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I would like to propose a new introductory statistical inference textbook, which I believe takes a fresh look at a course that fits into nearly every quantitative major at universities.
Initial Motivation
My motivation for this project stems from my dissatisfaction with traditional approaches to the topic, and my belief that there is a better way. A first semester statistics course is generally divided into the following four parts:
I. Basic Statistical Concepts
• Basic statistical concepts including population, parameter, sample, and statistic
• Types of data (ordinal, time-series, etc...), and sampling methodology
• Organizing the data visually or graphically - including histograms, pie graphs, box plots, and stem-and-leaf plots
• Statistical computations including mean, median, mode, standard deviation, and percentiles
II. Probability
• Properties of unions, intersections, conditional probability, independence and mutual exclusivity
• Permutations and combinations
• Discrete distributions
• Continuous distributions
• Normal distribution
III. One-sample Statistics
• Confidence intervals
• Sampling distributions
• Computations involving the normal distribution, t-distribution, and binomial distribution (for proportions)
• Hypothesis testing
IV. Two-sample Statistics
• Two sample problems - expanding topics from Part III to two variables
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This work examines the main directions of research conducted on the history of mathematics education. It devotes substantial attention to research methodologies and the connections between this field and other scholarly fields. The results of a survey about academic literature on this subject are accompanied by a discussion of what has yet to be done and problems that remain unsolved.
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This survey provides an overview of German meta-discourse on theories and mathematics education as a scientific discipline, from the 1970s to the 1990s. Two theory strands are offered: a semiotic view related to Peirce and Wittgenstein (presented by Willibald Dörfler), and the theory of learning activity by Joachim Lompscher (presented by Regina Bruder and Oliver Schmitt). By networking the two theoretical approaches in a case study of learning fractions, it clarifies the nature of the two theories, how they can be related to inform practice and renew TME-issues for mathematics education as a scientific discipline. Hans-Georg Steiner initiated the first of five international conferences on Theories of Mathematics Education (TME) to advance the founding of mathematics education as a scientific discipline, and subsequently German researchers have continued to focus on TME topics but within various theory strands.
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This survey provides an overview of the German discussion on modelling and applications in schools. It considers the development from the beginning of the 20th century to the present, and discusses the term “mathematical model” as well as different representations of the modelling process as modelling cycles. Different trends in the historical and current debate on applications and modelling can be differentiated as perspectives of modelling. Modelling is now one of the six general mathematical competencies defined in the educational standards for mathematics introduced in Germany in 2003, and there have been several initiatives to implement modelling in schools, as well as a whole range of empirical research projects focusing on teachers or students in modelling processes. As a special kind for implementing modelling into school, modelling weeks and days carried out by various German universities have been established.
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This chapter provides a brief overview of the state of the art in research and curricula on mathematical modelling and applications of mathematics in education. Following a brief illustration of the nature of mathematical modelling in educational practice, research in real-world applications and mathematical modelling in mathematics curricula for schooling is overviewed. The theoretical and empirical lines of inquiry in mathematics education research related to teaching and learning of mathematical applications and mathematical modelling regularly in classrooms are then selectively highlighted. Finally, future directions are recommended.
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This open access book, inspired by the ICME 13 topic study group “Affect, beliefs and identity in mathematics education”, presents the latest trends in research in the area. Following an introduction and a survey chapter providing a concise overview of the state-of-art in the field of mathematics-related affect, the book is divided into three main sections: motivation and values, engagement, and identity in mathematics education. Each section comprises several independent chapters based on original research, as well as a reflective commentary by an expert in the area. Collectively, the chapters present a rich methodological spectrum, from narrative analysis to structural equation modelling. In the final chapter, the editors look ahead to future directions in the area of mathematics-education-related affect. It is a timely resource for all those interested in the interaction between affect and mathematics education.
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Although the ideas of values and valuing have been totemic notions in education for forever, when applied to mathematics they become quite problematic. Even today for many mathematic teachers and learners, mathematics is a value-free space. For them, school mathematics is learning the skills of manipulating numbers before moving to the more abstract ideas of algebra, and occasionally delving into geometry and measurement ideas. Likewise teaching mathematics in schools is ensuring students get good marks on the tests and examinations using whatever pedagogical techniques ensure this. Although in schools this is still the prevailing attitude to mathematics, nevertheless for some decades there has been a growing counter position in mathematics education research that problematizes and challenges this orthodoxy. It has argued that at a fundamental level there are mathematical values that underpin the doing of mathematics, and indeed the same is true for mathematics pedagogy. This chapter briefly explores a number of these notions as it introducesthe various chapters in this volume.
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In German speaking countries, educational thinking and theorizing on mathematics teaching and learning originated with the establishment of compulsory education for all children and the creation of a school system. Though first efforts go back to the 18th century it does make sense to start this survey with the beginning of the 19th century, with the implication that educational research on mathematics has a history of about two hundred years in German speaking countries. During the 19th century a more and more sophisticated system of publication (journals and books) on mathematics education emerged, the education of mathematics teachers had become more professional and teacher training had developed into one of the main obligations of university teaching. However, didactics of mathematics as an academic discipline is a comparably new achievement. Its establishment began approximately fifty years ago, predominately by creating professorships and opportunities of graduation at universities. After a phase of broad discussion on the identity of the discipline (e.g., in a special issue of ZDM edited by Steiner, 1974), the community of didactics of mathematics steadily expanded, diversified and developed fruitful connections to other neighboring disciplines. This overview intends to outline this development with respect to intuitions, key ideas, research strategies and the connection between research and practice. Selected topics are presented in the following chapters in more detail.
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The purpose of this chapter is to preface, and introduce, the content of this book, but also to help clarify concepts and terms addressed, set the stage by summarising our previous work, and issue some caveats about our limitations. We will close with a discussion of the mathematics in Interdisciplinary Mathematics Education (IdME), which we see as a lacuna in the literature, and even in this book.
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This open access report explores the nature and extent of students’ misconceptions and misunderstandings related to core concepts in physics and mathematics and physics across grades four, eight and 12. Twenty years of data from the IEA’s Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and TIMSS Advanced assessments are analyzed, specifically for five countries (Italy, Norway, Russian Federation, Slovenia, and the United States) who participated in all or almost all TIMSS and TIMSS Advanced assessments between 1995 and 2015.
The report focuses on students’ understandings related to gravitational force in physics and linear equations in mathematics. It identifies some specific misconceptions, errors, and misunderstandings demonstrated by the TIMSS Advanced grade 12 students for these core concepts, and shows how these can be traced back to poor foundational development of these concepts in earlier grades. Patterns in misconceptions and misunderstandings are reported by grade, country, and gender. In addition, specific misconceptions and misunderstandings are tracked over time, using trend items administered in multiple assessment cycles.
The study and associated methodology may enable education systems to help identify specific needs in the curriculum, improve inform instruction across grades and also raise possibilities for future TIMSS assessment design and reporting that may provide more diagnostic outcomes.
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This book presents a multidisciplinary perspective on chance, with contributions from distinguished researchers in the areas of biology, cognitive neuroscience, economics, genetics, general history, law, linguistics, logic, mathematical physics, statistics, theology and philosophy. The individual chapters are bound together by a general introduction followed by an opening chapter that surveys 2500 years of linguistic, philosophical, and scientific reflections on chance, coincidence, fortune, randomness, luck and related concepts. A main conclusion that can be drawn is that, even after all this time, we still cannot be sure whether chance is a truly fundamental and irreducible phenomenon, in that certain events are simply uncaused and could have been otherwise, or whether it is always simply a reflection of our ignorance. Other challenges that emerge from this book include a better understanding of the contextuality and perspectival character of chance (including its scale-dependence), and the curious fact that, throughout history (including contemporary science), chance has been used both as an explanation and as a hallmark of the absence of explanation. As such, this book challenges the reader to think about chance in a new way and to come to grips with this endlessly fascinating phenomenon.
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Although the theme of the monograph is primarily related to “Applied Econometrics”, there are several theoretical contributions that are associated with empirical examples, or directions in which the novel theoretical ideas might be applied. The monograph is associated with significant and novel contributions in theoretical and applied econometrics; economics; theoretical and applied financial econometrics; quantitative finance; risk; financial modeling; portfolio management; optimal hedging strategies; theoretical and applied statistics; applied time series analysis; forecasting; applied mathematics; energy economics; energy finance; tourism research; tourism finance; agricultural economics; informatics; data mining; bibliometrics; and international rankings of journals and academics.
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As the ultimate information processing device, the brain naturally lends itself to being studied with information theory. The application of information theory to neuroscience has spurred the development of principled theories of brain function, and has led to advances in the study of consciousness, as well as to the development of analytical techniques to crack the neural code—that is, to unveil the language used by neurons to encode and process information. In particular, advances in experimental techniques enabling the precise recording and manipulation of neural activity on a large scale now enable for the first time the precise formulation and the quantitative testing of hypotheses about how the brain encodes and transmits the information used for specific functions across areas. This Special Issue presents twelve original contributions on novel approaches in neuroscience using information theory, and on the development of new information theoretic results inspired by problems in neuroscience.
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Symmetry is an intriguing phenomenon manifesting itself in art, nature, and the mind. This Special Issue book features 19 articles about discrete geometric and combinatorial polyhedral structures, with symmetry as the unifying theme. These articles present an attractive mix of topics and have appeared in two related Special Issues of Symmetry, on "Polyhedra" in 2012/2013 and on "Polyhedral Structures" in 2016/2017. Specific topic areas covered include polyhedra, tilings, and crystallography; abstract polyhedra, maps on surfaces, and graphs; and polyhedral structures, arts, and architectural design.
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This twenty-third ICMI Study addresses for the first time mathematics teaching and learning in the primary school (and pre-school) setting, while also taking international perspectives, socio-cultural diversity and institutional constraints into account. One of the main challenges of designing the first ICMI primary school study of this kind is the complex nature of mathematics at the early level. Accordingly, a focus area that is central to the discussion was chosen, together with a number of related questions. The broad area of Whole Number Arithmetic (WNA), including operations and relations and arithmetic word problems, forms the core content of all primary mathematics curricula. The study of this core content area is often regarded as foundational for later mathematics learning. However, the principles and main goals of instruction on the foundational concepts and skills in WNA are far from universally agreed upon, and practice varies substantially from country to country. As such, this study presents a meta-level analysis and synthesis of what is currently known about WNA, providing a useful base from which to gauge gaps and shortcomings, as well as an opportunity to learn from the practices of different countries and contexts.
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This book records the state of the art in research on mathematics-related affect. It discusses the concepts and theories of mathematics-related affect along the lines of three dimensions. The first dimension identifies three broad categories of affect: motivation, emotions, and beliefs. The book contains one chapter on motivation, including discussions on how emotions and beliefs relate to motivation. There are two chapters that focus on beliefs and a chapter on attitude which cross-cuts through all these categories. The second dimension covers a rapidly fluctuating state to a more stable trait. All chapters in the book focus on trait-type affect and the chapter on motivation discusses both these dimensions. The third dimension regards the three main levels of theorizing: physiological (embodied), psychological (individual) and social. All chapters reflect that mathematics-related affect has mainly been studied using psychological theories.
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This book provides an overview of current research on a variety of topics related to both large-scale and classroom assessment. First, the purposes, traditions and principles of assessment are considered, with particular attention to those common to all levels of assessment and those more connected with either classroom or large-scale assessment. Assessment design based on sound assessment principles is discussed, differentiating between large-scale and classroom assessment, but also examining how the design principles overlap. The focus then shifts to classroom assessment and provides specific examples of assessment strategies, before examining the impact of large-scale assessment on curriculum, policy, instruction, and classroom assessment. The book concludes by discussing the challenges that teachers currently face, as well as ways to support them. The book offers a common language for researchers in assessment, as well as a primer for those interested in understanding current work in the area of assessment. In summary, it provides the opportunity to discuss large-scale and classroom assessment by addressing the following main themes: ·Purposes, Traditions and Principles of Assessment ·Design of Assessment Tasks ·Classroom Assessment in Action ·Interactions of Large-Scale and Classroom Assessment ·Enhancing Sound Assessment Knowledge and Practices It also suggests areas for future research in assessment in mathematics education.
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Origamis are translation surfaces obtained by gluing finitely many unit squares and provide an easy access to Teichmüller curves. In particular, their monodromy represenation can be explicitely determined. A general principle for the decomposition of this represenation is exhibited and applied to examples. Closely connected to it is a dynamical cocycle on the Teichmüller curve. It is shown that its Lyapunov exponents, otherwise inaccessible, can be computed for a subrepresentation of rank two.
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This book deals with the Boolean model, a basic model of stochastic geometry for the description of porous structures like the pore space in sand stone. The main result is a formula which gives in two and three dimensions a series representation of the most important model parameter, the intensity, using densities of so-called harmonic intrinsic volumes, which are new observable geometric quantities.
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The aim of this work is to study Schmutz Schaller's conjecture that in dimensions 2 to 8 the lattices with the best sphere packings have maximal lengths. This means that the distinct norms which occur in these lattices are greater than those of any other lattice in the same dimension with the same covolume. Although the statement holds asymptotically we explicitly present a counter-example. However, it seems that there is nothing but this exception.
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The present Special Issue collects a number of new contributions both at the theoretical level and in terms of applications in the areas of nonparametric and semiparametric econometric methods. In particular, this collection of papers that cover areas such as developments in local smoothing techniques, splines, series estimators, and wavelets will add to the existing rich literature on these subjects and enhance our ability to use data to test economic hypotheses in a variety of fields, such as financial economics, microeconomics, macroeconomics, labor economics, and economic growth, to name a few.
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A topical research activity in statistical physics concerns the study of complex and disordered systems. Generally, these systems are characterized by an elevated level of interconnection and interaction between the parts so that they give rise to a rich structure in the phase space that self-organizes under the control of internal non-linear dynamics. These emergent collective dynamics confer new behaviours to the whole system that are no longer the direct consequence of the properties of the single parts, but rather characterize the whole system as a new entity with its own features, giving rise to the birth of new phenomenologies. As is highlighted in this collection of papers, the methodologies of statistical physics have become very promising in understanding these new phenomena. This volume groups together 12 research works showing the use of typical tools developed within the framework of statistical mechanics, in non-linear kinetic and information geometry, to investigate emerging features in complex physical and physical-like systems. A topical research activity in statistical physics concerns the study of complex and disordered systems. Generally, these systems are characterized by an elevated level of interconnection and interaction between the parts so that they give rise to a rich structure in the phase space that self-organizes under the control of internal non-linear dynamics. These emergent collective dynamics confer new behaviours to the whole system that are no longer the direct consequence of the properties of the single parts, but rather characterize the whole system as a new entity with its own features, giving rise to the birth of new phenomenologies. As is highlighted in this collection of papers, the methodologies of statistical physics have become very promising in understanding these new phenomena. This volume groups together 12 research works showing the use of typical tools developed within the framework of statistical mechanics, in non-linear kinetic and information geometry, to investigate emerging features in complex physical and physical-like systems.
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The intent of this Special Issue is to provide a framework with which scientists in several different disciplines, related to phase-contrast and dark-field imaging, can illustrate their ideas and results. The articles are reviews or very recent scientific reports; they address newcomers in the field, as well as experts and professors in fields of X-ray physics, electron, and phase-contrast X-ray imaging.
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In this work we analzyse the Stochastic Cauchy Problem driven by a cylindrical Wiener process. Given the existence of solutions we show regularity of the paths of the solution. In dependence on properties of the operators in the equation or on geometrical properties of the underlying Banachspace we derive space time regularity results for the paths of the solution.
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This work is about random measures stationary with respect to a possibly non-transitive group action. It contains chapters on Palm Theory, the Mass-Transport Principle and Ergodic Theory for such random measures. The thesis ends with discussions of several new models in Stochastic Geometry (Cox Delauney mosaics, isometry stationary random partitions on Riemannian manifolds). These make crucial use of the previously developed techniques and objects.
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Mathematical optimization is the selection of the best element in a set with respect to a given criterion. Optimization has become one of the most-used tools in modern control theory for computing the control law, adjusting the controller parameters (tuning), model fitting, and finding suitable conditions in order to fulfill a given closed-loop property, among others. In the simplest case, optimization consists of maximizing or minimizing a function by systematically choosing input values from a valid input set and computing the function value. Nevertheless, real-world control systems need to comply with several conditions and constraints that have to be taken into account in the problem formulation—these represent challenges in the application of the optimization algorithms. The aim of this Special Issue is to offer the state-of-the-art of the most advanced optimization techniques (online and offline) and their applications in control engineering.
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This book covers aspects of unsupervised machine learning used for knowledge discovery in data science and introduces a data-driven approach to cluster analysis, the Databionic swarm (DBS). DBS consists of the 3D landscape visualization and clustering of data. The 3D landscape enables 3D printing of high-dimensional data structures.The clustering and number of clusters or an absence of cluster structure are verified by the 3D landscape at a glance. DBS is the first swarm-based technique that shows emergent properties while exploiting concepts of swarm intelligence, self-organization and the Nash equilibrium concept from game theory. It results in the elimination of a global objective function and the setting of parameters. By downloading the R package DBS can be applied to data drawn from diverse research fields and used even by non-professionals in the field of data mining.
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This is the first of two volumes of a state-of-the-art survey article collection which originates from three commutative algebra sessions at the 2009 Fall Southeastern American Mathematical Society Meeting at Florida Atlantic University. The articles reach into diverse areas of commutative algebra and build a bridge between Noetherian and non-Noetherian commutative algebra. These volumes present current trends in two of the most active areas of commutative algebra: non-noetherian rings (factorization, ideal theory, integrality), and noetherian rings (the local theory, graded situation, and interactions with combinatorics and geometry). This volume contains combinatorial and homological surveys. The combinatorial papers document some of the increasing focus in commutative algebra recently on the interaction between algebra and combinatorics.
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This book comprises the Proceedings of the 12th International Congress on Mathematical Education (ICME-12), which was held at COEX in Seoul, Korea, from July 8th to 15th, 2012. ICME-12 brought together 3500 experts from 92 countries, working to understand all of the intellectual and attitudinal challenges in the subject of mathematics education as a multidisciplinary research and practice. This work aims to serve as a platform for deeper, more sensitive and more collaborative involvement of all major contributors towards educational improvement and in research on the nature of teaching and learning in mathematics education. It introduces the major activities of ICME-12 which have successfully contributed to the sustainable development of mathematics education across the world. The program provides food for thought and inspiration for practice for everyone with an interest in mathematics education and makes an essential reference for teacher educators, curriculum developers and researchers in mathematics education. The work includes the texts of the four plenary lectures and three plenary panels and reports of three survey groups, five National presentations, the abstracts of fifty one Regular lectures, reports of thirty seven Topic Study Groups and seventeen Discussion Groups.
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This book presents in an elementary way the recent significant developments in the qualitative theory of planar dynamical systems. The subjects are covered as follows: the studies of center and isochronous center problems, multiple Hopf bifurcations and local and global bifurcations of the equivariant planar vector fields which concern with Hilbert's 16th problem. This book is intended for graduate students, post-doctors and researchers in the area of theories and applications of dynamical systems. For all engineers who are interested the theory of dynamical systems, it is also a reasonable reference. It requires a minimum background of an one-year course on nonlinear differential equations.
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This book establishes several weak limit laws for problems in geometric extreme value theory. We find the limit law of the maximum Euclidean distance of i.i.d. points, as the number of points tends to infinity, under certain assumptions on the underlying distribution. One of the methods is also applicable for some other functionals, such as the maximum area or the maximum perimeter of triangles formed by point triplets.
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This book examines the current thinking on five critical social and political areas in mathematics education. It focuses on material conditions in teaching and learning, and details features of social life and their influence on mathematics teaching, learning and achievement. Following an introduction, the first section addresses equitable access and participation in quality mathematics education. It explores this issue in different contexts and from different ideological perspectives. The second section traces the emergence and development of the notion of activism in mathematics education in theory, in the literature, in research and in practice. The third section then moves on to explore current research on the political forces at work in identity, subjectivity and (dis)ability within mathematics education, showing how emphasis on language and discourse provides information for this research, and how new directions are being pursued to address the diverse material conditions that shape learning experiences in mathematics education. Economic factors behind mathematics achievement form the topic of section four, which examines the political dimensions of mathematics education through the influence of national and global economic structures. The final section addresses distribution of power and cultural regimes of truth, based on the premise that although often deemed apolitical, mathematics and mathematics education are highly political institutions in our society. The book concludes with a summary and recommendations for the future.
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This survey focuses on the main trends in the field of calculus education. Despite their variety, the findings reveal a cornerstone issue that is strongly linked to the formalism of calculus concepts and to the difficulties it generates in the learning and teaching process. As a complement to the main text, an extended bibliography with some of the most important references on this topic is included. Since the diversity of the research in the field makes it difficult to produce an exhaustive state-of-the-art summary, the authors discuss recent developments that go beyond this survey and put forward new research questions.
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This book contains the successful invited submissions to a Special Issue of Symmetry on the subject of ""Graph Theory"". Although symmetry has always played an important role in Graph Theory, in recent years, this role has increased significantly in several branches of this field, including but not limited to Gromov hyperbolic graphs, the metric dimension of graphs, domination theory, and topological indices. This Special Issue includes contributions addressing new results on these topics, both from a theoretical and an applied point of view.
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This book presents a synopsis of six emerging themes in adult mathematics/numeracy and a critical discussion of recent developments in terms of policies, provisions, and the emerging challenges, paradoxes and tensions. It also offers an extensive review of the literature adult mathematics education. Why do adults want to learn mathematics? Did they enjoy mathematics at school so much that they want to continue? NO! Most of these adults have to learn mathematics because it is part of a formal qualification they need, because their job demands the ability to apply mathematics, or because they need basic numeracy in their daily lives. Lastly, the authors discuss five potential strategies to promote lifelong learning of mathematics among adult learners.
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This book examines the kinds of transitions that have been studied in mathematics education research. It defines transition as a process of change, and describes learning in an educational context as a transition process. The book focuses on research in the area of mathematics education, and starts out with a literature review, describing the epistemological, cognitive, institutional and sociocultural perspectives on transition. It then looks at the research questions posed in the studies and their link with transition, and examines the theoretical approaches and methods used. It explores whether the research conducted has led to the identification of continuous processes, successive steps, or discontinuities. It answers the question of whether there are difficulties attached to the discontinuities identified, and if so, whether the research proposes means to reduce the gap – to create a transition. The book concludes with directions for future research on transitions in mathematics education.
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This issue of Proceedings gathers papers presented at XOVETIC2018 (A Coruña, Spain, 27–28 September 2018), a conference with the main goal of bringing together young researchers working in big data, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, HPC (high-performance computing), cybersecurity, bioinformatics, natural language processing, 5G, and others areas from the field of ICT(Information Communications Technology), and offering a platform to present the results of their research to a national audience in the north of Spain. This first edition aims to serve as the basis of this event, which will be consolidated over time and acquire international projection. The conference is co-funded by Xunta de Galicia and European Union. European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
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A translation surface is obtained by taking plane polygons and gluing their edges by translations. We ask which subgroups of the Veech group of a primitive translation surface can be realised via a translation covering. For many primitive surfaces we prove that partition stabilising congruence subgroups are the Veech group of a covering surface. We also address the coverings via their monodromy groups and present examples of cyclic coverings in short orbits, i.e. with large Veech groups.
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In this work, the stochastic version of the variational principle is established, important for stochastic symplectic integration, and for structure-preserving algorithms of stochastic dynamical systems. Based on it, the stochastic variational integrators in formulation of stochastic Lagrangian functions are proposed, and some applications to symplectic integrations are given. Three types of generating functions in the cases of one and two noises are discussed for constructing new schemes.
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This open access book offers comprehensive coverage on Ordered Fuzzy Numbers, providing readers with both the basic information and the necessary expertise to use them in a variety of real-world applications. The respective chapters, written by leading researchers, discuss the main techniques and applications, together with the advantages and shortcomings of these tools in comparison to other fuzzy number representation models. Primarily intended for engineers and researchers in the field of fuzzy arithmetic, the book also offers a valuable source of basic information on fuzzy models and an easy-to-understand reference guide to their applications for advanced undergraduate students, operations researchers, modelers and managers alike.
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This survey on the modernity of ethnomathematics addresses numerous themes related to both ethnomathematics and mathematics education. It offers a broader view of mathematics, including ideas, procedures, concepts, processes, methods, and practices rooted in distinct cultural environments. In addition, by reflecting on the social and political dimensions of ethnomathematics, another important aspect of this research program is the development of innovative approaches for a dynamic and glocalized society. Ethnomathematics recognizes that members of different cultures develop unique mathematical techniques, methods, and explanations that allow for an alternative understanding and transformation of societal norms. The theoretical basis of ethnomathematics offers a valid alternative to traditional studies of history, philosophy, cognition, and pedagogical aspects of mathematics. The current agenda for ethnomathematics is to continue an ongoing, progressive trajectory that contributes to the achievement of social justice, peace, and dignity for all. The debates outlined in this book share a few of the key ideas that provide for a clearer understanding of the field of ethnomathematics and its current state of the art by discussing its pedagogical actions, its contributions for teacher education, and its role in mathematics education.
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This book provides an overview of current research on a variety of topics related to both large-scale and classroom assessment. First, the purposes, traditions and principles of assessment are considered, with particular attention to those common to all levels of assessment and those more connected with either classroom or large-scale assessment. Assessment design based on sound assessment principles is discussed, differentiating between large-scale and classroom assessment, but also examining how the design principles overlap. The focus then shifts to classroom assessment and provides specific examples of assessment strategies, before examining the impact of large-scale assessment on curriculum, policy, instruction, and classroom assessment. The book concludes by discussing the challenges that teachers currently face, as well as ways to support them. The book offers a common language for researchers in assessment, as well as a primer for those interested in understanding current work in the area of assessment. In summary, it provides the opportunity to discuss large-scale and classroom assessment by addressing the following main themes: ·Purposes, Traditions and Principles of Assessment ·Design of Assessment Tasks ·Classroom Assessment in Action ·Interactions of Large-Scale and Classroom Assessment ·Enhancing Sound Assessment Knowledge and Practices It also suggests areas for future research in assessment in mathematics education.
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Since the 2008 financial crisis, modeling of the extreme values of financial risk has become important. Postgraduate programs and PhD research programs in mathematical finance are cropping up in nearly every university. Additionally, many conferences are being held annually on the topic of extreme financial risk. The aim of this Special Issue is to provide a collection of papers from leading experts in the area of extreme financial risk
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Mathematical ecology is an area of applied mathematics concerned with the application of mathematical concepts, tools and techniques, usually in the form of mathematical models, to problems arising in population dynamics, ecology and evolution. This Special Issue is designed to provide a snapshot of the state of the art in mathematical ecology. Topics of interest are (in no particular order) biological invasions, biological control, ecological pattern formation, ecologically relevant multiscale models, food webs, individual movement and dispersal, eco-epidemiology, evolutionary ecology, agroecosystems, regime shifts and early warning signals, synchronization and chaos. The list is inclusive rather than exclusive, and a few other relevant topics will also be considered.
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This survey book reviews four interrelated areas: (i) the relevance of heuristics in problem-solving approaches – why they are important and what research tells us about their use; (ii) the need to characterize and foster creative problem-solving approaches – what type of heuristics helps learners devise and practice creative solutions; (iii) the importance that learners formulate and pursue their own problems; and iv) the role played by the use of both multiple-purpose and ad hoc mathematical action types of technologies in problem-solving contexts – what ways of reasoning learners construct when they rely on the use of digital technologies, and how technology and technology approaches can be reconciled.
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Following the tremendous reception of our first volume on topological groups called ""Topological Groups: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow"", we now present our second volume. Like the first volume, this collection contains articles by some of the best scholars in the world on topological groups. A feature of the first volume was surveys, and we continue that tradition in this volume with three new surveys. These surveys are of interest not only to the expert but also to those who are less experienced. Particularly exciting to active researchers, especially young researchers, is the inclusion of over three dozen open questions. This volume consists of 11 papers containing many new and interesting results and examples across the spectrum of topological group theory and related topics. Well-known researchers who contributed to this volume include Taras Banakh, Michael Megrelishvili, Sidney A. Morris, Saharon Shelah, George A. Willis, O'lga V. Sipacheva, and Stephen Wagner.
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This volume shares and discusses significant new trends and developments in research and practices related to various aspects of preparing prospective secondary mathematics teachers from 2005–2015. It provides both an overview of the current state-of-the-art and outstanding recent research reports from an international perspective. The authors completed a thorough review of the literature by examining major journals in the field of mathematics education, and other journals related to teacher education and technology. The systematic review includes four major themes: field experiences; technologies, tools and resources; teachers' knowledge; and teachers' professional identities. Each of them is presented regarding theoretical perspectives, methodologies, and major findings. Then the authors discuss what is known in the field and what we still need to know related to the major topics.
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Galaxies, along with their underlying dark matter halos, constitute the building blocks of structure in the Universe. Of all fundamental forces, gravity is the dominant one that drives the evolution of structures from small density seeds at early times to the galaxies we see today. The interactions among myriads of stars, or dark matter particles, in a gravitating structure produce a system with fascinating connotations to thermodynamics, with some analogies and some fundamental differences. Ignacio Ferreras presents a concise introduction to extragalactic astrophysics, with emphasis on stellar dynamics, and the growth of density fluctuations in an expanding Universe. Additional chapters are devoted to smaller systems (stellar clusters) and larger ones (galaxy clusters). Fundamentals of Galaxy Dynamics, Formation and Evolution is written for advanced undergraduates and beginning postgraduate students, providing a useful tool to get up to speed in a starting research career. Some of the derivations for the most important results are presented in detail to enable students appreciate the beauty of maths as a tool to understand the workings of galaxies. Each chapter includes a set of problems to help the student advance with the material.
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Fractional calculus is allowing integrals and derivatives of any positive order (the term fractional is kept only for historical reasons). It can be considered a branch of mathematical physics that deals with integro-differential equations, where integrals are of convolution type and exhibit mainly singular kernels of power law or logarithm type. It is a subject that has gained considerably popularity and importance in the past few decades in diverse fields of science and engineering. Efficient analytical and numerical methods have been developed but still need particular attention. The purpose of this Special Issue is to establish a collection of articles that reflect the latest mathematical and conceptual developments in the field of fractional calculus and explore the scope for applications in applied sciences.
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Although the theme of the monograph is primarily related to “Applied Econometrics”, there are several theoretical contributions that are associated with empirical examples, or directions in which the novel theoretical ideas might be applied. The monograph is associated with significant and novel contributions in theoretical and applied econometrics; economics; theoretical and applied financial econometrics; quantitative finance; risk; financial modeling; portfolio management; optimal hedging strategies; theoretical and applied statistics; applied time series analysis; forecasting; applied mathematics; energy economics; energy finance; tourism research; tourism finance; agricultural economics; informatics; data mining; bibliometrics; and international rankings of journals and academics.
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The use of scientific computing tools is currently customary for solving problems at several complexity levels in Applied Sciences. The great need for reliable software in the scientific community conveys a continuous stimulus to develop new and better performing numerical methods that are able to grasp the particular features of the problem at hand. This has been the case for many different settings of numerical analysis, and this Special Issue aims at covering some important developments in various areas of application.
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[This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue of Crystals: High-Pressure Studies of Crystalline Materials. It also includes additional articles published in Crystals and related to the topic of the Special Issue, which have been selected based upon their relevance and scientific quality.]
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The problem of accurate and reliable simulation of turbulent flows is a central and intractable challenge that crosses disciplinary boundaries. As the needs for accuracy increase and the applications expand beyond flows where extensive data is available for calibration, the importance of a sound mathematical foundation that addresses the needs of practical computing increases. This Special Issue is directed at this crossroads of rigorous numerical analysis, the physics of turbulence and the practical needs of turbulent flow simulations. It seeks papers providing a broad understanding of the status of the problem considered and open problems that comprise further steps.
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This open access book offers comprehensive coverage on Ordered Fuzzy Numbers, providing readers with both the basic information and the necessary expertise to use them in a variety of real-world applications. The respective chapters, written by leading researchers, discuss the main techniques and applications, together with the advantages and shortcomings of these tools in comparison to other fuzzy number representation models. Primarily intended for engineers and researchers in the field of fuzzy arithmetic, the book also offers a valuable source of basic information on fuzzy models and an easy-to-understand reference guide to their applications for advanced undergraduate students, operations researchers, modelers and managers alike.
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In 1900, David Hilbert asked whether each locally euclidean topological group admits a Lie group structure. This was the fifth of his famous 23 questions which foreshadowed much of the mathematical creativity of the twentieth century. It required half a century of effort by several generations of eminent mathematicians until it was settled in the affirmative. These efforts resulted over time in the Peter-Weyl Theorem, the Pontryagin-van Kampen Duality Theorem for locally compact abelian groups, and finally the solution of Hilbert 5 and the structure theory of locally compact groups, through the combined work of Andrew Gleason, Kenkichi Iwasawa, Deane Montgomery, and Leon Zippin. For a presentation of Hilbert 5 see the 2014 book “Hilbert’s Fifth Problem and Related Topics” by the winner of a 2006 Fields Medal and 2014 Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics, Terence Tao. It is not possible to describe briefly the richness of the topological group theory and the many directions taken since Hilbert 5. The 900 page reference book in 2013 “The Structure of Compact Groups” by Karl H. Hofmann and Sidney A. Morris, deals with one aspect of compact group theory. There are several books on profinite groups including those written by John S. Wilson (1998) and by Luis Ribes and Pavel Zalesskii (2012). The 2007 book “The Lie Theory of Connected Pro-Lie Groups” by Karl Hofmann and Sidney A. Morris, demonstrates how powerful Lie Theory is in exposing the structure of infinite-dimensional Lie groups. The study of free topological groups initiated by A.A. Markov, M.I. Graev and S. Kakutani, has resulted in a wealth of interesting results, in particular those of A.V. Arkhangelʹskiĭ and many of his former students who developed this topic and its relations with topology. The book “Topological Groups and Related Structures” by Alexander Arkhangelʹskii and Mikhail Tkachenko has a diverse content including much material on free topological groups. Compactness conditions in topological groups, especially pseudocompactness as exemplified in the many papers of W.W. Comfort, has been another direction which has proved very fruitful to the present day.
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This survey provides an overview of German meta-discourse on theories and mathematics education as a scientific discipline, from the 1970s to the 1990s. Two theory strands are offered: a semiotic view related to Peirce and Wittgenstein (presented by Willibald Dörfler), and the theory of learning activity by Joachim Lompscher (presented by Regina Bruder and Oliver Schmitt). By networking the two theoretical approaches in a case study of learning fractions, it clarifies the nature of the two theories, how they can be related to inform practice and renew TME-issues for mathematics education as a scientific discipline. Hans-Georg Steiner initiated the first of five international conferences on Theories of Mathematics Education (TME) to advance the founding of mathematics education as a scientific discipline, and subsequently German researchers have continued to focus on TME topics but within various theory strands.
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This survey focuses on the main trends in the field of calculus education. Despite their variety, the findings reveal a cornerstone issue that is strongly linked to the formalism of calculus concepts and to the difficulties it generates in the learning and teaching process. As a complement to the main text, an extended bibliography with some of the most important references on this topic is included. Since the diversity of the research in the field makes it difficult to produce an exhaustive state-of-the-art summary, the authors discuss recent developments that go beyond this survey and put forward new research questions.
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This book offers a theory for the analysis of how children learn and are taught about whole numbers. Two meanings of numbers are distinguished – the analytical meaning, defined by the number system, and the representational meaning, identified by the use of numbers as conventional signs that stand for quantities. This framework makes it possible to compare different approaches to making numbers meaningful in the classroom and contrast the outcomes of these diverse aspects of teaching. The book identifies themes and trends in empirical research on the teaching and learning of whole numbers since the launch of the major journals in mathematics education research in the 1970s. It documents a shift in focus in the teaching of arithmetic from research about teaching written algorithms to teaching arithmetic in ways that result in flexible approaches to calculation. The analysis of studies on quantitative reasoning reveals classifications of problem types that are related to different cognitive demands and rates of success in both additive and multiplicative reasoning. Three different approaches to quantitative reasoning education illustrate current thinking on teaching problem solving: teaching reasoning before arithmetic, schema-based instruction, and the use of pre-designed diagrams. The book also includes a summary of contemporary approaches to the description of the knowledge of numbers and arithmetic that teachers need to be effective teachers of these aspects of mathematics in primary school. The concluding section includes a brief summary of the major themes addressed and the challenges for the future.
The new theoretical framework presented offers researchers in mathematics education novel insights into the differences between empirical studies in this domain. At the same time the description of the two meanings of numbers helps teachers distinguish between the different aims of teaching about numbers supported by diverse methods used in primary school. The framework is a valuable tool for comparing the different methods and identifying the various assumptions about teaching and learning.
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This book contains the successful invited submissions to a Special Issue of Symmetry on the subject of ""Graph Theory"". Although symmetry has always played an important role in Graph Theory, in recent years, this role has increased significantly in several branches of this field, including but not limited to Gromov hyperbolic graphs, the metric dimension of graphs, domination theory, and topological indices. This Special Issue includes contributions addressing new results on these topics, both from a theoretical and an applied point of view.
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This book examines the current thinking on five critical social and political areas in mathematics education. It focuses on material conditions in teaching and learning, and details features of social life and their influence on mathematics teaching, learning and achievement. Following an introduction, the first section addresses equitable access and participation in quality mathematics education. It explores this issue in different contexts and from different ideological perspectives. The second section traces the emergence and development of the notion of activism in mathematics education in theory, in the literature, in research and in practice. The third section then moves on to explore current research on the political forces at work in identity, subjectivity and (dis)ability within mathematics education, showing how emphasis on language and discourse provides information for this research, and how new directions are being pursued to address the diverse material conditions that shape learning experiences in mathematics education. Economic factors behind mathematics achievement form the topic of section four, which examines the political dimensions of mathematics education through the influence of national and global economic structures. The final section addresses distribution of power and cultural regimes of truth, based on the premise that although often deemed apolitical, mathematics and mathematics education are highly political institutions in our society. The book concludes with a summary and recommendations for the future.
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The book serves both as a reference for various scaled models with corresponding dimensionless numbers, and as a resource for learning the art of scaling. A special feature of the book is the emphasis on how to create software for scaled models, based on existing software for unscaled models.
Scaling (or non-dimensionalization) is a mathematical technique that greatly simplifies the setting of input parameters in numerical simulations. Moreover, scaling enhances the understanding of how different physical processes interact in a differential equation model. Compared to the existing literature, where the topic of scaling is frequently encountered, but very often in only a brief and shallow setting, the present book gives much more thorough explanations of how to reason about finding the right scales. This process is highly problem dependent, and therefore the book features a lot of worked examples, from very simple ODEs to systems of PDEs, especially from fluid mechanics.
The text is easily accessible and example-driven. The first part on ODEs fits even a lower undergraduate level, while the most advanced multiphysics fluid mechanics examples target the graduate level. The scientific literature is full of scaled models, but in most of the cases, the scales are just stated without thorough mathematical reasoning. This book explains how the scales are found mathematically.
This book will be a valuable read for anyone doing numerical simulations based on ordinary or partial differential equations.
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The Cointegrated VAR model allows the user to study both long-run and short-run effects in the same model. It describes an economic system where variables have been pushed away from long-run equilibria by exogenous shocks (the pushing forces) and where short-run adjustments forces pull them back toward long-run equilibria (the pulling forces). In this model framework, basic assumptions underlying an economic theory model can be translated into testable hypotheses of the order of integration and cointegration of key variables and their relationships. While the latter used to be I(1), macroeconomic and financial data have recently shown a tendency for puzzling long and persistent swings around long-run equilibrium values typical of self-reinforcing feed-back mechanisms. Such persistent fluctuations are frequently indistinguishable from I(2) data, pointing to the need for new econometric solutions. In this book, many of our most distinguished scholars in the field of cointegration offer a variety of solutions to these problems by formulating new models, tests, and asymptotics more suitable for an I(2) world. Several of the papers apply these cointegration techniques to a variety of empirical problems, thereby showing how to obtain valuable information about some of the mechanisms that have generated the recent crises.
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Mathematical ecology is an area of applied mathematics concerned with the application of mathematical concepts, tools and techniques, usually in the form of mathematical models, to problems arising in population dynamics, ecology and evolution. This Special Issue is designed to provide a snapshot of the state of the art in mathematical ecology. Topics of interest are (in no particular order) biological invasions, biological control, ecological pattern formation, ecologically relevant multiscale models, food webs, individual movement and dispersal, eco-epidemiology, evolutionary ecology, agroecosystems, regime shifts and early warning signals, synchronization and chaos. The list is inclusive rather than exclusive, and a few other relevant topics will also be considered.
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This survey book reviews four interrelated areas: (i) the relevance of heuristics in problem-solving approaches – why they are important and what research tells us about their use; (ii) the need to characterize and foster creative problem-solving approaches – what type of heuristics helps learners devise and practice creative solutions; (iii) the importance that learners formulate and pursue their own problems; and iv) the role played by the use of both multiple-purpose and ad hoc mathematical action types of technologies in problem-solving contexts – what ways of reasoning learners construct when they rely on the use of digital technologies, and how technology and technology approaches can be reconciled.
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This survey provides a brief and selective overview of research in the philosophy of mathematics education. It asks what makes up the philosophy of mathematics education, what it means, what questions it asks and answers, and what is its overall importance and use? It provides overviews of critical mathematics education, and the most relevant modern movements in the philosophy of mathematics. A case study is provided of an emerging research tradition in one country. This is the Hermeneutic strand of research in the philosophy of mathematics education in Brazil. This illustrates one orientation towards research inquiry in the philosophy of mathematics education. It is part of a broader practice of ‘philosophical archaeology’: the uncovering of hidden assumptions and buried ideologies within the concepts and methods of research and practice in mathematics education. An extensive bibliography is also included.
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During the past four decades or so, various operators of fractional calculus, such as those named after Riemann–Liouville, Weyl, Hadamard, Grunwald–Letnikov, Riesz, Erdelyi–Kober, Liouville–Caputo, and so on, have been found to be remarkably popular and important due mainly to their demonstrated applications in numerous diverse and widespread fields of the mathematical, physical, chemical, engineering, and statistical sciences. Many of these fractional calculus operators provide several potentially useful tools for solving differential, integral, differintegral, and integro-differential equations, together with the fractional-calculus analogues and extensions of each of these equations, and various other problems involving special functions of mathematical physics, as well as their extensions and generalizations in one and more variables. In this Special Issue, we invite and welcome review, expository, and original research articles dealing with the recent advances in the theory of fractional calculus and its multidisciplinary applications.
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This volume shares and discusses significant new trends and developments in research and practices related to various aspects of preparing prospective secondary mathematics teachers from 2005–2015. It provides both an overview of the current state-of-the-art and outstanding recent research reports from an international perspective. The authors completed a thorough review of the literature by examining major journals in the field of mathematics education, and other journals related to teacher education and technology. The systematic review includes four major themes: field experiences; technologies, tools and resources; teachers' knowledge; and teachers' professional identities. Each of them is presented regarding theoretical perspectives, methodologies, and major findings. Then the authors discuss what is known in the field and what we still need to know related to the major topics.
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This book includes papers in cross-disciplinary applications of mathematical modelling: from medicine to linguistics, social problems, and more. Based on cutting-edge research, each chapter is focused on a different problem of modelling human behaviour or engineering problems at different levels. The reader would find this book to be a useful reference in identifying problems of interest in social, medicine and engineering sciences, and in developing mathematical models that could be used to successfully predict behaviours and obtain practical information for specialised practitioners. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the new developments of applied mathematics in connection with epidemics, medical modelling, social issues, random differential equations and numerical methods.
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Investigations involving the theory and applications of mathematical analytic tools and techniques are remarkably wide-spread in many diverse areas of the mathematical, physical, chemical, engineering and statistical sciences. In this Special Issue, we invite and welcome review, expository and original research articles dealing with the recent advances in mathematical analysis and its multidisciplinary applications.
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This book provides an essential introduction to the state-of the-art in interdisciplinary Mathematics Education. First, it begins with an outline of the field’s relevant historical, conceptual and theoretical backgrounds, what “discipline” means and how inter-, trans-, and meta-disciplinary activities can be understood. Relevant theoretical perspectives from Marx, Foucault and Vygotsky are explained, along with key ideas in theory, e.g. boundaries, discourses, identity, and the division of labour in practice. Second, the book reviews research findings of mainly empirical studies on interdisciplinary work involving mathematics in education, in all stages of education that have become disciplined. For example, it reports that a common theme in studies in middle and high schools is assessing the motivational benefits for the learner of subsuming disciplinary motives and even practices to extra-academic problem-solving activities; this is counter-balanced by the effort needed to overcome the disciplinary boundaries in academic institutions, and in professional identities. These disciplinary boundaries are less obviously limitations in middle and primary schools, and in some vocational courses. Third and finally, it explores selected case studies that illustrate these concepts and findings, both in terms of the motivational benefits for learners and the institutional and other boundaries involved.
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This Special Issue of the journal Entropy, titled “Information Geometry I”, contains a collection of 17 papers concerning the foundations and applications of information geometry. Based on a geometrical interpretation of probability, information geometry has become a rich mathematical field employing the methods of differential geometry. It has numerous applications to data science, physics, and neuroscience. Presenting original research, yet written in an accessible, tutorial style, this collection of papers will be useful for scientists who are new to the field, while providing an excellent reference for the more experienced researcher. Several papers are written by authorities in the field, and topics cover the foundations of information geometry, as well as applications to statistics, Bayesian inference, machine learning, complex systems, physics, and neuroscience.
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Although the theme of the monograph is primarily related to “Applied Econometrics”, there are several theoretical contributions that are associated with empirical examples, or directions in which the novel theoretical ideas might be applied. The monograph is associated with significant and novel contributions in theoretical and applied econometrics; economics; theoretical and applied financial econometrics; quantitative finance; risk; financial modeling; portfolio management; optimal hedging strategies; theoretical and applied statistics; applied time series analysis; forecasting; applied mathematics; energy economics; energy finance; tourism research; tourism finance; agricultural economics; informatics; data mining; bibliometrics; and international rankings of journals and academics.
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This book provides a timely overview of topics in fuzzy mathematics. It lays the foundation for further research and applications in a broad range of areas. It contains break-through analysis on how results from the many variations and extensions of fuzzy set theory can be obtained from known results of traditional fuzzy set theory. The book contains not only theoretical results, but a wide range of applications in areas such as decision analysis, optimal allocation in possibilistics and mixed models, pattern classification, credibility measures, algorithms for modeling uncertain data, and numerical methods for solving fuzzy linear systems. The book offers an excellent reference for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in applied and theoretical fuzzy mathematics. Researchers and referees in fuzzy set theory will find the book to be of extreme value.
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This edited book presents new results in the area of algorithm development for different types of scheduling problems. In eleven chapters, algorithms for single machine problems, flow-shop and job-shop scheduling problems (including their hybrid (flexible) variants), the resource-constrained project scheduling problem, scheduling problems in complex manufacturing systems and supply chains, and workflow scheduling problems are given. The chapters address such subjects as insertion heuristics for energy-efficient scheduling, the re-scheduling of train traffic in real time, control algorithms for short-term scheduling in manufacturing systems, bi-objective optimization of tortilla production, scheduling problems with uncertain (interval) processing times, workflow scheduling for digital signal processor (DSP) clusters, and many more.
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Within the German-speaking tradition, considering “mathematics education as a design science” has been connected to the seminal work by Wittmann. In his famous lecture at ICME-9 in 2000 he underlined the role of substantial learning environments while elaborating on how mathematics education can be established as a research domain. From their very nature, substantial learning environments contain substantial mathematical content even beyond the school level and also offer rich mathematical activities for (pre-service) teachers on a higher level. Exploring the epistemological structure reflected in substantial learning environments or reflecting didactical principles while testing substantial learning environments in practice adds to a deeper understanding of both the mathematics involved and students’ learning processes.
In view of his work on substantial learning environments, Wittmann not only elaborated on why mathematics should be the “core” of mathematics education, but also how the “related disciplines” can be centred on this core. In particular, he called for recognizing mathematics education as a scientific field in its own right, from where the constructive development of and research into the teaching of mathematics starts. Thus, mathematics education hllas been conceptualized as a constructive scientific discipline that has contributed teaching concepts, units, examples, and materials. The main objective has been to develop feasible designs for conceptual and practical innovations, involving the teachers actively in any design process.
The next chapter is dedicated to elaborating on these aspects more deeply and discussing how the theoretical orientations are reflected in Wittmann’s design research project, mathe 2000. Having deeply explored the concept of design science, attention is then paid to present two examples of current projects that depart from design research but also pursue particular accentuations: The first contribution (Sect. 2.2) reports on a project that positions design science between normative and descriptive theories. That is, mathematical learning opportunities have been designed from a normative viewpoint while learning processes have been explained on the basis of descriptive theories. Examples are provided that illustrate such a proceeding. The second contribution (Sect. 2.3) also reports on a developmental research project. Here, studying carefully designed teaching units is in the focus while paying explicit attention to problems that teachers face in the classroom. One main goal of the research is to help teachers to develop their mathematical knowledge and to ultimately enhance their teaching. Subsequently, in Sect. 2.4 Wittmann elaborates on the conception of empirical studies within design research that start from the mathematics involved in terms of structure-genetic didactical analyses. Particularly, bridging didactical theories and practice is pursued by collective teaching experiments. Finally, Sect. 2.5 takes up the strands presented so far and sheds light on developments of design science from a national and international perspective. Thereby, particular emphasis is assigned to design research from a learning perspective as extending characteristics from design research. The chapter ends with a summary and an outlook on further developments.
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This open access book discusses several didactic traditions in mathematics education in countries across Europe, including France, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, the Czech and Slovakian Republics, and the Scandinavian states. It shows that while they all share common features both in the practice of learning and teaching at school and in research and development, they each have special features due to specific historical and cultural developments. The book also presents interesting historical facts about these didactic traditions, the theories and examples developed in these countries.
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This open access book discusses several didactic traditions in mathematics education in countries across Europe, including France, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, the Czech and Slovakian Republics, and the Scandinavian states. It shows that while they all share common features both in the practice of learning and teaching at school and in research and development, they each have special features due to specific historical and cultural developments. The book also presents interesting historical facts about these didactic traditions, the theories and examples developed in these countries.
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This open access book discusses several didactic traditions in mathematics education in countries across Europe, including France, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, the Czech and Slovakian Republics, and the Scandinavian states. It shows that while they all share common features both in the practice of learning and teaching at school and in research and development, they each have special features due to specific historical and cultural developments. The book also presents interesting historical facts about these didactic traditions, the theories and examples developed in these countries.
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This open access book discusses several didactic traditions in mathematics education in countries across Europe, including France, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, the Czech and Slovakian Republics, and the Scandinavian states. It shows that while they all share common features both in the practice of learning and teaching at school and in research and development, they each have special features due to specific historical and cultural developments. The book also presents interesting historical facts about these didactic traditions, the theories and examples developed in these countries.
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This open access book discusses several didactic traditions in mathematics education in countries across Europe, including France, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, the Czech and Slovakian Republics, and the Scandinavian states. It shows that while they all share common features both in the practice of learning and teaching at school and in research and development, they each have special features due to specific historical and cultural developments. The book also presents interesting historical facts about these didactic traditions, the theories and examples developed in these countries.
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This open access book discusses several didactic traditions in mathematics education in countries across Europe, including France, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, the Czech and Slovakian Republics, and the Scandinavian states. It shows that while they all share common features both in the practice of learning and teaching at school and in research and development, they each have special features due to specific historical and cultural developments. The book also presents interesting historical facts about these didactic traditions, the theories and examples developed in these countries.
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This open access book discusses several didactic traditions in mathematics education in countries across Europe, including France, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, the Czech and Slovakian Republics, and the Scandinavian states. It shows that while they all share common features both in the practice of learning and teaching at school and in research and development, they each have special features due to specific historical and cultural developments. The book also presents interesting historical facts about these didactic traditions, the theories and examples developed in these countries.
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This open access book is the first major publication on the topic of “Interdisciplinary Mathematics Education” and arose from the work of the first International Topic Study Group of the same name at the ICME-13 conference in Hamburg in 2016. It offers extensive theoretical insights, empirical research, and practitioner accounts of interdisciplinary mathematics work in STEM and beyond (e.g. in music and the arts).
Scholars and practitioners from four continents contributed to this comprehensive book, and present studies on: the conceptualizations of interdisciplinarity; implementation cases at schools and tertiary institutions; teacher education; and implications for policy and practice. Each chapter, and the book itself, closes with an assessment of the most significant aspects that those involved in policy and practice, as well as future researchers, should take into account.
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This survey provides an overview of German meta-discourse on theories and mathematics education as a scientific discipline, from the 1970s to the 1990s. Two theory strands are offered: a semiotic view related to Peirce and Wittgenstein (presented by Willibald Dörfler), and the theory of learning activity by Joachim Lompscher (presented by Regina Bruder and Oliver Schmitt). By networking the two theoretical approaches in a case study of learning fractions, it clarifies the nature of the two theories, how they can be related to inform practice and renew TME-issues for mathematics education as a scientific discipline. Hans-Georg Steiner initiated the first of five international conferences on Theories of Mathematics Education (TME) to advance the founding of mathematics education as a scientific discipline, and subsequently German researchers have continued to focus on TME topics but within various theory strands.
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This open access book shares revealing insights into the development of mathematics education research in Germany from 1976 (ICME 3 in Karlsruhe) to 2016 (ICME 13 in Hamburg). How did mathematics education research evolve in the course of these four decades? Which ideas and people were most influential, and how did German research interact with the international community?
These questions are answered by scholars from a range of fields and in ten thematic sections: (1) a short survey of the development of educational research on mathematics in German speaking countries (2) subject-matter didactics, (3) design science and design research, (4) modelling, (5) mathematics and Bildung 1810 to 1850, (6) Allgemeinbildung, Mathematical Literacy, and Competence Orientation (7) theory traditions, (8) classroom studies, (9) educational research and (10) large-scale studies. During the time span presented here, profound changes took place in German-speaking mathematics education research. Besides the traditional fields of activity like subject-matter didactics or design science, completely new areas also emerged, which are characterized by various empirical approaches and a closer connection to psychology, sociology, epistemology and general education research.
Each chapter presents a respective area of mathematics education in Germany and analyzes its relevance for the development of the research community, not only with regard to research findings and methods but also in terms of interaction with the educational system. One of the central aspects in all chapters concerns the constant efforts to find common ground between mathematics and education. In addition, readers can benefit from this analysis by comparing the development shown here with the mathematical education research situation in their own country.
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This work examines the main directions of research conducted on the history of mathematics education. It devotes substantial attention to research methodologies and the connections between this field and other scholarly fields. The results of a survey about academic literature on this subject are accompanied by a discussion of what has yet to be done and problems that remain unsolved.
The main topics you will find in “ICME-13 Topical Survey” include:
• Discussions of methodological issues in the history of mathematics education and of the relation between this field and other scholarly fields.
• The history of the formation and transformation of curricula and textbooks as a reflection of trends in social-economic, cultural and scientific-technological development.
• The influence of politics, ideology and economics on the development of mathematics education, from a historical perspective.
• The history of the preeminent mathematics education organizations and the work of leading figures in mathematics education.
• Mathematics education practices and tools and the preparation of mathematics teachers, from a historical perspective.
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This volume discusses semiotics in mathematics education as an activity with a formal sign system, in which each sign represents something else. Theories presented by Saussure, Peirce, Vygotsky and other writers on semiotics are summarized in their relevance to the teaching and learning of mathematics. The significance of signs for mathematics education lies in their ubiquitous use in every branch of mathematics. Such use involves seeing the general in the particular, a process that is not always clear to learners. Therefore, in several traditional frameworks, semiotics has the potential to serve as a powerful conceptual lens in investigating diverse topics in mathematics education research. Topics that are implicated include (but are not limited to): the birth of signs; embodiment, gestures and artifacts; segmentation and communicative fields; cultural mediation; social semiotics; linguistic theories; chains of signification; semiotic bundles; relationships among various sign systems; intersubjectivity; diagrammatic and inferential reasoning; and semiotics as the focus of innovative learning and teaching materials.
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Consciousness is widely perceived as one of the most fundamental, interesting and difficult problems of our time. However, we still know next to nothing about the relationship between consciousness and the brain and we can only speculate about the consciousness of animals and machines. Human and Machine Consciousness presents a new foundation for the scientific study of consciousness. It sets out a bold interpretation of consciousness that neutralizes the philosophical problems and explains how we can make scientific predictions about the consciousness of animals, brain-damaged patients and machines. Gamez interprets the scientific study of consciousness as a search for mathematical theories that map between measurements of consciousness and measurements of the physical world. We can use artificial intelligence to discover these theories and they could make accurate predictions about the consciousness of humans, animals and artificial systems. Human and Machine Consciousness also provides original insights into unusual conscious experiences, such as hallucinations, religious experiences and out-of-body states, and demonstrates how ‘designer’ states of consciousness could be created in the future. Gamez explains difficult concepts in a clear way that closely engages with scientific research. His punchy, concise prose is packed with vivid examples, making it suitable for the educated general reader as well as philosophers and scientists. Problems are brought to life in colourful illustrations and a helpful summary is given at the end of each chapter. The endnotes provide detailed discussions of individual points and full references to the scientific and philosophical literature.
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This survey of the state of the art on research in early algebra traces the evolution of a relatively new field of research and teaching practice. With its focus on the younger student, aged from about 6 years up to 12 years, this volume reveals the nature of the research that has been carried out in early algebra and how it has shaped the growth of the field. The survey, in presenting examples drawn from the steadily growing research base, highlights both the nature of algebraic thinking and the ways in which this thinking is being developed in the primary and early middle school student. Mathematical relations, patterns, and arithmetical structures lie at the heart of early algebraic activity, with processes such as noticing, conjecturing, generalizing, representing, justifying, and communicating being central to students’ engagement.
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Teaching Mathematics is nothing less than a mathematical manifesto. Arising in response to a limited National Curriculum, and engaged with secondary schooling for those aged 11 ̶ 14 (Key Stage 3) in particular, this handbook for teachers will help them broaden and enrich their students’ mathematical education. It avoids specifying how to teach, and focuses instead on the central principles and concepts that need to be borne in mind by all teachers and textbook authors—but which are little appreciated in the UK at present. This study is aimed at anyone who would like to think more deeply about the discipline of ‘elementary mathematics’, in England and Wales and anywhere else. By analysing and supplementing the current curriculum, Teaching Mathematics provides food for thought for all those involved in school mathematics, whether as aspiring teachers or as experienced professionals. It challenges us all to reflect upon what it is that makes secondary school mathematics educationally, culturally, and socially important.
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From paintings and food to illness and icebergs, science is happening everywhere. Rather than follow the path of a syllabus or textbook, Andrew Morris takes examples from the science we see every day and uses them as entry points to explain a number of fundamental scientific concepts – from understanding colour to the nature of hormones – in ways that anyone can grasp. While each chapter offers a separate story, they are linked together by their fascinating relevance to our daily lives.
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This book provides an essential introduction to the state-of the-art in interdisciplinary Mathematics Education. First, it begins with an outline of the field’s relevant historical, conceptual and theoretical backgrounds, what “discipline” means and how inter-, trans-, and meta-disciplinary activities can be understood. Relevant theoretical perspectives from Marx, Foucault and Vygotsky are explained, along with key ideas in theory, e.g. boundaries, discourses, identity, and the division of labour in practice. Second, the book reviews research findings of mainly empirical studies on interdisciplinary work involving mathematics in education, in all stages of education that have become disciplined. For example, it reports that a common theme in studies in middle and high schools is assessing the motivational benefits for the learner of subsuming disciplinary motives and even practices to extra-academic problem-solving activities; this is counter-balanced by the effort needed to overcome the disciplinary boundaries in academic institutions, and in professional identities. These disciplinary boundaries are less obviously limitations in middle and primary schools, and in some vocational courses. Third and finally, it explores selected case studies that illustrate these concepts and findings, both in terms of the motivational benefits for learners and the institutional and other boundaries involved.
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This book establishes the foundations needed to realize the ultimate goals for artificial intelligence, such as autonomy and trustworthiness. Aimed at scientists, researchers, technologists, practitioners, and students, it brings together contributions offering the basics, the challenges and the state-of-the-art on trusted autonomous systems in a single volume. The book is structured in three parts, with chapters written by eminent researchers and outstanding practitioners and users in the field. The first part covers foundational artificial intelligence technologies, while the second part covers philosophical, practical and technological perspectives on trust. Lastly, the third part presents advanced topics necessary to create future trusted autonomous systems. The book augments theory with real-world applications including cyber security, defence and space.
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The Yang-Baxter equation first appeared in theoretical physics, in a paper by the Nobel laureate C.N. Yang and in the work of R.J. Baxter in the field of Statistical Mechanics. At the 1990 International Mathematics Congress, Vladimir Drinfeld, Vaughan F. R. Jones, and Edward Witten were awarded Fields Medals for their work related to the Yang-Baxter equation. It turned out that this equation is one of the basic equations in mathematical physics; more precisely, it is used for introducing the theory of quantum groups. It also plays a crucial role in: knot theory, braided categories, the analysis of integrable systems, non-commutative descent theory, quantum computing, non-commutative geometry, etc. Many scientists have used the axioms of various algebraic structures (quasi-triangular Hopf algebras, Yetter-Drinfeld categories, quandles, group actions, Lie (super)algebras, brace structures, (co)algebra structures, Jordan triples, Boolean algebras, relations on sets, etc.) or computer calculations (and Grobner bases) in order to produce solutions for the Yang-Baxter equation. However, the full classification of its solutions remains an open problem. At present, the study of solutions of the Yang-Baxter equation attracts the attention of a broad circle of scientists. The current volume highlights various aspects of the Yang-Baxter equation, related algebraic structures, and applications.
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Neutrosophic logic and set are gaining significant attention in solving many real-life problems that involve uncertainty, impreciseness, vagueness, incompleteness, inconsistency, and indeterminacy. A number of new neutrosophic theories have been proposed and have been applied in Multi-Criteria Decision-Making, computational intelligence, multiple-attribute decision-making, image processing, medical diagnosis, fault diagnosis, optimization design, and so on. Neutrosophic logic, set, probability, statistics, etc., are, respectively, generalizations of fuzzy and intuitionistic fuzzy logic and set, classical and imprecise probability, classical statistics and so on. This Special Issue gathers 11 original research papers that report on the state of the art and recent advancements in Multi-Criteria Decision-Making using neutrosophic environment in computing, artificial intelligence, big and small data mining, group decision-making problems, pattern recognition, information processing, image processing, and many other practical achievements.
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Over the past two decades, there has been increased attention in the research of nanofluid due to its widely expanded domain in many industrial and technological applications. Major advances in the modeling of key topics such as nanofluid, MHD, heat transfer, convection, porous media, Newtonian/non-Newtonian fluids have been made and finally published in the special issue on recent developments in nanofluids for Applied Sciences. The present attempt is to edit the special issue in a book form. Although, this book is not a formal textbook even than it will definitely be useful for research students and university teachers in overcoming the difficulties occurring in the said topic while dealing with the nonlinear governing equations. On one side the real world problems in mathematics, physics, biomechanics, engineering and other disciplines of sciences are mostly described by the set of nonlinear equations whereas on the other hand, it is often more difficult to get an analytic solution or even a numerical one. This book has successfully handled this challenging job with latest techniques. In addition the findings of the simulation are logically realistic and meet the standard of sufficient scientific value.
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This easy-to-read book introduces the basics of solving partial differential equations by means of finite difference methods. Unlike many of the traditional academic works on the topic, this book was written for practitioners. Accordingly, it especially addresses: the construction of finite difference schemes, formulation and implementation of algorithms, verification of implementations, analyses of physical behavior as implied by the numerical solutions, and how to apply the methods and software to solve problems in the fields of physics and biology.
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This volume shares and discusses significant new trends and developments in research and practices related to various aspects of preparing prospective secondary mathematics teachers from 2005–2015. It provides both an overview of the current state-of-the-art and outstanding recent research reports from an international perspective. The authors completed a thorough review of the literature by examining major journals in the field of mathematics education, and other journals related to teacher education and technology. The systematic review includes four major themes: field experiences; technologies, tools and resources; teachers' knowledge; and teachers' professional identities. Each of them is presented regarding theoretical perspectives, methodologies, and major findings. Then the authors discuss what is known in the field and what we still need to know related to the major topics.
