RUME 26
2024
Omaha, Nebraska
What Meaning Should We Attribute to the Colon in Set-builder Notation?
Page: 650
In this study, we report one group of students’ efforts to create a community meaning for set- builder notation collectively. Students’ ability to develop and interpret set-builder notation is essential to transition-to-proof courses. Conventionally, a colon is used in set-builder notation to (1) separate the universe of discourse from the set’s defining property and (2) indicate an ordering to these components, with the universe to the left and the property to the right of the colon. We describe one normative and non-normative interpretation of this notation and how the students’ individual attribution of conventional meanings for the colon to different inscriptions within the notation helped (or inhibited) them from interpreting these expressions. We report how communicative discourse between the students affected their meanings and discussions.