WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT EQUATIONS!

Rearranging equations (also known as transposition of formulae and changing the subject) is a skill vital for professionals in many fields of science and engineering. It is however a topic with which many students struggle and often do not master sufficiently. The problem is not limited to the topic of transposition itself and in fact perpetuates far beyond a class on rearranging equations. At third level, the difficulties that students encounter in a wide variety of further mathematical problems, e.g. separating variables in differential equations, arise from a lack of proficiency in rearranging equations. Moreover, mathematical proficiency is a major contributory factor to the success of a student in any science or engineering course in college. In many applied disciplines the topic of transposition is so important and integral to the understanding of applied concepts that students’ struggles with transposition significantly impact on their progress in the applied subject.  

The problem is rather universal and observed by numerous maths educators worldwide. This resource is designed to help you explore the reasons behind students’ struggles with transposition and what can be done about it. Click on the tabs below for teaching tips, videos to motivate your students, questions bank and more.