Name : Aan Setiawan

Reg. Number : 1301618012

Task : Resume an article

Title : Visual and Analytic Thinking in Calculus

Author(s) : Erhan S. Haciomeroglu, Leslie Aspinwall, Norma C. Presmeg and Libby Knott
Sources : The Mathematics Teacher, Vol. 103, No. 2 (September 2009), pp. 140-145
Published by : National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Accesed : 24-05-2017 05:43 UTC

INTRODUCTION
Frequently discussed topics in mathematics education focus on the benefits of multiple
representations of mathematical concepts. Different representations support different ways of
thinking and manipulating mathematical objects. Therefore students must use many
representations and make connections between them so they can develop deeper and stronger
understanding of concepts. However, research has shown that the ability of individuals to
visualize mathematical objects can vary greatly.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The research methodology used is descriptive qualitative, which describes the results with
words. The author takes the sample by interviewing two students who have been given calculus
questions and have worked on them. Both students were given several questions about how he
did it and how far the students’ understanding was in visual and analytic thinking.

RESULTS
A. Task1
Jack's Response to Task 1
Jack's response indicates that he visualized changing slopes and transformed them into
the antiderivative graph. Because Jack had made no attempts to determine a minimum point
for his parabola. Jack claimed that the minimum point could not be determined because the
graph could be shifted up or down and the minimum point of the graph was not a fixed point.
This answer indicates that Jack's understanding was incomplete.
 Bob's Response to Task 1
When we presented Bob with the task, he also used a graphical approach and produced
a sketch. In explaining his graph, Bob said, "The straight line in your derivative, you know
the other one will be second power. It's going to be quadratic." Although Bob did not have
any difficulty visualizing the antiderivative graph, he also used analytic thinking.

B. Task 2
Jack's Response to Task 2
For the task in figure 5, Jack drew a graph based on his estimates for the slopes. That
is, he visualized the slopes at x=0, 1, and 2 in order to draw the antiderivative graph. When
we asked Jack to find the y-coordinate of the inflection point, he changed his mind about task
1 but contin ued to have difficulty finding the inflection point in the graph. Jack said that the
graph in figure 6 could not be shifted vertically because of the condition for the starting point
f(0)=0 and that this graph could be stretched as long as it has the slopes -1, 0, 1 at x=0, 1, and
2, respectively. At this point, Jack's understanding of derivative graphs was incomplete. He
focused only on the y-values of the derivative graph for the values of x at 0, 1, and 2, not
realizing the significance of the continuous range of values of y of the derivative graph along
the x-axis. This graph meets Jack's conditions and illustrates how his visual thinking alone is
incomplete; vertical stretching of the graph of the antiderivative would change the graph of
the derivative. Without the support of analytic think ing, Jack's visual thinking alone was
insufficient to complete the task successfully.

Bob's Response to Task 2

Bob first gathered information to draw the anti derivative graph. He examined the
slopes at x = 0, 1, and 2 and sketched lines to create the right triangles formed by these lines,
the axes, and the derivative graph. Clearly, he computed the areas of the triangles in figure 8
to determine the y-values of the antiderivative graph at x=1 and x=2. Bob drew the graph of
the antiderivative from the graph of the derivative by considering changing slopes. We
considered this aspect of Bob's thinking to be visual. At the same time, using what we have
categorized as analytic means, Bob calculated the area under the derivative graph to find the
y-values of the antiderivative graph at x 1 and x 2. In describing his solution, Bob said, "I see
a straight line, so inte- grating, I know I'm going to have a second-degree function. I know
it's going to curve." Bob's response is further evidence that his thinking is harmonic; that is,
he relied on visual thinking as well as on analytic thinking when completing the task.
DISCUSSION
Of the two calculus assignments given, presented graphically, Jack and Bob work mainly
through visualization. That is, they can visualize the slope on the graph. However, Bob also uses
analytic thinking when he computes the area under the derivative graph and when he identifies
the derivative graph equation. In describing the solution, Bob reports that he uses slopes and
interprets derivative and antiderivative graphs. He even calculated the area under the derivative
graph to find the y-value from the antiderivative graph. This process shows that Bob knows that
the derivative graph not only represents the slope but also changes in the y-value of their
antiderivative graph. Although Jack's drawings support high-level mathematical functions, he
experiences difficult bonds because his visual thinking is not enough to complete the task. On
the other hand, by coordinating analytic approaches with his visual thinking, Bob is able to draw
the right sketches. He did not experience any difficulties associated with using visualization
alone. From this research, we have concluded that Jack will have a greater understanding if he is
able to combine visual and analytic thinking.

CONCLUSION
Although the ability to visualize derivative and anti-derivative graphs is important, we
recognize that students may have incomplete understanding of relevant visual images.
Visualization is not a panacea, it is a practical way for students to coordinate analytic thinking
with their visual thinking to develop mathematical images that are mathematically mature. By
having students build and visualize mathematical objects from various perspectives can help them
synthesize analytic and visual thinking, a process that will enhance their conceptual
understanding.

REFERENCES
Aspinwall, Leslie, and Kenneth L. Shaw. "Representations in Calculus: Two Contrasting Cases."
Mathematics Teacher 95, no. 6 (September 2002): 434-39
Krutetskii, Vadim. The Psychology of Mathematical Abilities in Schoolchildren. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 1976.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Principles and Standards for School
Mathematics. Reston, VA: NCTM, 2000
Presmeg, Norma. "Research on Visualization in Learning and Teaching Mathematics: Emergence
from Psychology." In Handhook of Research on the Psychology of Mathematics Education:
Past, Present and Future, edited by Angel Gutierrez and Paolo Boero, pp. 205-35.
Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers, 2006