• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.33-42
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• 2004

In this paper, we identify the essential ideas of Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic(FTA). Then, we compare these ideas with several theorems of Euclid's Elements to investigate whether the essential ideas of FTA are contained in Elements or not. From this, we have the following conclusion: Even though Elements doesn't contain FTA explicitly, it contains all of the essential ideas of FTA. Finally, we assert two reasons why Greeks couldn't mention FTA explicitly. First, they oriented geometrically, and so they understood the concept of 'divide' as 'metric'. So they might have difficulty to find the divisor of the given number and the divisor of the divisor continuously. Second, they have limit to use notation in Mathematics. So they couldn't represent the given composite number as multiplication of all of its prime divisors.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.227-239
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• 2011

The circumcenter of a triangle is introduced in logic geometry part of 8th grade mathematics. To handle certain characteristics of a figure through mathematical proof may involve considerable difficulty, and many students have greater difficulties especially in learning textbook's methods of proving propositions about circumcenter of a triangle. This study compares the methods how the circumcenter of a triangle is explored among the Elements of Euclid, a classic of logic geometry, current textbooks of USA and those of Korea. As a result of it, this study tries to abstract some significant implications on teaching the circumcenter of a triangle.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.109-126
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• 2007

This paper is to study theorems related with congruence of triangles in Lobachevskii's and Hadamard's geometry textbooks, and to compare their proof methods. We find out that Lobachevskii's geometry textbook contains 5 theorems of triangles' congruence, but doesn't explain congruence of right triangles. In Hadamard's geometry textbook description system of the theorems of triangles' congruence is similar with our mathematics textbook. Hadamard's geometry textbook treat 3 theorems of triangles' congruence, and 2 theorems of right triangles' congruence. But in Hadamard's geometry textbook all theorems are proved.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-24
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• 2009

The applications of ratio and similarity have been in need of everyday life from ancient times. Euclid's elements Ⅴand Ⅵ cover ratio and similarity respectively. In this note, we have done a comparative analysis to button down the contents of ratio and similarity covered by the math text books used in Korea, Euclid's elements and the math text books used in Japan and America. As results, we can observe some differences between them. When math text books used in Korea introduce ratio, they presented it by showing examples unlike math text books used in America and Japan which present ratio by explaining the definition of it. In addition, in the text books used in Korea and Japan, the order of dealing with condition of similarity of triangles and the triangle proportionality is different from that of the text books used in America. Also, condition of similarity of triangles is used intuitively as postulate without any definition in text books used in Korea and Japan which is different from America's. The manner of teaching depending on the way of introducing learning contents and the order of presenting them can have great influence on student's understanding and application of the learning contents. For more desirable teaching in math it is better to provide text books dealing with various learning contents which consider student's diverse abilities rather than using current text books offering learning contents which are applied uniformly.

• School Mathematics
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.123-138
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• 2008

The objective of this paper is to reveal the cause of failure of New Math in the field of the SMSG area education from the didactical point of view. At first, we analyzed Euclid's (Elements), De Morgan's (Elements of arithmetic), and Legendre's (Elements of geometry and trigonometry) in order to identify characteristics of the area conception in the SMSG. And by analyzing the controversy between Wittenberg(1963) and Moise(1963), we found that the elementariness and the mental object of the area concept are the key of the success of SMSG's approach. As a result, we conclude that SMSG's approach became separated from the mathematical contents of the similarity concept, the idea of same-area, incommensurability and so on. In this account, we disclosed that New Math gave rise to the lack of elementariness and geometrical mental object, which was the fundamental cause of failure of New Math.

• School Mathematics
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.401-420
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• 2003

We have many problems in the teaching and learning of proof, especially in the demonstrative geometry of middle school mathematics introducing the proof for the first time. Above all, it is the serious problem that many students do not understand the meaning of proof. In this paper we intend to show that teaching the meaning of proof in terms of historic-genetic approach will be a method to improve the way of teaching proof. We investigate the development of proof which goes through three stages such as experimental, intuitional, and scientific stage as well as the development of geometry up to the completion of Euclid's Elements as Bran-ford set out, and analyze the teaching process for the purpose of looking for the way of improving the way of teaching proof through the historic-genetic approach. We conducted lessons about the angle-sum property of triangle in accordance with these three stages to the students of seventh grade. We show that the students will understand the meaning of proof meaningfully and properly through the historic-genetic approach.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.43-54
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• 2006

The purpose of this paper, followed by 'Nature$\cdot$Human, and Golden Section I ', is to study aesthetic consciousness, mentality model and body proportion of human, and the golden section applied to architecture and hand axe of stone age. In particular, handaxes of one million years ago have shown that they had critical competency to the basis of art and mathematics in the future. Furthermore, without pen, paper and ruler, the existence of mentality model made fundamental conversion of mathematics possible. Different sizes of handaxes were made by maintaining the equal golden section. This was the first example in relation to the principle mentioned in 'Stoicheia' by Euclid which was published hundred thousands of years later.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.45-59
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• 2015

This study focused on the classification of triangles by angles in elementary school mathematics. We examined Korean national mathematics curriculum from the past to the present. We also examined foreign textbooks and the Euclid's . As a result, it showed that the classification is not indispensable from the mathematical and the perceptual viewpoint. It is rather useful for students to know the names of triangles when studying upper level mathematics in middle and high schools. This study also suggested that the classification be introduced in elementary school mathematics in the context of reasoning and inquiring as shown foreign textbooks, and example topics for the reasoning and inquiring.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.221-234
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• 2010

So far, around 370 various verification of Pythagorean Theorem have been introduced and many studies for the analysis of the method of verification are being conducted based on these now. However, we are in short of the research for the study of the generalization for Pythagorean Theorem. Therefore, by abstracting mathematical materials that is, data(lengths of sides, areas, degree of an angle, etc) which is based on Euclid's elements Vol 1 proposition 47, various methods for the generalization for Pythagorean Theorem have been found in this study through scrutinizing the school mathematics and documentations previously studied.