Department Of Mathematics Research Articles

Preservice teachers' nomophobia levels, sense of loneliness and adjustment to college life.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether preservice teachers' nomophobia levels, sense of loneliness and adjustment to university life vary based on their demographic characteristics. Additionally, regression analyses were carried out to determine whether their sense of loneliness, nomophobia levels, and adjustment to university life were predictors of each other. In this quantitative study, the cross-sectional survey research model was used. A total of 234 preservice teachers, 65 of whom were studying at the elementary mathematics department, 81 of whom were studying at the preschool education department, and 88 of whom were studying at the science education department, participated in this study. Independent-samples t test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and simple linear regression analyses were used to analyze the quantitative data. The main conclusions from this study were that (a) the students with the highest sense of loneliness were the students of the elementary mathematics department, the students with the highest level of nomophobia were the science education students, and the students who adjusted the most to university life were the preschool education students. (b) There were no significant differences between the 1st and 2nd year preservice teachers in terms of their sense of loneliness, nomophobia levels, and adjustment to university life. (c) There were statistically significant differences between the mean total nomophobia scores of the male and female students in favor of the females especially in the "losing connectedness" and "not being able to access information" subscales of nomophobia. (d) A statistically significant difference was found between the preservice teachers whose mothers were high school and university graduates in terms of their academic adjustment in favor of the preservice teachers with mothers who had university degrees. (e) The preservice teachers, who stated that their relationship with their family was very good, had higher levels of sense of loneliness, mobile phone addiction, and adjustment to university life than the others. The results were statistically significant in all total scores of the loneliness scale and dimensions except for the dimensions of nomophobia. (f) The students who were hopeful for the future had a high sense of loneliness and adjustment to university life. It was also determined that the students who were desperate for their future had high mobile phone addiction levels. Apart from nomophobia and its dimensions and the social adjustment dimension of university life, statistically significant differences were found between the hopeful and hopeless students in terms of their sense of loneliness and adjustment to university life. (g) Statistically significant mean differences were found between the students who were generally satisfied with and those that were not satisfied with their life in terms of their sense of loneliness and adjustment to university life with its all dimensions in favor of the satisfied ones. (h) The preservice teachers who lived alone at home had a higher sense of loneliness and better adjustment to university life. It was also noteworthy that the students living in dormitories had higher nomophobia levels than the others. (i) A linear relationship was found between the students' sense of loneliness and adjustment to university life, and sense of loneliness was a significant predictor of adjustment to university life. Determining students' nomophobia levels, sense of loneliness, and adjustment to university life would be beneficial in bringing students who have difficulty adapting to new living environments into social life.

The Effect of Using Blackboard in the light of Daniel’s Model on Teaching Mathematica Program and Developing Science Processes, Reasoning Ability, and Academic Achievement

The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of using blended virtual classrooms in Blackboard in the light of Daniel’s model on teaching Mathematica program and developing the science processes, reasoning ability and academic achievement. The participants comprised 50 female students at Mathematics department, University of Tabuk. The researcher designed the two assessment tools, namely science processes test and reasoning ability test. Then the researcher taught the instructional content by using virtual classrooms blended learning in Blackboard in the light of Daniel’s model, in accordance with the teacher’s manual guide. Then, the researcher applied post-testing on the experimental group. The study results showed the effect of using blended virtual classrooms in Blackboard system in the light of the Daniel’s model in teaching Mathematica. The results also showed statistically significant correlation among science process, reasoning ability among study participants.

John Horton Conway FRS

John Horton Conway lived to discover the Mathematics behind problems, always working to isolate a pure, essential kernel of truth. He loved to communicate these simple truths to others, often changing the way they thought. Everything John touched turned to Mathematics, and to very beautiful Mathematics. John was generous with his mathematical riches; he gave them to everyone that showed interest — whether at the coffee house, at the sushi restaurant, or in Mathematics departments. He was a magnet for all mathematicians, and he welcomed all who came to him. John would find a way to start with some simple calculation, a game or puzzle and turn it into whatever he wanted to explain. John often chose problems about games and recreational topics, but the insights he derived changed our understanding of several very serious branches of Mathematics.

The Work of the Mathematician Leopoldo Nachbin (1922-1993) from FNFi

In this paper we discuss the professional activity of Leopoldo Nachbin (1922-1993) in the period in which he worked at National Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Brazil (FNFi/UB, in Portuguese) until his retirement by Institute of Mathematics of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (IM/UFRJ, in Portuguese). We identify the influence played by some mathematicians such as G. Mammana (1893-1980), L. Schwartz (1915-2002), A. Monteiro (1907-1980), A. Weil (1906-1998), J. Dieudonné (1906-1992), M. Stone (1903-1989), and A. A. Albert (1905-1972) in the professional training of L. Nachbin. We also address the serious difficulties he encountered in the Mathematics Department of FNFi when he was entered in the competition, opened in 1950, for the post of full Professor (Professor Catedrático) of Mathematics and Superior Analysis of FNFi. We emphasize in the paper, that the period from 1947 to the 1960s marks the most creative and productive phase in terms of scientific research in the academic life of L. Nachbin.

Guidance on Making Compost from Organic Waste in Jatimukti Village, Jatinangor District, Sumedang Regency, West Java, Indonesia

Compost is a fertilizer that is produced from the decomposition of organic matter by active microorganisms. Jatimukti Village, Jatinangor Subdistrict, Sumedang Regency is a village that produces a lot of waste. Based on observations, the village looks suitable and has the potential to be introduced to the type of compost as organic material in farmers’ gardens. This service aims to foster and direct the people of Jatimukti Village community to have the skills to make compost from organic waste. Community service is carried out through socialization and training on composting. The demonstration of composting is done by using the composting facility that has been prepared. This dedication involves lecturers and students of the Department of Mathematics, Universitas Padjadjaran, as well as the people of Jatimukti Village. The results achieved were made of composters and compost made together, and the ways of making compost by utilizing waste in the community. After being given good and proper waste management training, the community can overcome the surrounding waste problems, and it is hoped that the community can evaluate the management that has been carried out before.

Sessions of the Workshop of the Mathematics and Mechanics Department of Lomonosov Moscow State University, “Urgent Problems of Geometry and Mechanics” Named After V. V. Trofimov

Sessions of the Workshop of the Mathematics and Mechanics Department of Lomonosov Moscow State University, “Urgent Problems of Geometry and Mechanics” Named After V. V. Trofimov

Editorial

In June 2018, our friend and colleague Paul Busch [1–3] passed away unexpectedly. Paul’s death put an abrupt end to a particularly productive period during which many of his ideas–after a long incubation period–came to fruition. There would have been more to come.To remember Paul and to celebrate his achievements a memorial event was held in York a year after his untimely death. On the 18th and 19th June 2019, the workshop “Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics–in memoriam Paul Busch” took place at King’s Manor, a historic building dating back to the 15th century. Around 35 people attended the event: colleagues old and new, current and former students, collaborators, friends, admirers and family members. The meeting was kindly supported by the Department of Mathematics at the University of York, Paul’s academic home since 2005, and by the Institute of Physics, of which Paul was an Elected Fellow.

Introductory Computer Programming Courses in Mathematics Curriculum

We present the results of surveys and curricular research on introductory computer programming courses that are required or recommended for mathematics degrees at U.S. colleges and universities. Our target schools were those with populations between 5,000 and 20,000 undergraduate students. A key result is a synopsis of programming languages in use in these introductory courses with Java, Python and C + + holding the top three spots. We found that 85% of the 340 schools in our pool require or recommend an introductory programming course as a component of a mathematics degree. Furthermore, most of these introductory programming courses are taught by faculty outside of the mathematics department. These results indicate that mathematics faculty value computer programming and should be actively involved in setting learning outcomes, incorporating skills and concepts learned in introductory programming courses into subsequent mathematics courses, and determining programming languages in use.
 Subject Classification: 97D30, 97P20, 97P40

The Effectiveness of a Mathematics Learning Program Based on the Mind Habits in Developing Academic Achievement Motivation and Creative Thinking among Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University Students

The research aimed at identifying the effectiveness of a mathematics learning program based on the Mind habits in developing academic achievement motivation and creative thinking among University students. To collect the data, the researchers used the academic achievement motivation scale (Elsayed, 2012) and the creative thinking in Mathematics test (Prepared by the Researchers). The study methodology based on the semi experimental method and the statistical program SPSS was used to analyze the collected data. The sample was chosen randomly from the mathematics department. The results found that there are statistically significant differences between the scores of the academic achievement motivation and the creative thinking in favor of the post- applications at (0.01) level and this showed that the program has positive effects in developing the academic achievement motivation and the creative thinking in Mathematics among Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University Students.

Towards Student-Ready Mathematics Departments: Creating a Mathematics Placement Experience Within an Asset Framed Approach

As higher education institutions focus on increasing mathematics success, it is important to consider the experiences and needs of structurally disadvantaged identities. In this article, an asset-based framework was used to examine how eight first-generation, low-income, Students of Color perceive their mathematics placement experience. Although mathematics departments intend placement to be a mechanism for promoting success in mathematics, our research showed that the mathematics placement exam caused anxiety among students, was perceived as high stakes, and was viewed with a fixed mindset as opposed to a growth mindset. Implications of these insights encourage mathematics departments to consider alternative placement approaches that enhance the student experience of placement, especially for students with structurally disadvantaged identities. Creating an asset framed mathematics placement process is an initial step to improve success in mathematics.

Estimates of Intrinsic Growth Rates and Basic Reproduction Number (R0) for the First Historical Zika Outbreak in Salta, Argentina

Scopes and Objectives: After entering South America in May 2015 through northeast Brazil, the Zika virus spread to Argentina between April and June 2016 and reached Salta province the following year. We analyzed some aspects of the first historical outbreak of Zika that occurred in Salta, Argentina, in the year 2017. We obtained elementary estimates, such as the intrinsic growth rate of the cases accumulated in the first weeks of the outbreak, using expressions that relate it to the basic reproduction number thereof. Study design: Retrospective-descriptive studies and relational analysis.
 Place and Duration of Study: Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Exact Sciences and Faculty of Engineering. National University of Salta, Argentina, from September 2019 to June 2020.
 Methodology: Descriptive and relational analysis. Estimates of parameters and Simulation tests were also carried out in order to qualitatively describe the first Zika historical outbreak in Salta. 
 Results: Our study revealed that the Zika virus in the province of Salta mainly affects the localities of the departments of Or´an, General San Mart´ın, and Rivadavia, with infection forces α2017 ≈ 0.42 week-1 (SD 0.05) and α2017 ≈ 0.32 week-1 (SD 0.02) with the refined exponential model. On the other hand, we obtained estimates of the basic reproduction number R0 ≈ 1:105 95% CI[1:104 - 1:106] and R0 ≈ 1:111 95% CI[1:110 - 1:112]. 
 Conclusion: Both the values of the estimates of the infection forces and R0 would seem to indicate that the first outbreak of Zika in Salta was of relatively low intensity and of short duration, coinciding with patterns generally present emerging diseases. We found practically no differences with the estimates provided by the two expressions of basic reproduction number used. Although the estimates slightly exceed the threshold value R0 = 1, with respect to otherestimates, we consider them quite reasonable for the first historical outbreak occurred in Salta, since it was short-lived and of little intensity.

A review of research progress and projection of future publication trend amongst the science stream academics of University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka

An increase in emphasis on research productivity evaluation can be discerned commonly in higher educational institutions world over. As far as the Faculty of Science, University of Jaffna is concerned such an in depth study had not been done. This bibliometric study analyzed the research publications produced by the academics of Faculty of Science, University of Jaffna. The objective of this study is to empirically measure the research output during the time period of 2003 to 2018 to find out the department wise output, year wise publication output, authorship pattern and degree of collaboration, media of research communication, relative growth rate, doubling time and to forecast future publication trend of academics. The year wise publication output shows an increasing pattern. But the output growth is not uniform. Findings revealed that Faculty of Science has produced 1359 publications with an annual average of 85 and with the maximum of 139 during the study period. The highest number of publications is from the Department of Zoology (22%). The Department of Botany shows second highest number with 21% of the publications. The lowest number is from the Department of Fisheries (4%). The research output from departments of Physics, Mathematics and Statistics, and Chemistry are more or less the same. Mean value of the degree of collaboration of authors during the overall sixteen years is found to be 0.84. Single author publications are less (15%) than collaborative effort (85%). Abstract form of publications is more in number 836 (61%). Journal article is 501 (37%) and Book form is 22 (2%). A uniform dropping pattern was observed in the mean relative growth rate (RGR) from 0.439 to 0.122 considering four year blocks from 2003 to 2018. The mean doubling time showed an increasing tendency through each consecutive block of four year period. It ranged from 0.89 in the first block to 5.80 in the last block of a total of sixteen year time span. The forecast for 2025 based on least square estimate the number of publications should be 186 if status remains unchanged. Thus Faculty of Science has to endeavor and orient their research efforts more towards publishing journal articles than short communications and giving priority towards interdisciplinary research to obtain greater impacts with the vision of establishing excellence of the institution.

COVID-19 Pandemic Data Visualization with Moment about Midpoint: Exploratory and Expository Analyses

Aims: To visualize COVID-19 data using Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) to tell the COVID-19 story expository.
 Study Design: The study uses EDA approach to visualize the COVID-19 data. The study uses secondary data collected from World Health Organization (WHO) in a panel form and partition the world using WHO regions. Moment about a midpoint and EDA are jointly used to analyze the data.
 Place and Duration of Study: Department of Mathematics & Statistics, Statistical Laboratory, Lagos State Polytechnic and Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro. The data used covered all regions of the world from January 2020 to July 2020.
 Methodology: We included 198 countries (cross-sections) partitioned into 7 WHO regions over 7 months (190 days) time period, spanning 3000 datasets. The EDA and moment about a midpoint is used for the analysis. This is a purely descriptive and expository analysis to tell the story of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
 Results: The total sample points used for this analysis are 30,010, which can be taken as a big data and it is large enough to assume the central limit theorem. The results of the analysis showed that cumulative cases and deaths are increasing but at a slower rate. Some WHO region curves are already flattening.
 Conclusion: The study concluded that average number of new cases and new deaths will decrease in coming months but there will be increase in the cumulative cases and deaths but at a slower rate.

The MSU SEMINAL Project: Incorporating Principles of Culturally Responsive Teaching in a Pre-Calculus Course

In this paper, we provide a report of preliminary findings of the Morgan State University (MSU) Student Engagement in Mathematics through an Institutional Network for Active Learning (SEMINAL) project and its focus on culturally responsive teaching (CRT) as an active learning framework for pre-calculus instruction. The paper concludes with a summary of wins and challenges faced by MSU’s Mathematics Department. Lessons learned by MSU SEMINAL will help inform other departments on implementing CRT in a pre-calculus course.

Concept mapping to measure Mathematical experts’ number sense

The purpose of this study is to test whether concept mapping can be used for measuring the levels of number sense and use it to measure the mathematical experts’ level of number sense. The sample included 39 undergraduate and post-graduate students of Departments of Mathematics in Greece. A paper and pencil test was administered to measure the level of number sense in different mathematical domains. Additionally, the participants were asked to create a concept map with 1/2 as the central term. The results showed low levels of number sense with the majority of the participants responded in the number sense test by applying rules and algorithms rather than more holistic approaches that would indicate higher levels of number sense. Additionally, participants’ performance in concept mapping was strongly related to their performance in the number sense test. Specifically, participants with low number sense scores tended to present poor concept maps.

BASIC REPRODUCTION NUMBER OF THE COVID-19 EPIDEMIC IN CITIES OF PERU

10Aug 2020 BASIC REPRODUCTION NUMBER OF THE COVID-19 EPIDEMIC IN CITIES OF PERU Alex Youn Aro Huanacuni and Edgar Calizaya Chura Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics, National University of the Altiplano, Puno, Peru. Assistant Professor, Department of General Studies, Peruvian Union University, Puno, Peru.

Adjunct Mathematics Instructor Resources and Support Contributing Toward Job Satisfaction

Ongoing need for adjunct instructor support is a critical aspect for institutions to consider. Through research focused on full-time and part-time faculty job satisfaction, a number of practices for supporting faculty and improving job satisfaction have been suggested. In this article, we present an innovative model of instructor resources and supports within a mathematics department. We focus on how these various resources and supports have benefited our part-time adjunct faculty job satisfaction and describe how the supports and challenges experienced by our Precalculus adjunct faculty are related to variables impacting job satisfaction found in literature. We also present some additional factors that were missing in prior studies in literature but were found important for our adjunct instructors’ job satisfaction. Our findings can inform other institutions’ and mathematics departments’ efforts to support their own part-time faculty teaching introductory courses such as Precalculus.

ANALYSIS OF THE CHANGE IN THE AWARENESS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL PRE-SERVICE MATHEMATICS TEACHERS ON FAMOUS MATHEMATICIANS

This study is a qualitative study that seeks to analyse the awareness of primary school pre-service mathematics teachers on famous mathematicians and to examine the change in their awareness. It is designed as exploratory case study. The study group consists of 30 primary school pre-service mathematics teachers, who are senior-level students in the department of primary school mathematics teaching in the 2017-2018 academic year. The data were gathered through the open-ended forms with questions on a total of 27 famous mathematicians, who lived from the Ancient Greek Period to the Modern Period. The data analysis was performed using content analysis. The information of the pre-service teachers on famous mathematicians were analysed under two categories: scientific contributions and personal characteristics. The analysis of the data obtained from the pre-service teachers showed that the famous mathematicians most known by them before the course of History of Mathematics were Euclid, Pythagoras, Pascal, Thales, Newton, Bernoulli and Gauss whilst the pre-service teachers were most knowledgeable about Euclid, Pythagoras, Pascal, Newton, Bernoulli, Fermat, Fourier, Al-Khwarizmi, Thales, Gauss, Euler, Omar Khayyam and Leibniz after the course of HoM (History of Mathematics). This study also revealed that the pre-service teachers had less information on the personal characteristics of mathematicians whereas they had more information on their scientific contributions. Moreover, some pre-service teachers had inaccurate information on famous mathematicians. In conclusion, it is notable that the awareness of the pre-service teachers on famous mathematicians increased after the course of HoM, but the increase was not at the desired level. Article visualizations:

Henry Segerman: Visualizing Topology

Henry Segerman is an associate professor in the Department of Mathematics at Oklahoma State University. His research interests are in three-dimensional geometry and topology, and in mathematical ar...

The Preface of the Second Ahmad Dahlan International Conference on Mathematics and Mathematics Education (ADINTERCOMME) 2019

Preface The Ahmad Dahlan International Conference on Mathematics and Mathematics Education, abbreviated as AD INTERCOMME, is a biennial international conference hosted in a cooperation by the Mathematics Department - Faculty of Science and Applied Technology - and the Mathematics Education Department - Faculty of Teacher Training and Education - of Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It aims to provide a great forum for worldwide mathematicians, professors, teachers, and researchers to share their ideas about the trends and the emerging issues both in mathematics and mathematics education. In 2019, the AD INTERCOMME would be implemented for its second edition. We invite researchers and practitioners to come and to contribute in this conference. We would be very happy to welcome you in Yogyakarta.The keynote presentations are provided especially to show the contribution of Mathematician and Mathematics Educators in the world of mathematics and mathematics education towards research and knowledge sharing where our conference theme for this year is the contribution of Mathematics and Mathematics Education in Industrial Revolution Era 4.0. The main event is the talk of three keynote speakers. The first keynote speaker is Associate Professor Dr. Mazlini Adnan form Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Malaysia. The second keynote speaker is Associate Professor Martianus Frederick Ezerman, Ph.D from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. The third keynote speaker is Associate Professor Dr. Sitti Maesuri Patahuddin from University of Canbera, Australia.We also have speakers in workshop session coming from Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, Dr. Rully Charitas Indra Prahmana, S.Si., M.Pd who deliver the talk on the Publishing Manuscripts in a Scopusindexed Journal and M. Rizky Alif Yuza who deliver the talk on the Workshop Big Data: “Sentiment Analysis Using Pyhton, Elastic Search and Kibana. ADINTERCOMME 2019 was an overwhelming success, attracting the delegates, speakers and sponsors from many countries and provided great intellectual and social interaction for the participants. Without their support, the conference would not have been successfully organized. We trust that all the participants found their involvement in the Conference both valuable and rewarding. Our wish is that all participants would enjoy this conference, contribute effectively toward it and take back with you knowledge, experiences, contacts and happy memories of this conference and especially with this beautiful kingdom of Yogyakarta.Dr. Puguh Wahyu Prasetyo, S.Si., M.ScEditor in Chief