Introduction to Excel Problem

Goals:

* Familiarize students with Excel and several of its functions.

* Give students a better understanding of Euclid and Heron’s Algorithms.

* Understand what pi is and where it comes from.

* Understand how to use Excel for iterative processes.

* Gain a better understanding of recursion through Excel.

* Write some Excel programs that will compute the gcd of two numbers,

compute the square root of a number, and approximate pi.

Appropriateness for a secondary level audience:

These programs are very appropriate for algebra and pre-calculus

students. For algebra, these programs will help to explain the idea of

recursion. For pre-calculus, they will help with both limits and series,

two topics which are often headaches for st udents and teachers alike.

Findings:

*Euclid’s Algorithm was always a memorized process. Now it makes

sense.

*Heron’s Algorithm is something entirely new to me. I had never

even heard of it before. I don’t know that I have a firm grasp

on it, but I believe I understand it fairly well. I would need to

work with it a little more to fully grasp it.

*I never know how to estimate pi before, or even where it came

from. It was always kind of a "magic" number. Now it has

meaning.

The Pros and Cons of using Excel for this problem:

Pros:

*Students are exposed to technology. They need to know how to use

computers in this day and age.

*Motivate students to learn Euclid’s and Heron’s Algorithms and

the estimation of pi who aren’t motivated by traditional

classroom techniques.

*Programs will make tedious mathematical calculations for you.

*Students can "see" numbers converging because they are laid out

in a tabular format.

Cons:

*Students who kJnow Excel may gain from this, those who don’t may

be overwhelmed wiJth learning the program, so they can’t

concentrate on learning the math.

*Students can’t do simple math because tools such as calculators

and computers are at their disposal.