Investigating Limits in Number Patterns

Technology gives students the ability to stretch beyond their immediate environment, to explore the power and magic of numbers by transforming the abstract into the concrete. The idea of a limit is one of the most fundamental concepts in mathematics, yet exposure to this concept often awaits introductory calculus, where the topic can seem abstract and forbidding. Spreadsheets and programmable calculators are powerful tools that enable middle school students to visualize and explore limiting behavior, allowing them to experiment and grapple with the notion of a limit in concrete settings. Such experiences can help plant seeds of understanding in an important, yet perhaps underexplored, topic in number sense.