Antonio M. Oller Marcén y Vicente Meavilla Seguí
Abstract:The transition between Arithmetic and Algebra is an interesting and long-standing research topic in Mathematics Education. In this sense, the analysis of the arithmetical or algebraic character of certain problems arises as a relevant issue in order to design teaching sequences that help to expedite that transition. In this work we present a historical analysis of a family of problems as a tool to perform that kind of analysis and we exemplify it with the paradigmatic case of tap problems.
Keywords: arithmetic, algebra, tap problems, historical analysis, history of mathematics.
