a centroid from a few axioms which concerns symmetry. But it should be noticed that these axioms are achieved from the abstraction of physical phenomena as well.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.173-190
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• 2021

This study analyzed the proof of the inverse square law, which is said to be the core of Newton's , in relation to the geometric limit. Newton, conscious of the debate over infinitely small, solved the dynamics problem with the traditional Euclid geometry. Newton reduced mechanics to a problem of geometry by expressing force, time, and the degree of inertia orbital deviation as a geometric line segment. Newton was able to take Euclid's geometry to a new level encompassing dynamics, especially by introducing geometric limits such as parabolic approximation, polygon approximation, and the limit of the ratio of the line segments. Based on this analysis, we proposed to use Newton's geometric limit as a tool to show the usefulness of mathematics, and to use it as a means to break the conventional notion that the area of the curve can only be obtained using the definite integral. In addition, to help the desirable use of geometric limits in school mathematics, we suggested the following efforts are required. It is necessary to emphasize the expansion of equivalence in the micro-world, use some questions that lead to use as heuristics, and help to recognize that the approach of ratio is useful for grasping the equivalence of line segments in the micro-world.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.65-84
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• 2023

The method of Lagrange multipliers, one of the most fundamental algorithms for solving equality constrained optimization problems, has been widely used in basic mathematics for artificial intelligence (AI), linear algebra, optimization theory, and control theory. This method is an important tool that connects calculus and linear algebra. It is actively used in artificial intelligence algorithms including principal component analysis (PCA). Therefore, it is desired that instructors motivate students who first encounter this method in college calculus. In this paper, we provide an integrated perspective for instructors to teach the method of Lagrange multipliers effectively. First, we provide visualization materials and Python-based code, helping to understand the principle of this method. Second, we give a full explanation on the relation between Lagrange multiplier and eigenvalues of a matrix. Third, we give the proof of the first-order optimality condition, which is a fundamental of the method of Lagrange multipliers, and briefly introduce the generalized version of it in optimization. Finally, we give an example of PCA analysis on a real data. These materials can be utilized in class for teaching of the method of Lagrange multipliers.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.133-157
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• 2008

This paper is based on theory of Usiskin who defined inclusively the various concepts of algebra among many theories classifying a type of the algebra. For this purpose, we examined the curriculum of the algebra of Korea, America and Japan, then analyzed where the problems in "Letter and Formula" of the textbooks fall under Usiskin's concepts of algebra.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.9-22
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• 2005

Natural numbers have not yet been studied adequately on the aspect of its historical development in spite of its mathematical and educational importance. This article studied the historical development of natural number concept, that is, its historical meaning in the mathematical development process and influence of cultural and social element in relation with way of understanding number. From these examinations, we identified some characteristics in the history of natural number concept.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.279-306
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• 2022

The purpose of this case study is to get an implication on elementary pre-service teacher education programs by exploring how a pre-service teacher's noticing changes within a learning community. The pre-service teacher participated in a learning community with researchers. Data includes recordings and transcription of actual class and pre- and post discussion in the learning community, the pre-service teacher's reflection essays, field notes, and students' worksheets. Results are as follows. First, the pre-service teacher's attending moved from the result of tasks to students' mathematical thinking. Second, the pre-service teacher's interpretation changed from a lack of diversity and specificity of evidence to diversity and specificity. Third, the pre-service teacher's decision-makings changed from unproductive deciding to productive deciding.

• The Journal of Korean Association of Computer Education
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.97-105
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• 2007

In this paper, visualization of convolution operation is presented, which is implemented by scalable vector graphics (SVG). Convolution operation is one of the basic essential concepts in the area of signal and image processing. However, it is difficult for students to intuitively understand the operation of convolution since it is mainly based on mathematical representation. We present the visualization of convolution operation and its applications which are implemented by SVG. The effects of the proposed approach have been analyzed by interviews. It has been seen that the proposed visualization of convolution operation could be effectively applied to learn the convolution operation and its applications.