The University of Montana
Department of Mathematical Sciences

Technical report #4/2005

Structural stability and dynamic geometry: Some ideas on situated proofs

Luis Moreno Armella
CINVESTAV-IPN, Matematica Educativa (Mexico)

and

Bharath Sriraman
The University of Montana (USA)


Abstract

In this paper we survey the historical and contemporary connections in mathematics between classical "conceptual" tools versus modern computing tools. In this process we highlight the interplay between the inductive and deductive, experimental and theoretical, and propose the notion of situated proofs as a didactic tool for the teaching of geometry in the 21st century.

Keywords: Dynamic Geomtery; Mathematics History; Napoleon's Theorem; Situated Proofs

AMS Subject Classification: 97

Pre-Print Of:
Sriraman, Bharath (with Luis Moreno-Armella) (2005). Structural Stability and Dynamic Geometry: Some Ideas on Situated Proof. International Reviews on Mathematical Education. Vol. 37, no.3, pp.130-139.

Download Technical Report: Pdf (66 KB)