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A Pegagogical Study of Geometric Relations between the Sums of Cubic Integer Numbers and the Sums of Square Integer Numbers with the Sums of Odd Numbers

Authors

  • Yukio Kobayashi Soka University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29020/nybg.ejpam.v15i3.4476

Keywords:

square numbers, cubic number, series, matrix multiplication, pictorial proof, visual thinking

Abstract

The geometric meaning of the sums of cubic and square numbers can be explained by expressing them as sums of consecutive odd numbers. By illustrating not only the equations but also simple diagrams, we can understand how these sums can be obtained. Geometrically viewing the relationship between series, rather than merely learning how to calculate them, helps students
understand these series systematically. If natural numbers are expressed as sums of only 1, the sums of square numbers and of cubic numbers can be related to the multiplication of a vertical vector with a horizontal one whose components are all 1’s. This view is educational in showing that matrix multiplication is related to the calculation of series. The notion that concepts as
different as series and matrices are fundamentally and closely related is an important perspective in mathematics education.

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Published

2022-07-31

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Issue

Section

Nonlinear Analysis

How to Cite

A Pegagogical Study of Geometric Relations between the Sums of Cubic Integer Numbers and the Sums of Square Integer Numbers with the Sums of Odd Numbers. (2022). European Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics, 15(3), 864-877. https://doi.org/10.29020/nybg.ejpam.v15i3.4476