What Are and What Are Not Extrema Points? Examining Definitions and Examples

Pessia Tsamir; Dina Tirosh; Regina Ovodenko

doi:10.1007/s10763-024-10458-2

What Are and What Are Not Extrema Points? Examining Definitions and Examples

Pessia Tsamir, Dina Tirosh^*, Regina Ovodenko

^*Corresponding author for this work

School of Education

Tel Aviv University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This paper reports on five secondary school mathematics prospective teachers’ conceptions of extreme point. The analysis of the data addressed students’ definitions, examples, and evaluation of given examples, with special attention to the related domain. Written assignments and individual interviews uncover salient, erroneous concept images regarding what is and what is not an extreme point. Participants viewed extrema points as points that necessarily satisfy f′ = 0 or as points that are always at a “change in monoticity” of the function. The topic “extreme points” is both an aim and a mean to address broader issues related to mathematical definitions, examples, and nonexamples. We conclude with possible next-step ideas.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	121-142
Number of pages	22
Journal	International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education
Volume	23
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-024-10458-2
State	Published - Jan 2025

Funding

Funders	Funder number
Tel Aviv University

Keywords

Concept image
Definition
Extreme point
Mis-in examples
Mis-out examples

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10.1007/s10763-024-10458-2

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What Are and What Are Not Extrema Points? Examining Definitions and Examples

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