The School of Mathematical Science , North West University (Mafikeng Campus), will host the annual conference  in Topology, Algebra, Analysis and Geometry on

8-11 September 2015, in honour of Professor Jamshid Moori, who turns 70 this year. This is roving conference between University of Namibia, University of Botswana, North-West University and University of South Africa. Please visit the following link for more details, http://www.nwu.ac.za/sites/www.nwu.ac.za/files/files/mc/images/TAAG%20Call%20for%20Papers.pdf.

The navigability of Mathemafrica isn’t ideal, so I have created this post which might guide you to what you are looking for. Here are a number of different categories of post which you might like to take a look at:

• First year mathematics notes and resources (particularly for the University of Cape Town MAM1000W)
• MAM1019H – Fundamentals of mathematics
• Book reviews
• Posts in languages other than English
• Conference write-ups
• Animations
• Basic Graph Theory
• Some slightly more advanced mathematics
• Computational complexity
• The South African Maths Olympiad problems

Always write in a comment if there is anything you would like to see us write about, or you would like to write about.

Multiple representations in the study of analytic geometry: production of videos in the distance learning of mathematics

Liliane Xavier Neves

Presentation at the 11th Southern Hemisphere Conference on the Teaching and Learning of Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics (‘Brazil Delta 2017 for short)

Qualitative research, describes students’ actions in relation to an activity of producing videos. Students were distance students studying Analytical Geometry and in Informatics applied to Maths Education.

Discuss with students using videos in maths classes and the making of the videos.

27 videos were produced by 85 students on topics from analytic geometry and calculus.

Powel, Francisco and Maher (2003), 7 stages of video production: Preview, Product description, Critical events, Transcription, Coding, Plotting, Composition of narrative.

What tools are used to analyse videos? NVivo.

Understanding of limits and differentiation as threshold concepts in a first year mathematics course

Greg Oates (Robyn Reaburn, Michael Brideson, Kumudini Dharmasada)

Presentation at the 11th Southern Hemisphere Conference on the Teaching and Learning of Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics (‘Brazil Delta 2017 for short)

Misconception from school: a graph can never cross an asymptote (Greg had never seen such a graph before university).

Beware of demonstrations that cement misconceptions like walking halfway to the wall repeatedly, the tortoise and the hare.

Threshold concepts – once you understand it, you can’t go back. Meyer & Land, 2003.

Bachelard 1938  -topics that are epistemological obstacles, hard to get.

Are limits threshold concepts?

Students see trickery when limits are taught.

Study

• 1^st year calculus
• Pre-survey
• Interviews
• Repeat survey in 2^nd semester
• In survey, responses were true, false, never seen before, forgot
• Only 14 responses from 270 students
• 4 said you can’t cross a vertical or horizontal asymptote
• 7 said the limit of sin x / x as x tends to 0 could probably be rewritten so the denominator is not l

In interviews, the way students talk about limits, asymptotes, infinity showed that it is a threshold concept.…