PROCEEDINGS OF THE 17TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2014
Denver, Colorado
Three Conceptualizations of the Definite Integral in Mathematics and Physics Contexts
Page: 731
Student understanding of the integral is a topic of recent interest in undergraduate education. We are just beginning to learn how different interpretations of the definite integral influence student thinking in both mathematics and science classrooms. This paper examines the relative “productivity” of three conceptualizations of the definite integral in mathematics and physics tasks. It appeared that the notion of the integral as an “addition over many pieces” was especially useful for understanding applied problems.