PROCEEDINGS OF THE 18TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2015
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Calculus students’ meanings for difference
Page: 809
Students learn the mathematical operation of subtraction beginning in elementary school, along with key vocabulary to talk about that operation. However, the meanings that students develop for the word “difference” continue to play a role well into students’ study of undergraduate mathematics. In particular, a meaning for “difference” as representing a change in a quantity is essential to understanding and communicating about foundational ideas in Calculus. In this preliminary report, we consider meanings about the word “difference” held by calculus students as revealed on a pre-test in an on-going study designed to explore Calculus students’ structure sense. We further propose potential consequences for those meanings and describe methods to be used in data collection for the remainder of the Fall 2014 semester.