Exploring mathematical connections associated with the exponential and logarithmic function in Colombian university students

Abstract

Mathematical connections are a goal in the curriculum of several countries, so they have been the subject of research in Educational Mathematics. This article is inserted in this line and seek to answer the question: What mathematical connections do university students who study careers related to mathematics make when they solve tasks that involve the exponential and logarithmic functions? Mathematical connections are understood as a process in which a person establishes a true relationship between two or more ideas, concepts, theorems, procedures and meanings with each other, with other disciplines or with real life. The study uses the Task Based Interview (previously validated) for data collection, the results of which were analyzed using thematic analysis. The results obtained indicate the appearance of six types of mathematical connections: part-whole, characteristic, meaning, procedural, reversibility and different representations and an inclination, on the part of the students, to respond to the tasks that are associated with the exponential function.