Using spreadsheets to help students think recursively.

• Autores: Robert P. Webber
• Localización: Primus: problems, resources, and issues in mathematics undergraduate studies, ISSN 1051-1970, Vol. 22, Nº. 5, 2012, págs. 365-372
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Spreadsheets lend themselves naturally to recursive computations, since a formula can be defined as a function of one of more preceding cells. A hypothesized closed form for the nth term of a recursive sequence can be tested easily by using a spreadsheet to compute a large number of the terms. Similarly, a conjecture about the limit of a series can be tested by using a spreadsheet to compute a number of partial sums recursively. Once students are confident that a closed form is probably not wrong, they can prove it correct by mathematical induction.