Questions tagged [history]
For questions concerning the history of mathematical education and the use of historical topics in teaching mathematics.
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History Of Infinite Series
What is a good source for the history of infinite series?
Moreover, why do we learn them?
Are they really useful on their own, or are just tools / stepping stone for studying series of functions ...
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SMSG Calculus Usage?
Did anyone out there have experience with SMSG's Calculus text? Our school system (Amherst, MA) used SMSG texts from my 6th grade class onward. But for HS Calculus (1969) we didn't use the two-part ...
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How much math would a non-STEM major have studied in 1950?
I've spoken to several people who attended US universities in the decades before I was born, and I was somewhat surprised to find that it seemed to be common (based on the anecdotes I received) for ...
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Successor to School Mathematics Study Group (SMSG)
From reviews on Amazon of the various high school math texts by Mary Dolciani et al of the SMSG, I assume that there might be a successor to the approach (referred to as “the new math”) taken by the ...
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On using different notations for the same objects
Historically, in set theory we use two different notations to refer set theoretically same objects $\aleph_{\alpha}$ and $\omega_{\alpha}$. The folklore justification of this dual notation is that we ...
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What are the best expository pieces related to the Van Hiele models?
The Van Hiele model (wikipage) "is a theory that describes how students learn geometry."
I would appreciate further insights into the original model, later models that expanded or re-worked it, and ...
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Examples of cultural limitations on math education
Based on Maggie Koerth-Baker's article, "What do Christian fundamentalists have against set theory?", it seems there are some parts of culture which put some restrictions on math education.
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user230
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Arithmetical Progression
I recently came across a very old Algebra textbook from the 1860s, and on the chapter discussing "arithmetical progression", it says there are "20 cases for arithmetical progression&...
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When and where were textbooks that use set notation for basic algebra solutions?
A past question described a school where many teachers insisted that answers to algebra problems had to be phrased in set-theoretic language or notation. For example, when asked to solve $2x+3=6−x$, ...
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When Did They Start Using Ohm's Triangle for Arithmetic Topics?
I am here with a historical question about maths education. I hope I have chosen the right SE as there are confusingly three that pertain to historical research into mathematics.
Any quantitative ...
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Duodecimal by Stealth
It is widely recognised that the Duodecimal number system is superior to the decimal system. However, it is plainly obvious that trying to introduce such a system would be difficult, especially in a ...
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