• The Mathematical Education
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• v.45 no.1 s.112
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• pp.123-138
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• 2006

In this paper, we confirm through surveys and interviews that it helps students in solving a problem counting the number of combinations to find a structural isomorphism between the given problem and a typical problem with the same mathematical structure. Then we suggest that a problem of distributing balls into boxes might be a good candidate for a typical problem. This approach is coherent to the viewpoint given by English(2004) that it is educationally important to see the connection and relationship between problems with different context but with similar mathematical structure.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.259-270
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• 2019

Haidao Suanjing was introduced into Joseon by discussion in Yang Hui Suanfa (楊輝算法) which was brought into Joseon in the 15th century. As is well known, the basic mathematical structure of Haidao Suanjing is perfectly illustrated in Yang Hui Suanfa. Since the 17th century, Chinese mathematicians understood the haidao problem by the Western mathematics, namely an application of similar triangles. The purpose of our paper is to investigate the history of the haidao problem in the Joseon Dynasty. The Joseon mathematicians mainly conformed to Yang Hui's verifications. As a result of the influx of the Western mathematics of the Qing dynasty for the study of astronomy in the 18th century Joseon, Joseon mathematicians also accepted the Western approach to the problem along with Yang Hui Suanfa.

• Journal of Information Processing Systems
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.590-599
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• 2018

Multivariate finite mixture model is becoming more and more popular in image processing. Performing image denoising from image patches to the whole image has been widely studied and applied. However, there remains a problem that the structure information is always ignored when transforming the patch into the vector form. In this paper, we study the operator which extracts patches from image and then transforms them to the vector form. Then, we find that some pixels which should be continuous in the image patches are discontinuous in the vector. Due to the poor anti-noise and the loss of structure information, we propose a new operator which may keep more information when extracting image patches. We compare the new operator with the old one by performing image denoising in Expected Patch Log Likelihood (EPLL) method, and we obtain better results in both visual effect and the value of PSNR.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.257-266
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• 2016

This paper is a sequel to our paper [3]. Although polynomials in the tianyuanshu induce perfectly the algebraic structure of polynomials, the tianyuan(天元) is always chosen by a specific unknown in a given problem, it can't carry out the role of the indeterminate in ordinary polynomials. Further, taking the indeterminate as a variable, one can study mathematical structures of polynomials via those of polynomial functions. Thus the theory of polynomials in East Asian mathematics could not be completely materialized. In the previous paper [3], we show that Jeong Yag-yong disclosed in his Gugo Wonlyu(勾股源流) the mathematical structures of Pythagorean polynomials, namely polynomials p(a, b, c) where a, b, c are the three sides gou(勾), gu(股), xian(弦) of a right triangle, respectively. In this paper, we show that Jeong obtained his results through his recognizing Pythagorean polynomials as polynomial functions of three variables a, b, c.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.37-57
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• 2018

In the early days, the use of concept maps in mathematics education focused on how to represent mathematical ideas in the concept map. In recent years, however, concept maps have proved beneficial for improving problem solving ability. Conceptual diagrams can be used for collaboration among students, tools for exploring problems, tools for introducing problem structures, tools for developing and systematizing knowledge systems. In this study, we focused on the structure analysis of mathematical problems using Concept Map based on the analysis of previous research. In addition, we have devised a method of using concept maps for problem analysis and a method of analysis of systematic mathematical problem structure. The method developed in this study was found to have significant value by applying to the university scholastic ability test.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.235-263
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• 2009

The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of children's understanding of fractions in mathematics problem solving. Kieren has claimed that the concept of fractions is not a single construct, but consists of several interrelated subconstructs(i.e., part-whole, ratio, operator, quotient and measure). Later on, in the early 1980s, Behr et al. built on Kieren's conceptualization and suggested a theoretical model linking the five subconstructs of fractions to the operations of fractions, fraction equivalence and problem solving. In the present study we utilized this theoretical model as a reference to investigate children's understanding of fractions. The case study has been conducted with 6 children consisted of 4th to 5th graders to detect how they understand factions, and how their understanding influence problem solving of subconstructs, operations of fractions and equivalence. Children's understanding of fractions was categorized into "part-whole", "ratio", "operator", "quotient", "measure" and "result of operations". Most children solved the problems based on their conceptual structure of fractions. However, we could not find the particular relationships between children's understanding of fractions and fraction operations or fraction equivalence, while children's understanding of fractions significantly influences their solutions to the problems of five subconstructs of fractions. We suggested that the focus of teaching should be on the concept of fractions and the meaning of each operations of fractions rather than computational algorithm of fractions.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.167-179
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• 2015

We study the solution of truncated series of Lee Sang-hyeog with the aspect of visualization. Lee Sang-hyeog solved a problem of truncated series by 4 ways: Shen Kuo' series method, splitting method, difference sequence method, and Ban Chu Cha method. As the structure and solution of truncated series in tertiary number is already clarified with algebraic symbols in some previous research, we express and explain it by visual representation. The explanation and proof of algebraic symbols about truncated series is clear in mathematical aspects; however, it has a lot of difficulties in the aspects of understanding. In other words, it is more effective in the educational situations to provide algebraic symbols after the intuitive understanding of structure and solution of truncated series with visual representation.

• Journal of Korea Game Society
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.5-12
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• 2012

The information represented by graphic is preferred more than by text to the game generation familiar to computer games in the cognitive style. The learning to solve the math problems represented by graphic is significantly effective to improve learner's problem-solving power in math education. In this paper, we proposed a method of graphic representation of mathematical sentences for effective learning of the game generation. The proposed method arranges the unit informations in the logical structure and represent the logical interrelation between the informations by symbols, line segments, or arrows using the graphic elements with good visibility for the game generation to recognize easily and to understand accurately the logical meaning. The proposed method is able to represent accurately the math sentences until the detail level that appears the tense and the voice of the sentences differently from the previous graphic representation method's ability. The proposed method could be used as learning tools and used widely to represent graphically mathematical informations for the instructional scaffolding of an educational game in oder that the game generation could learn effectively.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.519-543
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• 2008

The study has been conducted with 29 children from 4th to 6th grades to realize how they understand addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of whole numbers, and how their understanding influences solving of one-step word problems. Children's understanding of operations was categorized into "adding" and "combination" for additions, "taking away" and "comparison" for subtractions, "equal groups," "rectangular arrange," "ratio," and "Cartesian product" for multiplications, and "sharing," "measuring," "comparison," "ratio," "multiplicative inverse," and "repeated subtraction" for divisions. Overall, additions were mostly understood additions as "adding"(86.2%), subtractions as "taking away"(86.2%), multiplications as "equal groups"(100%), and divisions as "sharing"(82.8%). This result consisted with the Fischbein's intuitive models except for additions. Most children tended to solve the word problems based on their conceptual structure of the four arithmetic operations. Even though their conceptual structure of arithmetic operations helps to better solve problems, this tendency resulted in wrong solutions when problem situations were not related to their conceptual structure. Children in the same category of understanding for each operations showed some common features while solving the word problems. As children's understanding of operations significantly influences their solutions to word problems, they needs to be exposed to many different problem situations of the four arithmetic operations. Furthermore, the focus of teaching needs to be the meaning of each operations rather than computational algorithm.

• Bulletin of the Korean Mathematical Society
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.1147-1155
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• 2011

In J. Korean Math. Soc, Zhang, Xu and other authors investigated the following problem: what is the structure of finite groups which have many normal subgroups? In this paper, we shall study this question in a more general way. For a finite group G, we define the subgroup $\mathcal{A}(G)$ to be intersection of the normalizers of all non-cyclic subgroups of G. Set $\mathcal{A}_0=1$. Define $\mathcal{A}_{i+1}(G)/\mathcal{A}_i(G)=\mathcal{A}(G/\mathcal{A}_i(G))$ for $i{\geq}1$. By $\mathcal{A}_{\infty}(G)$ denote the terminal term of the ascending series. It is proved that if $G=\mathcal{A}_{\infty}(G)$, then the derived subgroup G' is nilpotent. Furthermore, if all elements of prime order or order 4 of G are in $\mathcal{A}(G)$, then G' is also nilpotent.