The Influence of Technology on the Mathematical Modelling of Physical Phenomena

A study is presented in which students are asked to model two physical phenomena using applications on electronic tablets : a bounce of a ball and the extension of a spring. The analysis focusses on (a) the influence of characteristics of the applications on the tablets on the decisions that groups of 16-year-old students made during the modelling phases in which reality and mathematics are related, (b) mathematisation of the phenomena and (c) interpretation of the models. The phenomena were recorded using an app that requests users establish a set of references during the mathematisation process, which makes students focus on the way the references have been set to interpret the model properly. Our findings indicated inconsistences between student decisions made during mathematisation and their considerations during interpretation of the model. To conclude we suggest reasons students experience problems in working without a pre-defined reference system.