RUME 26
2024
Omaha, Nebraska
To Do Calculus, We Need to Specify R: Lecture Meta-stories and Their Underlying Assumptions
Page: 556
This papers examines the stories two instructors tell about why formally defining real numbers in the context of a Real Analysis course is a desirable objective. While the two stories exhibit some variations, the analysis shows that both narratives relied on the following constitutive elements: (1) calculus is a desirable activity, (2) students’ current understanding of R is lacking, and (3) to use R for calculus, there is a need to specify it precisely. I discuss how these assumptions can be misrepresenting of practice and experienced as problematic impositions on students.