The NCTM’s Eastern Regional Conference takes place in Baltimore October 14-16, 2004. Among the hundreds of presentations are many dealing with the history of mathematics and its use in teaching. These include the following, numbered as in the Program Book. If a handout is available electronically, you can click on the link.
October 14
16: 9:00-10:00 am Lawrence Shirley Lshirley@towson.edu, Towson State University, Towson, Maryland Believing in Impossible Mathematics: Historical Examples
We will travel through the history of mathematics to observe the surprises, paradoxes, confusions, abstractions, and insights that result when mathematicians believe in impossible things. Information and activities for classroom enrichment will be included. Click on this link for more.
59: 11:30am-12:30pm John Mahoney, mahoneyj@sidwell.edu, Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, Washington, DC Benjamin Banneker's Mathematics -- in His Own Handwriting!
Benjamin Banneker, a self-taught African American mathematician who lived near Baltimore, kept a journal containing a number of mathematical puzzles and other examples of mathematics. With the aid of computer enhancement, Banneker’s writing will be presented along with explanations of the ingenious mathematical techniques he used. Click on this link for more.
60: 11:30am-12:30pm Hubert J. Ludwig, hjludwig@comcast.net, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana Pi: From Measuring Fields to Fractals
This session will highlight ancient and modern points of view, historical comments, a variety of mathematical procedures that involve pi, pi in contemporary society, the search for the digits of pi, pi and fractals, and many mathematical connections, interspersed with humor.
70: 11:30am-12:30pm Victor J. Katz, vkatz@udc.edu, University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC New Resources in Using the History of Mathematics in Teaching
Among the new resources now available to help classroom teachers use the history of mathematics in teaching are Historical Modules, a CD containing numerous lessons in all areas of secondary school mathematics, and Convergence, a new online magazine that will have regular historical articles and features.
October 15
153: 9:00-10:00am Rebecca J. Kessler, rkessler@woh.rr.com, Miami Valley School, Dayton, Ohio In Search of Mathematics through History
From wine barrows to war machines, from the first streaker to the twenty-first cnetury, discovery projects allow students to see conceptually the “growing pains” of mathematics. Is mathematics the same now as it was when our parents went to school? Click here for a handout.
209: 11:30am-12:30pm Kathy Clark, kmclark@umd.edu, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland Teacher Knowledge and Motivation: How Can the History of Mathematics Help?
A research plan for investigating the impact of a professional
development program on classroom instruction involving a unit on logarithms
will be presented. The session will highlight samples of activities from the
historical development of logarithms, as well as a description of the
professional development program and data collection and analysis
activities.
251: 2:00-3:00pm David W. Stephens, stephensd@brynmawrschool.org, Bryn Mawr School, Baltimore, Maryland Arc Length and Surface Area: Calculus Techniques Meet History
The motivation for these applications of the definitie integral are easier to understand and more entertaining to learn when combined with the historical background of Descartes’ distance formula, the Pythagorean theorem, Newton and calculus, the theorems of Pappus, and Mandelbrot’s ideas about fractals springing from the measurement of the coastline of England during World War II.
October 16
306: 10:15-11:15am Frank J. Swetz, fjs2@psu.edu, Penn State University, Middletown, Pennsylvania What You Always Wanted to Know about the History of Mathematics
This talk will focus on some issues of concern that teachers have in using the history of mathematics in their classroom. The presenter will discuss such issues as procedures, strategies, available resources, facets of history particularly suited to the classroom, history and diversity, and the limitations of using history.
329: 10:30am-12:00n Jim Fulmer, jfulmer@ualr.edu, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas and Suzanne Mitchell, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, Arkansas Historical Topics in Mathematics: Famous Triangles, Rectangles, Circles, Lines
A look and discussion of some historical geometric figures such as the golden triangle, perfect triangle, Heron triangle, Napoleon triangle, golden rectangle, Feurbach circle, Napoleon circle, Euler line, Simpson line, DelGrande line, and Fermat point. Some figures will be introuced through a construction approach using ruler, compass, and Mira.
Check the NCTM program for locations of talks.