Chapter 5: Technology and Calculus

Of all the areas in collegiate mathematics, calculus has received the most interest and investment in the use of technology. Initiatives around the world have introduced a range of innovative approaches from programming numerical algorithms in various programming languages, to use of graphic software to explore calculus concepts, to hilly featured computer algebra systems such as Mathematica (Wolfram Research, 2005), Maple (Maplesoft, 2005), Derive (Texas Instruments, 2005), Theorist (no longer available, replaced by LiveMath, 2005), and Mathcad (MathSoft, 2005). The innovations arose for a wide range of reasons—some because a traditional approach to calculus was considered fundamentally unsatisfactory for many students, others because “technology is available, so we should use it.” Most innovators had a pragmatic approach, trying out new ideas to see if they worked. Some began with a theory that formulated how the enterprise should work, others formulated their theories in the light of successive years of experience.