Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
John Mason
Oxford PGCE
February 2010
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Aims
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Carpet Theorem
Imagine a room with two carpets (rugs) NOT
overlapping.
One of the carpets is moved so as to overlap the other.
– What can be said about the area of overlap and the change of
area of uncovered floor?
Alter the amount of overlap …
(in spare time: generalise to more carpets!)
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Visual Carpet Theorem
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Deduction & Induction
Aristotelian Deduction
– If A, and if A implies B, then B
Peano Induction
– If P(1) and
if for all natural numbers k, P(k) implies P(k+1)
then for all natural numbers n, P(n)
Contrast with Empirical (scientific) Induction
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Toulmin
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JigSaw Proofs
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Home (Reflections) Work
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Square Deduction
3b-3a 3(3b-3a) = 3a+b
a+3b 12a =these
Could 8b all be
3a+b squares?
So 3a=2b
a b For an overall square
2a+b a+b a+2b 4a + 4b = 2a + 5b
So 2a = b
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Attention
Holding Wholes (gazing)
Discerning Details
Recognising Relationships
Perceiving Properties
Reasoning on the basis of agreed properties
What other
configurations
like this
give one sum
2 6 7 2 equal to another?
1 5 9
Try to describe
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8 3 4 them in words
Any colour-symmetric
arrangement?
Sum( ) – Sum( ) =0
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More Magic Square Reasoning
Sum( ) – Sum( ) =0
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Geometrical Reasoning Outline
Reprise on Reasoning
Tasks through which to refresh experience of
geometrical reasoning
– Angle reasoning
– Length reasoning
– Diagonal properties familiar properties
– Unfamiliar Problems
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Aims
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Geometric Construction 1
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Geometric Construction 2
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Subtended Angle Theorem 1
Imagine a circle
– Imagine a chord of that circle
– Imagine the angle subtended
by the chord at the
circumference
– Imagine the angle subtended
by the chord at the centre
How are these related?
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Subtended Angle Theorem 2
Imagine a circle
– Imagine a chord
– Imagine at one end of the
chord a tangent to the circle
– Imagine also an angle
subtended by the chord at
the circumference (away
from the tangent)
How are the angle
between the tangent and
the chord, and the angle
subtended at the
circumference, related?
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Reflected Tangent
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Reflected Tangent (2)
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Characterising Quadrilaterals
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Attention
Holding Wholes (gazing)
Discerning Details
Recognising Relationships
Perceiving Properties
Reasoning on the basis of agreed properties
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Further Reading
Logic problems
– www.scribd.com/doc/193599/Challenging-Logic-and-
Reasoning-Problems
Hanna, G. (1995) Changes to the Importance of Proof, For the
Learning of Mathematics, 15 (3), p42–50.
Abramsky (Ed.) (2002). Reasoning, Explanation and Proof in
School Mathematics and Their Place in the Intended Curriculum:
proceedings QCA international seminar, QCA, London. ISBN 1
85838 510 5
… see WebLearn site
mcs/open.ac.uk/jhm3
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