ABSTRACT
Historically, practically, and intellectually, mathematics has played an integral role in the investigation of nature. As a study of space and quantity, mathematics directly contributes to the understanding and mastery of the real world. Physical problems, when idealized and formulated in the language of numbers and geometry, become mathematical problems. Some of the world’s greatest mathematicians, including Archimedes, Newton, and Riemann, were also great scientists. In addition to being conceptually interconnected, the two disciplines share common process skills (Berlin & White, 1991; Gallagher, 1979; Kouba, 1989). It is therefore not surprising that recent educational reform movements advocate coordinating instruction to reinforce and exploit this interdisciplinary connection (National Research Council, 1994; Project 2061, 1990). Unfortunately, however, the mutually supportive nature of mathematics and science is often underemphasized or even ignored in school curricula.
