Description
Mathematics is, by its very nature, an abstract discipline. However, many students learn best by thinking in terms of tangible constructs.
Enhancing Mathematics Understanding through Visualization: The Role of Dynamical Software brings these conflicting viewpoints together by offering visual representations as a method of mathematics instruction. The book explores the role of technology in providing access to multiple representations of concepts, using software applications to create a rich environment in which a student’s understanding of mathematical concepts can flourish. Both students and instructors of mathematics at the university level will use this book to implement various novel techniques for the delivery of mathematical concepts in their classrooms. This book is part of the Research Essential collection.
Reviews and Testimonials
What I find so compelling and instructive about the book is the abundance of screen captures from the various software programs. Everything from professional computer-algebra systems, such as Mathematica, Maple, and Matlab, to Java applets, to calculator programs to other programs not commonly encountered is discussed in the context of a real-world scenario. By drawing a direction field, for example, a student can explore long-term behavior without thinking solely about getting an analytic solution. [...] For educators who want several examples in multiple technology platforms, this book accomplishes its goal: Start with a problem and encourage students to describe the behavior without finding explicit solutions. We already know the technology can solve the equations. Why not think about the problem visually?
– Dr. Michael Huber, Muhlenberg College. CODEE Journal.
Author's/Editor's Biography
Samer Habre (Ed.)
Samer Habre is an associate professor of Mathematics at the Lebanese American University in Beirut, Lebanon, where he has been serving also as the Chairperson of the Department of Computer Science and Mathematics since October 2008. He had earned his BS in Mathematics from the American University in Beirut in 1984, his MS and PhD in Mathematics from Syracuse University (New York) in 1986 and 1991 respectively, and has been teaching at the Lebanese American University since 1993. In 1998 he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship that he spent at Cornell University (New York), and in 2005 he was a visiting scholar at California Polytechnic State University. Samer Habre research interests vary between the teaching of mathematics at the university level with visualization aids (particularly dynamical software programs) and research on discrete dynamical systems. He has numerous publications in both fields.