Bøger udgivet af Saltire Software Incorporated

Although we claim that Math Illustrations software is amazingly easy to use, you may be slightly intimidated by the vast array of tools available on the screen. To give you that extra bit of security, in addition to the embedded Help system, we've printed this brightly colored Math Illustrations Manual to help you create perfect math diagrams, perfectly easily. Sketch it, use constraints and constructions to display your drawing to scale, then copy and paste it into your word processor or presentation software. This manual will help you every step of the way, so have fun! -The Math Illustrations Support Team.

This unit is designed to familiarize students with the ideas of how various functions can be transformed, and the effect those transformations have on equations, graphs, and contextual situations. The function families were chosen to be simple enough for students to readily understand, and also sophisticated enough to clearly demonstrate the effects of dilations and translations. The skills and principles to be learned apply to virtually all function families, and will give a solid foundation for more advanced studies in functions. The approach of this unit is primarily investigative in nature - students will examine the effects various transformations have on function equations and graphs to develop conjectures and generalized understanding. To that end, the Geometry Expressions (Gx) software will be used extensively as an investigative tool and a means to check the accuracy of conjectures. Ideally, students will have previously completed the Intro to Unit Circle Trigonometry lesson using Gx, as that introduces the general learning pattern, as well as many of the software features they will be using. If they haven't used Gx before, it is a good lesson to do as a review, prior to starting this unit.

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Vision for School Mathematics invites us to "Imagine a classroom, a school, or a school district where all students have access to high-quality, engaging mathematics instruction." Our goal in writing this book is to provide examples of how a symbolic geometry system, Geometry Expressions, can begin to make this happen. Geometry Expressions provides a playground where students can discover their own mathematics. They will begin to see mathematics as something that is created, not just a set of facts made up long ago. Once students take ownership of their mathematics, they will be more apt to "work productively and reflectively, with the skilled guidance of their teachers." The graphical, interactive nature of Geometry Expressions brings life into a field that might otherwise seem irrelevant. The symbolics embedded in Geometry Expressions offer an algebraic view of the mathematics in concert with a geometric view, blurring the artificial line between the two. The smooth interface between Geometry Expressions and Computer Algebra Systems (CAS) adds another powerful resource for solving problems. These technologies can work together to change the way mathematics is done, in the same way that technology has changed the way architectural design is done; with computers managing the details while humans create the grand vision. The units presented in this book are a jumping-off point for using Geometry Expressions in the classroom. Use the units to gauge the potential of this powerful software, and as a guide to applying Geometry Expressions in your own classroom. We trust that you will enjoy using the units and the software.