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Electronic Theses and Dissertations

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Curriculum and Instruction

2007

Conics

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Strengthening The Precalculus Bridge: Enhancing The Precalculus Student's Understanding Of Tangents To Conics, Biquadratic Equations, And Maxima And Minima, Dinah Lynn Deford May 2007

Strengthening The Precalculus Bridge: Enhancing The Precalculus Student's Understanding Of Tangents To Conics, Biquadratic Equations, And Maxima And Minima, Dinah Lynn Deford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many students face tremendous difficulty in high school and/or college level calculus courses. The author hopes that by introducing students to the following nontraditional three topics prior to calculus, students' understanding of calculus will be enhanced. This thesis focuses on the following topics:

  • Tangent Lines to Conics
  • Maxima and Minima
  • Biquadratic Equations

Because these topics are not generally covered in precalculus courses, there are several possible uses for them. An instructor could use the material as:

  • An added classroom resource
  • Project assignments for outside classroom study
  • A student resource for precalculus advanced studies, or
  • An independent study

This thesis assumes …