A matemática como ferramenta para o ensino de física: funções polinomiais do 1º e do 2º grau e a cinemática

Abstract

The initial motivation of this research was the elaboration of a seminar involving Kinematics and Functions, and presented to 247 students of the 1st year of high school, in a public school in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The text was elaborated for this specific public, however, we will not detail a few of the contents worked with in previous years or moments. The graphic and algebraic study of 1st and 2nd degree polynomial functions are not new among those present in the mathematics curriculum for the 1st year of high school. This research proposes a graphic and algebraic analysis with an interdisciplinary approach, among the functions (mathematics) and kinematics content, in order to de-characterize the specific and complex treatment which most mathematics and physics teachers give to these contents. The focus of this research will be the solution of problems involving kinematics with graphic and algebraic analysis of the 1st and 2nd degree polynomial functions, for they are used as background during the physical treatment of all kinematics content. In general, the solutions to the kinematics problems are given without the correlation with polynomial functions.