Variables in mathematics education

Abstract

This paper suggests that consistently referring to variables as placeholders is an effective countermeasure for addressing a number of the difficulties students' encounter in learning mathematics. The suggestion is supported by examples discussing ways in which variables are used to express unknown quantities, define functions and express other universal statements, and serve as generic elements in mathematical discourse. In addition, making greater use of the term "dummy variable" and phrasing statements both with and without variables may help students avoid mistakes that result from misinterpreting the scope of a bound variable. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.