The Role of Combinatorial Reasoning in University Mathematics

Document Type : Research Paper

Abstract

For proving and solving combinatorial theorems and problems, variety of creative methods are needed, as opposed to more classic fields such as algebra and analysis that their proving and solution methods are more routine. This charachteristic of combinatorics problems push many learners to find general methods by classifying its problems. Empirical evidence shows that at first, many students classify combinatorial problems and then, memorize one formula for each class. However, the difficulty becomes evident, when the number of classes become so big that a learner, is not able to use them as an efficient procedure. This study is a follow up to previous research on students’ conception of combinatorial concepts. In this paper, the use of combinatorial reasoning in teaching as last step in the combinatorial thinking, is investigated.
 

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References

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Journal of higher education curriculum studies
Volume 6, Issue 12
January 0
Pages 35-70

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