CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Mathematics, though the year has been providing a way to make sense of the world to know,

to think, and to understand. However mathematics is one of the subjects in which student

struggle and hate the most (Gur 2009) added that students find trigonometry to be more difficult

and abstract compared to other areas of mathematics. Despite the fact that trigonometry,

particularly trigonometric functions and identifies is necessary to understand topics in Newtonian

physics, pre-calculus, calculus, architecture, surveying and many branches of engineering.

Students are still facing trigonometry with difficulty (Blackett and Tall 1991). According to

Demir (2012), the complex nature of the topics makes it changing for students to understand it

conceptually since it combines different algebraic, geometric, and graphical concepts and

procedures. Further, since trigonometry is a difficult topic for student, they develop fragmented

understanding of trigonometric functions.

2.1.1 According to Garderen (2007) as cited by Kashefi et al., (2015) the poor conceptualization

understanding is the main reason for least performance of mathematics. Hirsh, Weinhold, and

Niclols (1991) claim that “trigonometric instrument should be moved out of the context of

memorization of isolated facts and procedures and proficiency with paper and pencil tests (and

more towards) programs that emphasis conceptual understanding. Multiple representation and

connections mathematical modeling and problem solving” (Weber 2005) mathematics

researchers agreed that students should established understanding in learning mathematics and as

per Davis (1992). National council of teachers of mathematics (NCTM, 2000) and Skemp

(1087), mathematics courses aims not only to memorize procedures and acquire reliable methods

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for producing correct solution on paper and pencil exercises, rather students should learn

mathematics with understanding (Gur 2009). According to Orhun (2002) since teacher active

method and memorizing method are dominant in trigonometric class, the student’s knowledge of

trigonometric only stays only for a short period of time and nothing is retained after the long run

which make it hard for students to transfer the principle learned to new situation (Gur 2009).

Traditional ways of teaching trigonometry do not overcome students difficulties in developing

understanding based on the trigonometric connection (Demir 2012) and united nations

educational, scientific and cultural organization (UNESCO) even prohibited the use of role

learning in schools in 1993 as it affected the performance of the students.

2.2 RELATED LITERATURE

2.2.1 Life is full of mathematics; mathematics concerns almost everything in the world. That is

way as the world evolves, many branches of mathematics arose and development is trigonometry

is an integral subject in tertiary education and in many fields especially in mathematics (Demir,

2021) throughout the years, the world has widely relied to the trigonometry competency, such as

trigonometry identities, in dealing with day-to-day life. in various fields, such as astronomy,

geography, geometry, physics, optics, electricity, cartography, maritime and architecture,

trigonometry competency has been applicable and advantageous (Nugroho and Wulandari 2015).

However, not all people around the world reap the benefits of this branch of mathematics. It is

due to the facts that people find it difficult to understand and comprehend the concepts

underlying each topic. As cited by Nugroho and Wulandari (2015) the math educator and

education staff development and empowerment center (Pusat) conducted a monitoring and

education in 2014 for trigonometric materials in which result shown that the lecturers difficulty

in managing trigonometry learning ranked on top. In addition some field researchers found out

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that students are only memorizing trigonometric formulae which make learning less meaningful

and tends to be forgotten. These students’ performances appear to be poor and lacking.

2.3.1 In response to the alarming issue involving trigonometric identities, a researcher has been

conducted by me to determine the effect of the magic hexagon in the performances of the

students in trigonometric identities. The research aims to provide a tool that would help students

in learning and mastering trigonometric identities to solve problem in trigonometric and different

calculus.

2.4 The mathematics Ernst Von Haselberg from Stralsund knew solves and proved definiteness

of this problem in 1887 and follow by Clifford. W. Adams in 1910 got interested in puzzle

published in a local newspaper (Trigg 1964) the problem is to first place nineteen natural

members in the vacant cell of a hexagon such that the sums of the different diagonals and

vertical are, equal. Martin Garner made this topic popular like he did with many problems lately.

He tells a nice story in book (4). He heard of the magic hexagon by a letter sent by Clifford W.

Adams, a retire employee at a railway company from Philadelphia. This man started work on

hexagon in 1917 and fund a solution in 1957 by trial and error. Follow by Hans F. Bauch for the

first time he published his results in 1991 as far as known today the magic T. hexagon it was

investigated in 1991 by Hans F. Bauchi.

2.4.1 The drawing is an example from the originate version a T-hexagon on with a simple inner

hexagon. The T-hexagon is called “magic hexagon D (4)”. D is for Dreieck (Triangle), 4 for the

numbers of rows.

2.5 The vital role of mathematics to an individual every day and in our culture is proven that this

course is the mother of all learning in both arts and sciences (Andaya, 2014). And whilst some

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basic skills are required to learn mathematics only few have competencies in these field and

numerous factors exist making the majority of the students populations difficult to understand

and apply mathematical concepts (Launio 2015).

2.5.1 In Mathematic, differential calculus is a subfield of calculus, originally called infinitesimal

calculus or “the calculus of infinitesimals or infinitesimal number is a quantity that is closer to

zero than any standard real number but that is not `zero. The word infinitesimal come from a 17 th

century modern latin coinage infinitesimus, which original referred to the “infinity-th” item in a

sequence is the mathematical study of continuous change, in the same way that geometry is the

study of generalizations of arithmetic operations. That studies is the rates of which quantities

change (Mariam Webster 1828).

2.5.2 It is one of the two traditional divisions of calculus, the other being integral calculus-the

study of the arc beneath a curve. (A branch of mathematics concerned with the theory and

applications (as in determination of lengths areas and volumes and in the solution of differential

equations) of integrals and integration.

2.5.3 The primary objects of the study in differential calculus are the derivative of functions,

related nations such as the differential, and their applications. The derivation of a function at a

chosen input value describes the rate of change of the function near the inputs values. The

process of finding a derivative is called differentiation. Geometrically, the derivative at a point is

the slope of the tangent line to graph of the function at that point provided that the derivative

exists is finding at that point. For a react value function of a single real variable, the derivative of

a function at a point generally determines the best linear approximation to the function at that

point.

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2.5.4 Deferential calculus and integrates calculus are connected by the fundamental theorem of

calculus, which states that differentiation is the reverse process to integration.

2.5.5 Therefore differentiation has applications in nearly all quantitative discipline in physics, the

derivative of the displacement of a moving body with respect to time is the velocity of the body,

and the derivative of the velocity with respect to time is acceleration. The derivative of the

momentum of a body with respect to time equals the force applied to the body; rearranging this

derivative statement leads to the famous F = ma equation associated with Newton's second law

of motion. The reaction rate of a chemical reaction is a derivative. In operations research,

derivatives determine the most efficient ways to transport materials and design factories.

Derivatives are frequently used to find the maxima and minima of a function. Equations

involving derivatives are called differential equations and are fundamental in describing natural

phenomena. Derivatives and their generalizations appear in many fields of mathematics, such as

complex analysis, functional analysis, differential geometry, measure theory, and abstract

algebra.

Historically the concepts of a derivative in the sense of a tangent line is a very old one, familiar

to Greek geometers such as Euclid (c.300 BC), Archimedes (C. 287-212 BC) and Appollonius of

perga (c. 262-190 BC) Archimedes also made use of indivisibles, although these were primary

used to study area and volumes rather than derivative and tangent (see the method of mechanical

theorems).

2.5.6 The used of infinitesimals to study rate of change can be found in Indian mathematics,

perhaps as early 500 AD, when the Astronomer and mathematician Aryabhata (476-550). Use

infinitesimals to study the orbit of the moon. The used of infinitesimals to compute rates of

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change was developed significantly by Bhaskara II (1114-1185); indeed, it has been argued (Ian

G. pearce. Bhaskaracharya II ) that many of the key nations of differential calculus can be found

in his work, such as “Rolles Theorem “Broadbents T.A.A kline, m. (October 1968).

The Islamic mathematician, Sharaf al-Dīn al-Tūsī (1135–1213), in his Treatise on Equations,

established conditions for some cubic equations to have solutions, by finding the maxima of

appropriate cubic polynomials. He proved, for example, that the maximum of the cubic ax2 – x3

occurs when x = 2a/3, and concluded therefrom that the equation ax2 — x3 = c has exactly one

positive solution when c = 4a3/27, and two positive solutions whenever 0 < c < 4a3/27. The

historian of science, Roshdi Rashed, has argued that al-Tūsī must have used the derivative of the

cubic to obtain this result. Rashed's conclusion has been contested by other scholars, however,

who argue that he could have obtained the result by other methods which do not require the

derivative of the function to be known.