APPROACHING PRECALCULUS MATHEMATICS DISCRETELY: EXPLORATIONS IN A COMPUTER ENVIRONMENT

“Approaching Precalculus Mathematics Discretely introduces concepts of discrete mathematics through the computer, making them easier to teach and more fun to learn. Philip Lewis shows how this can be accomplished using the Logo language to apply and explore much of the material in standard high school advanced algebra and precalculus programs. He develops sophisticated programming techniques in conjunction with mathematical concepts that make the book a model for teachers looking for ways to integrate computers into the mathematics curriculum. The opening chapter introduces the use of Logo to express a variety of basic mathematical functions. The next four chapters broaden the discussion to include elementary vector operations, in the plane and linear transformations and matrix operations defined as vector-valid functions. Chapter 4 applies the theory of linear transformations to the mapping of two dimensional geometric objects drawn on the computer screen. Chapter 5 takes up mathematical induction and recursion. This allows the transformation theory of chapter 4 to be extended to wire frame objects in space that are projected on the computer screen. Chapter 7 constructs a graphing utility that is used in subsequent chapters to examine the graphs of a variety of functions and to introduce the concept of a limit. This extends to an intuitive introduction to slope and the derivative in order to establish a territory for the calculus. The two chapters that follow examine the traditional cyclic functions from a graphic and transformational point of view. The book concludes by outlining explorations of topics from earlier chapters. Philip G. Lewis teaches mathematics and computer science atLincoln Sudbury Regional High School in Sudbury Massachusetts. “Approaching Precalculus Mathematics Discretely” is included in the series Exploring with Logo, edited by E. Paul Goldenberg.