How Is Math Used In Cell Phones

Secondary Maths

Why smartphones are a really useful tool in the maths classroom

Coating bans on mobiles might seem like sense, but sure subjects volition miss out on the many modern advantages they offer, says Tom Button…

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When I was at school if someone asked a teacher why we were bothering to learn our times tables, given that calculators were able to multiply ii numbers together, one of the responses was "you lot won't always have a calculator with you".

This response hasn't aged very well equally nowadays most people do carry a calculator effectually with them all the time in the guise of their smartphone.

Whilst this isn't an statement for students not bothering to learn their times tables; I think it does demonstrate the calculating power nosotros at present literally have at our fingertips and that every bit maths teachers we should exist because how this tin exist used positively in classrooms.

Graphing apps

Throughout my career I've been a passionate advocate for the use of graphing software to heighten students' mathematical understanding.

In the past this was ofttimes achieved through either using graphical calculators or ownership software; notwithstanding, at that place are at present very high quality graphing apps that are available for free on smartphones. In item GeoGebra and Desmos are the most common ones.

I have a slight preference for GeoGebra as it has additional functionality that is particularly useful for Further Maths, such equally complex numbers, matrices and 3D; however, Desmos is an excellent bones app and has many advocates too.

The huge opportunity that arises from using these apps is that they enable us to emphasise the link between graphs and algebra for functions/equations and, what is more than, the power to explore these relationships is in the hands of the students.

For example endeavour the post-obit on either the GeoGebra or Desmos graphing app:

Enter the equation
If requested add a slider for
Press the play push to animate the slider

Now draw the motion of the curve and explicate why it moves in this style.

The power of multiple dynamic representations is in the hand of the students

Hopefully the previous example has fabricated you retrieve about the graph of a quadratic office in a new way that builds on your existing understanding of functions.

Making the link betwixt the graphical and algebraic representations provides a visual image on which to hang our understanding and the dynamic aspect of seeing how both representations change encourages united states to try to describe the mathematical relationships.

This demonstrates how the utilise of engineering science in mathematics is fundamentally dissimilar from how it is used in other subjects: through using it students tin construct and explore dynamic objects that help them better understand mathematical relationships.

The power to practise this is already in the easily of students every bit many will already have a device that is capable of running these apps: a smartphone!

I am excited about the future of A level Mathematics classrooms as I can imagine it existence as natural to use a graphing app equally information technology is to utilize a calculator. This allows us to use graphs to heighten understanding without the process of plotting curves getting in the mode.

This is not to undervalue the importance of learning the skill of plotting curves simply I think a useful parallel can be drawn here with multiplication.

For example I wouldn't expect students to notice 3×17×17 by mitt in the middle of a question on calculus and similarly I call back it is helpful in this area to accept quick access to the graphs of functions and their derivatives when learning this topic.

The screenshots beneath testify how the graph of a cubic office and its derivative tin be used to enhance students' understanding of differentiation.

Why not use phones in form?

1 mutual objection raised is that "students won't accept this in the exam".

Withal, this objection isn't raised for other classroom strategies such every bit allowing the students to enquire questions, discussing their piece of work with other students, looking answers up in the back of the book and sitting students less than 1.25 metres abroad from each other!

Others raise the concern that some students won't accept access to smartphones and that these students could be disadvantaged if teachers were to advise using them in class. My suggestion here is to invest in a modest number of cheap tablets to provide to students who don't accept them.

Perhaps the major issue raised is that phones can be very distracting in the classroom. However, if the teachers set clear expectations about what is adequate utilise in their classrooms then the vast majority of A level students will employ them accordingly.

Getting started using the telephone apps

I retrieve all A level mathematics teachers should consider whether they can utilize the power of graphing apps in class. I meet a lot of teachers who are already using graphing apps in the A level classroom but I too meet a number of teachers who work in schools where there is a coating ban on all phones in course, including at A level. I feel that this is missed opportunity.

To support the use of these apps, MEI accept adult a series of classroom tasks for both GeoGebra and Desmos. We've as well produced a couple of professional person development videos nigh how to use them in course which can be seen here and here. If you're thinking nigh using graphing apps in the classroom these are a great place to starting time.