Order and chaos: interactive computational activities for the classroom

Abstract

It has long been believed that typical students learn better through contemporary approaches to questions originated by physics problems that allow experiments. This belief motivated us to develop interactive computational didactic materials about contemporaneous mathematics that can be used both in the classroom and in mathematics clubs in school. Dynamical Systems, the study of how physical systems evolve with time, inspired the activities developed. They share a key goal of understanding the order/chaos relationship in natural phenomena, human behaviour and social systems. Another goal to achieve is to give mathematics an experimental/laboratorial component, which rarely is present. In fact, all the interactive computational didactic materials developed include simulations and the capability to generate wonderful pictures, from which students can enjoy the beauty of mathematics.