Once again, I will be presenting function diagrams to a math circle for teachers, this time for the American Institute of Mathematics Circle for Teachers. This will happen on March 19, at 340 Portage Ave. Palo Alto, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. There is no charge, and in fact a free dinner is provided.
Here is what I hope to cover, at most. Most likely, I will not emphasize the upper-level topics, because of time, and because the attendees are mostly middle school teachers.
Function Diagrams: A Visual Tool for Secondary Math
Function diagrams use parallel x and y axes. They complement Cartesian graphs and offer an alternate approach to concepts in basic algebra: operations with signed numbers; linear functions; solving inequalities; solving systems of linear equations. They are also helpful in precalculus and calculus: definition of functions; domain and range; rate of change; composition; identity and inverse functions; iterating linear functions; sequences; the chain rule. Add this tool to your repertoire!
I’d love to see you there, but if you can’t make it, there’s plenty about this on my Web site!
–Henri
Henri's Math Education Blog 