Abstract:

Analytical Geometry links together Algebra and Geometry and gives a way of describing algebraic formulas by geometric curves and, conversely, geometric curves by algebraic formulas. In Analytical Geometry courses, students need to handle symbolic and visual representations.

Technology in the classroom enables students to learn through interaction and exploration of concepts. Nowadays, the possibility of using a wide variety of software packages has notoriously influenced education. Teaching in engineering careers does not escape this fact and is complemented very satisfactorily by the use of these resources for the benefit of a better quality of knowledge. The incorporation of new technologies into the classroom has a dual purpose, on the one hand to exploit the potential of these resources in terms of saving time and secondly to encourage the creation of new learning environments and the selection of appropriate teaching strategies.

With GeoGebra, a dynamic mathematics software that joins geometry, algebra and calculus, it is possible to create different interactive applications that can help to link symbolic and visual systems of representation. GeoGebra is available from www.geogebra.org.

Several authors have analyzed the use of GeoGebra in different topics and it has been observed that students show positive perceptions on GeoGebra software in terms of enthusiasm, confidence, and motivation.

The curves that are obtained as intersections of a cone and a plane are called conics. Applications presenting the definitions of the conic sections, based on their geometric properties, a set of tools for working with tangent lines and different self-assessments were designed and created with GeoGebra for the Algebra and Analytic Geometry courses at the Facultad Regional San Nicolás (FRSN), Universidad Tecnológica Nacional, Argentina.

The aim of this work is to describe the apps. The main purpose of most students of engineering careers is not Mathematics itself. For this reason, teachers have to make an additional effort to keep them interested in its study. That is why all the material was made with the intention to arouse and maintain the interest in the subject. Even if the intended use of this material was to motivate, it has been observed that making this type of material available to students benefits their academic performance.