Electronic Proceedings of the Fourteenth Annual International Conference on Technology in Collegiate MathematicsBaltimore, Maryland, November 1-4, 2001Paper C022Using the TI 89/92 in Number Theory |
Michael McConnellClarion University Clarion, PA 16214 USA mmcconnell@clarion.edu |
| Click to access this paper: |
ABSTRACT
A lot has been said about the use of the graphing capabilities of calculators in mathematics classes. This presentation, however, focuses on the use of the symbolic capabilities of the TI 89 and TI 92. The calculators' ability to do algebraic manipulations in symbolic form provides many opportunities for students to generate examples and explore patterns in higher level mathematics courses. In particular, this presentation looks at an activity for Number Theory. The TI 89/92 is used to symbolically expand the powers Golden Ratio, providing a pattern used to derive the Binet formulas for the Fibonacci and Lucas numbers. Then the question is explored in the situation where a Fibonacci-type sequence is defined with the iterative definition S_{n+2}=cS_{n}+dS_{n+1} where c and d are integers.Keyword(s): number theory, TI-92, TI-89