NUMBER

&
ALGEBRA
SL 1.1
Do the names that we give things impact how we understand them?
For instance, what is the impact of the fact that some large numbers are
named, such as the googol and the googolplex, while others are
represented in this form?

SL 1.2
Is all knowledge concerned with identification and use of patterns?
Consider Fibonacci numbers and connections with the golden ratio.

SL 1.3
How do mathematicians reconcile the fact that some conclusions seem
to conflict with our intuitions? Consider for instance that a finite area
can be bounded by an infinite perimeter.

SL 1.4
How have technological advances affected the nature and practice of
mathematics? Consider the use of financial packages for instance.

SL 1.5
Is mathematics invented or discovered? For instance, consider the
number e or logarithms–did they already exist before man defined
them? (This topic is an opportunity for teachers to generate reflection
on “the nature of mathematics”).

SL 1.6
Is mathematical reasoning different from scientific reasoning, or
reasoning in other areas of
knowledge?

SL 1.8
What role does language play in the accumulation and sharing of
knowledge in mathematics? Consider for example that when
mathematicians talk about “imaginary” or “real” solutions they are
using precise technical terms that do not have the same meaning as the
everyday terms.
AHL 1.9
What is meant by the terms “law” and “theory” in mathematics. How
does this compare to how these terms are used in different areas of
knowledge?

AHL 1.11
Is it possible to know about things of which we can have no experience,
such as infinity?

AHL 1.12
How does language shape knowledge? For example do the words
“imaginary” and “complex” make the concepts more difficult than if
they had different names?

AHL 1.13
Why might it be said that eiπ+1 = 0 is beautiful? What is the place of
beauty and elegance in mathematics? What about the place of
creativity?

AHL 1.14
Given the many applications of matrices in this course, consider the fact
that mathematicians marvel at some of the deep connections between
disparate parts of their subject. Is this evidence for a simple underlying
mathematical reality? Mathematics, sense, perception and reason–if
we can find solutions of higher dimensions, can we reason that these
spaces exist beyond our sense perception?

AHL 1.15
Mathematics can be used successfully to model real-world processes. Is
this because mathematics was created to mirror the world or because
the world is intrinsically mathematical?
FUNCTIONS
SL 2.1
Descartes showed that geometric problems could be solved
algebraically and vice versa. What does this tell us about mathematical
representation and mathematical knowledge?

SL 2.2
Do you think mathematics or logic should be classified as a language?

SL 2.3
Does studying the graph of a function contain the same level of
mathematical rigour as studying the function algebraically? What are
the advantages and disadvantages of having different forms and
symbolic language in mathematics?

SL 2.5
What role do models play in mathematics? Do they play a different role
in mathematics compared to their role in other areas of knowledge?

SL 2.6
What is it about models in mathematics that makes them effective? Is
simplicity a desirable
characteristic in models?

AHL 2.8
Is mathematics independent of culture? To what extent are we aware of
the impact of culture on what we believe or know?

AHL 2.9
Is there a hierarchy of areas of knowledge in terms of their usefulness
in solving problems?

AHL 2.10
Does the applicability of knowledge vary across the different areas of
knowledge? What would the implications be if the value of all
knowledge was measured solely in terms of its applicability?
 Geometry
&
Trigonometry
SL 3.1
What is an axiomatic system? Are axioms self evident to everybody?

SL 3.2
Is it ethical that Pythagoras gave his name to a theorem that may not
have been his own creation? What criteria might we use to make such a
judgment?

SL 3.3
If the angles of a triangle can add up to less than 180°, 180° or more
than 180°, what does this tell us about the nature of mathematical
knowledge?

SL 3.4
Does personal experience play a role in the formation of knowledge
claims in mathematics? Does it play a different role in mathematics
compared to other areas of knowledge?

SL 3.6
Is the division of knowledge into disciplines or areas of knowledge
artificial?

AHL 3.7
Which is the better measure of an angle, degrees or radians? What
criteria can/do/should mathematicians use to make such judgments?

AHL 3.8
To what extent is mathematical knowledge embedded in particular
traditions or bound to particular cultures? How have key events in the
history of mathematics shaped its current form and methods?

AHL 3.9
When mathematicians and historians say that they have explained
something, are they using the word “explain” in the same way?
AHL 3.10
Vectors are used to solve many problems in position location. This can
be used to save a lost sailor or destroy a building with a laser-guided
bomb. To what extent does possession of knowledge carry with it an
ethical obligation?

AHL 3.11
Mathematics and the knower: Why are symbolic representations of
three-dimensional objects easier to deal with than visual
representations? What does this tell us about our knowledge of
mathematics in other dimensions?

AHL 3.13
What counts as understanding in mathematics? Is it more than just
getting the right answer?

AHL 3.14
Mathematics and knowledge claims. Proof of the four-colour theorem.
If a theorem is proved by computer, how can we claim to know that it is
true?

AHL 3.16
What practical problems can or does mathematics try to solve? Why are
problems such as the travelling salesman problem so enduring? What
does it mean to say the travelling salesman problem is “NP hard”?
 Statistics
&
Probability
SL 4.1
Why have mathematics and statistics sometimes been treated as
separate subjects? How easy is it to
be misled by statistics? Is it ever justifiable to purposely use statistics to
mislead others?

SL 4.2
What is the difference between information and data? Does “data”
mean the same thing in different areas of knowledge?

SL 4.3
Could mathematics make alternative, equally true, formulae? What
does this tell us about mathematical truths? Does the use of statistics
lead to an over-emphasis on attributes that can be easily measured
over those that cannot?

SL 4.4
Correlation and causation–can we have knowledge of cause and effect
relationships given that we can only observe correlation? What factors
affect the reliability and validity of mathematical models in describing
real-life phenomena?

SL 4.5
To what extent are theoretical and experimental probabilities linked?
What is the role of emotion in our perception of risk, for example in
business, medicine and travel safety?

SL 4.6
Can calculation of gambling probabilities be considered an ethical
application of mathematics? Should mathematicians be held
responsible for unethical applications of their work?

SL 4.7
What do we mean by a “fair” game? Is it fair that casinos should make a
profit?
SL 4.8
What criteria can we use to decide between different models?

SL 4.9
To what extent can we trust mathematical models such as the normal
distribution? How can we know
what to include, and what to exclude, in a model?

SL 4.10
Does correlation imply causation? Mathematics and the world. Given
that a set of data may be approximately fitted by a range of curves,
where would a mathematician seek for knowledge of which equation is
the “true” model?

SL 4.11
Why have some research journals “banned” p -values from their articles
because they deem them too misleading? In practical terms, is saying
that a result is significant the same as saying it is true? How is the term
“significant” used differently in different areas of knowledge?

AHL 4.12
What are the strengths and limitations of different methods of data
collection, such as questionnaires?

AHL 4.14
Mathematics and the world: In the absence of knowing the value of a
parameter, will an unbiased estimator always be better than a biased
one?

AHL 4.15
The central limit theorem can be proved mathematically (formalism),
but its truth can be confirmed by its applications (empiricism). What
does this suggest about the nature and methods of mathematics?
AHL 4.16
Mathematics and the world. Claiming brand A is “better” on average
than brand B can mean very little if there is a large overlap between the
confidence intervals of the two means.

AHL 4.17
To what extent can mathematical models such as the Poisson
distribution be trusted? What role do mathematical models play in
other areas of knowledge?

AHL 4.18
Mathematics and the world. In practical terms, is saying that a result is
significant the same as saying that it is true? Mathematics and the
world. Does the ability to test only certain parameters in a population
affect the way knowledge claims in the human sciences are valued?
When is it more important not to make a Type I error and when is it
more important not to make a Type II error?
Calculus
SL 5.1
What value does the knowledge of limits have? Is infinitesimal
behaviour applicable to real life? Is
intuition a valid way of knowing in mathematics?

SL 5.3
The seemingly abstract concept of calculus allows us to create
mathematical models that permit human feats such as getting a man on
the Moon. What does this tell us about the links between mathematical
models and reality?

SL 5.4
In what ways has technology impacted how knowledge is produced and
shared in mathematics? Does technology simply allow us to arrange
existing knowledge in new and different ways, or should this
arrangement itself be considered knowledge?

SL 5.5 & 5.6

SL 5.7
How can the rise in tax for plastic containers, for example plastic bags,
plastic bottles etc be justified using optimization?

AHL 5.9
Euler was able to make important advances in mathematical analysis
before calculus had been put on a solid theoretical foundation by
Cauchy and others. However, some work was not possible until after
Cauchy’s work. What does this suggest about the nature of progress
and development in mathematics? How might this be similar/different
to the nature of progress and development in other areas of
knowledge?
AHL 5.10
Music can be expressed using mathematics. Does this mean that music
is mathematical/that mathematics is musical?

AHL 5.13
What is the role of convention in mathematics? Is this similar or
different to the role of convention in other areas of knowledge?

AHL 5.15
In what ways do values affect our representations of the world, for
example in statistics, maps, visual images or diagrams?

AHL 5.16
To what extent is certainty attainable in mathematics? Is certainty
attainable, or desirable, in other areas of knowledge?

AHL 5.18
How have notable individuals such as Euler shaped the development of
mathematics as an area of knowledge?