Abstract
The activities that we present consist in determining the values of the parameters
of a real variable function. These parameters are determined so the function
visually adjusts to a set of experimental data or so that it satisfies certain
conditions. For this we propose a function whose parameters are expressed as
GeoGebra sliders. We change the parameters looking for the function that better
describes the situation. From the didactic point of view, the purpose is to
develop in the students capabilities related to the analysis of the role of
each parameter in the mathematical model and to compare different models with
each other. In particular, as a novel use, we point out that we have used these
procedures in the framework of scientific research to determine parameter
values of growth models. These values were used as the initial values to
accelerate the convergence of linear or non-linear approximation methods with
other tools. This work is illustrated with didactic-oriented examples and
growth models used in forestry engineering.