Ants, Bikes, and Clocks: Problem Solving for Undergraduates

by William Briggs

Mathematics educators agree that problem solving is one of the essential skills their students should possess, yet few mathematics courses or textbooks are devoted entirely to developing this skill. Supported by narrative, examples, and exercises, Ants, Bikes, and Problem Solving for Undergraduates is a readable and enjoyable text designed to strengthen the problem-solving skills of undergraduate students. The book, which provides hundreds of mathematical problems, gives special emphasis to problems in context, often called story problems or modeling problems, that require mathematical formulation as a preliminary step. Both analytical and computational approaches, as well as the interplay between them, are included. This engaging book will strengthen students' mathematical skills, introduce them to new mathematical ideas, demonstrate the connectedness of mathematics, and improve both their analytical and computational problem solving. Students are encouraged to use the computer, or any tool at hand, for experimentation or to test their ideas.

Genres: Mathematics, Nonfiction

174 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

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