PROCEEDINGS OF THE 22ND ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2019
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Calculus II students’ understanding of the univalence requirement of functions
Page: 18
A robust conceptual understanding of function is essential for students studying calculus and higher levels of mathematics as they continue to pursue the learning of mathematics. In this study, we investigated the ways in which students in a Calculus II course understand functions by examining student engagement with a vending machine applet. Specifically, we considered how these students made sense of the univalence requirement of functions in the context of a vending machine in which a single input produces an output of two cans. We identify and discuss in detail several themes that emerged in students’ categorization of machines as functions or non-functions when encountering this two-can scenario.