Are Mathematical Abstractions Situated?

In this chapter we address the question: are mathematical abstractions situated? We first consider empiricist accounts of abstraction which see abstraction as a development process from the concrete to the abstract achieved through the recognition of commonalties isolated in a large number of instances. We discuss difficulties involved in empiricist accounts and propose an alternative approach which we call a dialectical account of abstraction. In this approach, an undeveloped initial idea develops through the use of mediational means and social interaction. This development is not from the concrete to the abstract but, rather, a dialectical to and fro between the concrete and the abstract. Unlike empiricist views, our approach regards context, in the formation of mathematical abstractions, as paramount. Although the construct ‘context' is difficult to delineate precisely, we focus on the importance of students' personal mathematical histories, the tools and knowledge artefacts they work with, the people they work with and the tasks they work on. We exemplify the importance of these contextual factors through a study where two teenage girls worked collaboratively, with an interviewer assisting them, in completing tasks designed to generate abstractions in the field of graphs of linear absolute value functions. Key words: abstraction, absolute value, context, dialectics, social interaction [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]