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In this paper, we describe an educational experience in the context of the Master's degree that is compulsory in Spain to become a secondary education mathematics teacher. Master's students from two universities in Madrid (Spain) attended lectures that addressed—emphasizing the concourse of a dynamic geometry software package—some historical, didactic and mathematical issues related to linkage mechanisms, such as those arising in the 18th and 19th centuries during the development of the steam engine. Afterwards, participants were asked to provide three different kinds of feedback: (i) working on an assigned group task, (ii) individually answering a questionnaire, and (iii) proposing some classroom activity, imagining it would be addressed to their prospective pupils. All three issues focused on the specific topic of the attended lectures. In the framework of Mason's reflective discourse analysis, the information supplied by the participants has been analyzed. The objective was to explore what they have learned from the experience and what their perception is of the potential interest in linkages as a methodological instrument for their future professional activity as teachers. This analysis is then the basis upon which to reflect on the opportunities (and problems) that this particular bar-joint linkages methodological approach could bring towards providing future mathematics teachers with attractive tools that would contribute to enhancing a STEAM-oriented education. Finally, the students' answers allow us to conclude that the experience was beneficial for these pre-service teachers, both in improving their knowledge on linkages history, mathematics, industrial, technological and artistic applications, and in enhancing the use in the classroom of this very suitable STEAM context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates new solution sets for the Yang–Baxter-like (YB-like) matrix equation involving constant entries or rational functional entries over complex numbers. Towards this aim, first, we introduce and characterize an essential class of generalized outer inverses (termed as { 2 , 5 } -inverses) of a matrix, which commute with it. This class of { 2 , 5 } -inverses is defined based on resolving appropriate matrix equations and inner inverses. In general, solutions to such matrix equations represent optimization problems and require the minimization of corresponding matrix norms. We decided to analytically extend the obtained results to the derivation of explicit formulae for solving the YB-like matrix equation. Furthermore, algorithms for computing the solutions are developed corresponding to the suggested methods in some computer algebra systems. The main features of the proposed approach are highlighted and illustrated by numerical experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the problem of determining the weights of difference schemes whose form is specified by a particular symbolic expression. The order of approximation of the differential equation is equal to a given number. To solve it, it was propose to proceed from considering systems of differential equations of a general form to one scalar equation. This method provides us with some values for the weights, which we propose to test using Richardson's method. The method was shown to work in the case of low-order schemes. However, when transitioning from the scalar problem to the vector and nonlinear problems, the reduction of the order of the scheme, whose weights are selected for the scalar problem, occurs in different families of schemes. This was first discovered when studying the Shanks scheme, which belongs to the family of explicit Runge–Kutta schemes. This does not deteriorate the proposed strategy itself concerning the simplification of the weight-determination problem, which should include a clause on mandatory testing of the order using the Richardson method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the paradigm of Knowledge-Based Systems (KBS), the design of methods to simplify the reasoning leads to more efficient processes. A point of view that provides valuable insights is the algebraic one. In this work, a notion of basis (and dimension) for Knowledge Bases in Propositional Logic associated with knowledge forgetting is introduced. It is based on ideas that come from the translation of such logic in (Computer) Algebra, particularly from the interpretation of variable forgetting. In this paper, the concept of weak base is defined as a set of variables sufficient to decide the consistency using variable forgetting. Several applications of weak bases are presented in order to show their usefulness in KBS reasoning and to justify their study and use in solving problems within this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work integrates the Kenzo system within Sagemath as an interface and an optional package. Our work makes it possible to communicate both computer algebra programs and it enhances the SageMath system with new capabilities in algebraic topology, such as the computation of homotopy groups and some kind of spectral sequences, dealing in particular with simplicial objects of an infinite nature. The new interface allows computing homotopy groups that were not known before. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]