Developing Local Representative Solutions to Fermi Problems

Abstract

In this chapter we describe an empirical investigation aimed at generating and testing a research tool that enable eliciting intercultural awareness through solving Fermi problems as mathematical modelling activities. Using aspects of ethnomathematics and mathematical modelling as theoretical points of departure, we designed a Fermi problem to be solved by prospective mathematics teachers from three different countries. The solutions were analysed to establish the mathematical structure so that it is possible to identify the predominant cultural elements surfacing in the solutions in each country. The data analysis process led us to construct local representative solutions, as a synthetic solution that includes the majority’s assumptions in each cultural context. These local representative solutions led us not only to identify the mathematical aspects of the solutions and the cultural elements embedded within them but also compare surfacing cultural aspects, hence serving as a tool for gaining deeper insights into the role of culture in problem-solving.