PROCEEDINGS OF THE 16TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION (Vol 2)
2013
Denver, Colorado
Bringing the Familiar to the Unfamiliar: The Use of Knowledge from Different Domains in the Proving Process
Page: 2-580
This report considers student proof construction in small groups within an inquiry-orientated abstract algebra classroom. During an initial analysis, several cases emerged where students used familiar knowledge from another mathematical domain to provide informal intuition. I will report on two episodes in order to illustrate how this intuition could potentially aid or hinder the construction of a valid proof.