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This volume contains three invited papers and 40 original contributions selected from 63 submissions for publication in the Hard Copy and Electronic Proceedings of the Fourth Asian Technology Conference in Mathematics (ATCM '99). The selection was conducted carefully under a strict refereeing process: all the submitted papers were reviewed by members of the International Program Committee (IPC) and additional external referees. Some of the papers were asked for major revisions and the revised version underwent a second review-revision process. The finally accepted papers, which cover a wide range of topics from curriculum studies to engineering applications, represent some of the recent educational investigations and research developments on the interaction of technology and mathematics.
Mathematics is one of the foundational sciences that has significantly contributed to the development of old and modern technologies. There has never been such an exciting time in the history of mathematics as today when advanced technologies have, in turn, so much impact on the learning, use and development of mathematics. How to take advantage of novel technologies for better mathematics education and how to adapt programs of mathematical research to meet the demand of technological advances are among some of the sophisticated issues that need to be thoroughly investigated at this information time.
The ATCM series initiated by Wei-Chi Yang has been in response to the appeal of an international forum for exchange of ideas and experiences among educators and researchers, and for presentation of research results and findings on such issues. The previous three conferences in the series were held in Singapore (December 1995), Penang, Malaysia (June 1997) and Tsukuba, Japan (August 1998); this fourth conference will be held in Guangzhou, China, December 17 - 21, 1999, and the next one is planned for 2000 in Thailand. These conferences taken place in Asian countries have attracted a large international audience. We are confident that more and more educators, students, researchers and engineers will join the ATCM forum to discuss about the impact and challenge of modern technology on mathematics, to share views on the future role and perspective of mathematics, and to enjoy the fruits of new exploration in mathematics with computing technology.
ATCM '99 and this proceedings would never have been finalized without the help and contribution of many people. It is the plenary speakers and contributing authors whose work and presentations make up the contents of ATCM '99. The referees' dedicated evaluation under time constraint is essential for the quality of this volume and is highly appreciated. We also want to thank all members of the IPC for their active participation in setting up a fine conference program, to the sponsors for their generous support, and to the local organizers for all their effort to make ATCM '99 successful.
Wei-Chi Yang
October 1999
Dongming Wang
Sung-Chi Chu
Gary Fitz-Gerald
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