Riv.Mat.Univ.Parma (6) 3* (2000)
ACHILLE MAFFINI
Un'indagine sul concetto di funzione nella scuola secondaria
In memoria di Francesco Speranza
Pages: 91-122
Received: 10 Febbraio 2000
Mathematics Subject Classification: 97C30 - 97U20
Abstract:
The concept of function is widely treated in didactic literature for
what concerns the aspects of
difficulties of learning and misconceptions.
I try also to interpret students' believes as
transition stages among morphologic, syntactic and
semantic
aspects. Modern presentation of the concept of function is
closed to ideas of infinity (potential and
actual). It is the arrival point of a long evolution.
It is quite strange that in Italian schools this is, in general,
the first real object to whom
students
are faced with, disregarding the historical development.
With a more accurate analysis we can find
implicit occurrences of functions in primary school andlater in treatment
of polynomials.
These occurrences can be found across history of mathematics.
They often hide the use and the concept of
variable such as appears in logic.
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