Newton: An Interactive Environment For Exploring Calculus

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9352839 Lamagna A computational environment for students of calculus is being developed. The system, called Newton (formerly The Calculus Companion), runs on Macintosh computers and combines symbolic and numerical computation with interactive computer graphics. Formulas are easily edited and manipulated, appearing exactly as they do in textbooks; mathematical operations are selected from menus. Interactive dialogues have been constructed to guide students through important computational techniques. A series of discovery style laboratories are used to illustrate the concepts of calculus using the software. This approach enables students to concentrate on learning calculus, while freeing them from tedious and error-- prone calculations. Particular attention is given to the use of the system as a vehicle for creating interactive teaching materials, and to finding ways to exploit the advantages that this approach can have on student learning.