Main presenter			Co-presenter(s)
Name :	Dr. Dennis Pence		Name:
E-mail:	dennis.pence@wmich.edu		E-mail:
Institution or Company:	Western Michigan University		Name:
Department:	Mathematics		E-mail:
City:	Kalamazoo		Name:
State/Province:	Michigan		E-mail:
Country:	USA		Name:
Type of presentation:	Lecture :  50 minutes.		E-mail:
Conference strand and number:	Derive & TI-CAS  ,    Number: D30		Schedule:   Room:	Friday, 10h30   1752
Related website:
Title of presentation:	Pedagogical Uses for Symbolic Algebra in a Numerical Analysis Course
Abstract:
It is very easy to think that a numerical analysis course will use a computer or calculator for only numerical computations. Certainly that is a major emphasis of the course. However there are many opportunities to make use of symbolic algebra in the derivation and analysis of numerical algorithms. I will use the Voyage 200 to demonstrate some of these topics. I tend to prefer the Voyage 200 for my in-class demonstrations because of how easy it is to carry this handheld device and the viewscreen into my classroon (which has no other easily available technology). Similar things can be done on any CAS, and my students often go to a computer lab to complete assignments that involve symbolic mathematics. Here is one example. I had a high school student doing some independent reading on polynomial interpolation. On a TI-89, he programmed the standard algorithms for computing the divided difference table and then for evaluating the polynomial in the Newton form. Normally the input for the evaluation routine is the floating-point number desired for x in the evaluation of p(x). However when he ran the routine with a symbolic x, he got the symbolic form of the polynomial. There are many other symbolic tasks related to polynomial interpolation that can be explored at the same time you are presenting the numerical algorithms.