Teaching dimensional analysis in secondary school mathematics

• AbstractIn its elementary form, the idea of dimensional analysis is to look at the unit of a magnitude, for example speed, and conclude that speed measured in m/s is a quotient having meters in the numerator and seconds in the denominator. However, despite dimensional analysis being a not un-common theme for research in mathematics education at tertiary level teaching, it seems in practice absent below that level. This is surprising since dimensional analysis is useful in mathematical problem solving involving proportionality. Even more so since, from halves and doubles in preschool to scalar multiplication in upper secondary school, proportionality permeates school mathematics and is well-researched (Lamon, 2007). Hence, the authors initiated a research project on how to teach dimensional analysis in school years 6-12. The novelty of this area made us choose didactical engineering (Artigue, 2015) as a theoretical framework suitable for developing the teaching of dimensional analysis. Accordingly, in a cycle of a priori and a posteriori analyses, the authors are developing an empirically based teaching model for dimensional analysis including the topic of constructing exercises for students. We present results from this on-going development project. ReferencesArtigue, M. (2015). Perspectives on Design Research: The Case of Didactical Engineering. In A. Bikner-Ahsbahs, C. Knipping, N. Presmeg. (Eds.). Approaches to Qualitative Research in Mathematics Education. Dordrecht: Springer.Lamon, S. J. (2007). Rational numbers and proportional reasoning: Towards a theoretical framework. In F.K. Lester (red) Second handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning, vol 2 (pp. 629–668). Charlotte, NC: NCTM.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap -- Didaktik (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Educational Sciences -- Didactics (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Didactic engineering

dimensional analysis

mathematics education

proportionality

secondary school

Matematikens didaktik

Mathematics education

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)