Student-Invented Numeration Systems: Pattern-Analysis and Mathematical Understanding

Thirteen fifth graders were given an assignment to invent their own numeration systems, following a unit on bases and a look at early events in the history of numbers. The task presented options that required the students to make decisions (such as whether to use a base, which base to use, design of symbols, etc.), and build a rationale for the elements of their system. Analyses of patterns embedded in their invented systems provided an assessment of student understanding of numeration. The progression of more and less complex thinking related to the student's choice of a base other than 10, consistency of logic throughout the system in words and symbols, rationale for change, and perception of real life examples that would change if the system was adopted. The invention task is presented as another way to make connections.     

Improving the rate of convergence of Newton methods on Banach spaces with a convergence structure and applications

In this note, we use inexact Newton-like methods to find solutions of nonlinear operator equations on Banach spaces with a convergence structure. Our technique involves the introduction of a generalized norm as an operator from a linear space into a partially ordered Banach space. In this way, the metric properties of the examined problem can be analyzed more precisely. Moreover, this approach allows us to derive from the same theorem, on the one hand, semilocal results of Kantorovich-type, and on the other hand, global results based on monotonicity considerations. By imposing very general Lipschitz-like conditions on the operators involved, on the one hand, we cover a wider range of problems, and on the other hand, by choosing our operators appropriately, we can find sharper error bounds on the distances involved than before. Furthermore, we show that special cases of our results reduce to the corresponding ones already in the literature. Finally, several examples are being provided where our results compare favorably with earlier ones.     

Effect of iodine sorption on the free volume of polycarbonate

 The effect of iodine sorption on the free volume of polycarbonate is investigated by Positron Annihilation Lifetime method. The observed results are interpreted in terms of the Charge Transfer Complex formation and precipitation of iodine at the initial and final stages of sorption, respectively. At higher levels of sorption, changes in the second lifetime and its intensity seem to suggest a conformational transformation, probably due to the net change in the amorphous-crystalline boundary regions of the polymer matrix. The free volume cavities have been predominantly occupied by I^- ₃ species and the diffusion process obeys Fick’s law. An exponential type correlation has been observed between fractional free volume and the diffusion coefficient. Received: 13 June 1996/Accepted: 20 September 1996     

Preparing Science Teachers in an Era of Reform: Practitioners' Perspectives of Methods Courses

With recent national calls for the reform of science education have come standards that delineate not only science content but also assessment, pedagogy, and teachers’ professional development. If teachers must teach science differently, then teacher preparation must change. This study asked 31 inservice secondary science teachers to complete a survey about topics for inclusion in a secondary science methods course. Respondents ranked a list of prespecified topics and had an opportunity to suggest other topics for inclusion in the course. Results showed that the majority of prespecified potential topics were judged important enough by these teachers to warrant inclusion in a methods course, though no individual added topic appeared on more than two surveys. Results demonstrate that these teachers believe teaching many of the traditional topics in science methods courses is still needed. In addition, they advocated the inclusion of several topics that either represent recent technological and theoretical advances, or longstanding ideas that have recently received considerable attention.     

Asymptotics of the necessary sample size under small error probabilities

The asymptotics of the necessary sample size is considered in testing close hypotheses when the error probabilities vanish. Proceedings of the XVII Seminar on Stability Problems for Stochastic Models, Kazan, Russia, 1995, Part III.     

Halomethanes in tri-n-octylamine and squalane mixtures at infinite dilution

The retention behavior of eight halomethanes and four saturated hydrocarbons was measured in gas chromatographic stationary phases consisting in tri-n-octylamine (TOA), squalane (SQ) and six TOA+SQ mixtures, at 55.0, 58.5, 62.5 and 65.0°C. Equlibrium constants for complex formation were extracted from experimental data by using a lattice model developed by Martire. The results may be interpreted in terms of the formation of weak hydrogen-bonded complexes, with sociation constants of about 0.13 L-mol^–1 for haloforms and 0.07 L-mol^–1 for dihalomethanes at 60°C.     

A poincaré-bendixson theorem for analytic families of vector fields

We provide a characterization of the limit periodic sets for analytic families of vector fields under the hypothesis that the first jet is non-vanishing at any singular point. Also, applying the family desingularization method, we reduce the complexity of some of these sets.