Pattern and Parity in Mathematics

In this paper, we discuss how the simple concept of parity of numbers could be used to improve students’ ability to understand a real-life problem in an efficient way and have a better retention rate. In college, first-year students enrolled in Algebra, Precalculus, or Calculus courses most likely have a lack of knowledge of operations in arithmetic in connection with algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. A certain group of students quite often face difficulty in recognizing mathematical patterns. One goal of this note is to recognize a mathematical pattern, connect it with other related areas of mathematics and science, and find a solution strategy as a general case based on the student’s background knowledge. The overarching goal of this work is to identify the topics in first-year mathematics courses from algebra to calculus, where the students find it difficult because of a lack of understanding or lack of working knowledge and skills. The aim is to determine whether the difficulty involves conceptual or procedural deficiency and to develop resources that could be used to overcome the difficulties.
We discuss some of the mathematical concepts and procedures students find most difficult and provide possible solution outlines. We argue that a possible understanding of the number system and mathematical pattern recognition may provide a strong foundation that enhances the ability, and confidence of a student for better performance, and good retention. Teaching and learning with mathematical parity prepare students for modeling real-life problems in STEM education.

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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The datasets used in this study are openly available at [repository link] and the source code is available on GitHub at [GitHub link].

This work did not receive any external funding.