Number Theory, Dialogue, and the Use of Spreadsheets in Teacher Education

Abstract

This paper demonstrates the use of a spreadsheet in teaching topics in elementary number theory. It emphasizes both the power and deficiency of inductive reasoning using a number of historically significant examples. The notion of computational experiment as a modern approach to the teaching of mathematics is discussed. The paper, grounded in a teacher-student dialogue as an instructional method, is a reflection on the author’s work over the years with prospective teachers of secondary mathematics.

Keywords

• spreadsheet
• number theory
• inductive reasoning
• experimental mathematics
• dialogue
• teacher education