A Comparison of Algebraic Resolutions of Age Problems Using and Without Using Tables

Authors

Abstract

This article studies the similarities and differences, when algebraically solving age problems, in the construction of the problem model, and the errors in the equations and its underlying processes, depending on whether the solver uses, or not, tables. The discourse, gestures, and written outputs of eight pairs of secondary school students were analysed by means of qualitative techniques. The results show that as long as students used tables, they managed to construct a problem model, but when they did not, in some cases they conducted a merely syntactic strategy. The errors in the equations were analogous in both solving approaches –with and without using tables– and the fragmented translation from the natural to the algebraic language was an underlying process to the errors in both.

Keywords

Secondary education, Algebraic language, Algebraic solving, Table

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Recepción: septiembre 2021 • Aceptación: enero 2023 • Publicación: marzo 2023

Soneira,C. (2023). Comparación de resoluciones algebraicas con y sin tablas de problemas de edades. Enseñanza de las Ciencias, 41(1), 43-61. https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/ensciencias.5546

Published

02-03-2023

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