• Communications of Mathematical Education
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.91-110
• /
• 2015

The purpose of this study is to investigate the understanding of pi of elementary gifted students and explore improvement direction of teaching pi. The results of this study are as follows. First, students understood insufficiently the property of approximation, constancy and infinity of pi from the fixation on 'pi = 3.14'. They mixed pi up with the approximation of pi as well. Second, they had a inclination to understand pi as algebraic formula, circumference by diameter. Third, few students understood the property of constancy and infinity of pi deeply. Lastly, the discussion activity provided the chance of finding the idea of the property of approximation of pi. In conclusion, we proposed several methods which improve the teaching of pi at elementary school.

• The Mathematical Education
• /
• v.47 no.1
• /
• pp.1-10
• /
• 2008

Some of school mathematics contents that have deep mathematical meanings are regarded as obvious and their importance is frequently overlooked. We first reexamined the mathematical meaning of pi as a constant. Then we indicated the educational implications of Archimedes' calculation method of pi and finally underlined the availability of pi as a valuable research topic in school mathematics.