Title

A Beginner’s Guide to Infinity

Document Type

Student Presentation

Presentation Date

12-1-2020

Faculty Mentor

Margaret Kinzel

Abstract

This paper aims to ease the frustration early high school students face when entering into the calculus series. I wrote it in a style that would hopefully encourage the student not to be afraid of calculus but rather be motivated to tackle the more challenging math classes he/she might encounter during their high school career. The issue that I address is the misconceptions associated with infinity. I define infinity in the various ways it appears mathematically, provides some brief history, looks into infinitesimals in partner with a paradox to drive the point home, and finally ties it all into the idea of limits. I toyed with the idea of taking it further and branching into derivatives, yet as my targeted audience has most likely not have had exposure to that concept, I decided not to include it in my thesis. I hope that this paper would be picked up either at a science fair, library, or used in a classroom at the beginning of the school year to quickly engage students and ease the anxiety they may face in approaching calculus. This paper intends to be a concise, quick read, with multiple helpful sites linked in. I appreciate you taking the time to read my thesis, and I hope you find that it achieved the goal I set for it.

Audience: Young high school student starting the calculus series

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