Sandra Carrillo & Dr. Ivona Grzegorczyk
Abstract
In high school, students learn about trigonometric functions when they take an Algebra 2 mathematics course. They start with right triangles and learn about sine, cosine, and tangent functions. They learn about inverse functions as well, but studies show that even college students in calculus don’t fully grasp the importance and properties of trig functions. This study is an experiment assessing student understanding of the trigonometric functions in a pre-calculus course. Students keep it in their memory from pre-Calc to calculus and compare their performance with calculus students who apply this knowledge for problem solving. Data was collected from two sets of groups of students: the first group learned trigonometric functions during their pre-calculus course, while the second group is enrolled in a calculus one course and has already known about trigonometric substitutions and identities. We asked both groups to provide definitions and solve fundamental problems in trigonometry. We analyze the data using statistical methods to compare the proficiency of both groups and the retention of knowledge on this topic.
Details
Session 2
3:00pm – 4:30pm
Grand Salon
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