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To Define Or Not To Define: The Case Of (-8)1/3

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Abstract

This paper discusses two possible approaches to (-8)1/3. The first is that (-8)1/3 = 3√(-8) = -2. The second is that (-8)1/3 is undefined. The pros and cons of each of these approaches are considered and some implications to teacher education are specified.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Science Education, School of Education, Tel-Aviv University, Israel, 69978, Tel-Aviv

    Dina Tirosh

  2. Dept. of Science Teaching, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, 76100, Rehovot

    Ruhama Even

Authors
  1. Dina Tirosh
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  2. Ruhama Even
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Tirosh, D., Even, R. To Define Or Not To Define: The Case Of (-8)1/3 . Educational Studies in Mathematics 33, 321–330 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1002916606955

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1002916606955

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