Repeated square roots

The concept of limit lies at the foundation of modern mathematics (Fernandez 2004). Too often, however, students' initial encounter with the concept occurs in calculus, where the idea can seem "abstract and forbidding" (Beigie 2002, p. 438). This is unfortunate, because technology provides opportunities to explore such concepts earlier, making the transition to calculus less threatening and more familiar. Here we describe how algebra students can explore limits with graphing calculators.