National studies indicate major deficiencies in students' understanding of mathematics. Research suggests that students tend to view mathematics as a set of computational rules rather than a process of discovery and a tool for problem-solving. Most students fail to grasp the concepts behind the computations. Technology provides a partial solution to this problem. Over the past decade, computers have emerged as a powerful tool in education. Computers place the control of action in the learning process with the student. They allow students to experiment with, explore, and discover mathematics at their own pace. With computers, students can consider more examples than are possible with a pencil and paper. The graphic capability of computers aids students in concept visualization; the computational capacity allows them to focus on concepts while the computer executes the tedious computations. The purpose of this thesis is to facilitate the effective use of computers in mathematics education. The primary component of this thesis is a CD-ROM containing a suite of computer manipulatives intended for use in the mathematics classroom. An explanation of the manipulatives accompanies the CD-ROM, as does a description of the creation process.

Höga byggkostnader och betydande bostadsbrist i Sverige visar att ett effektivare bostadsbyggande krävs. En reducering av slöseri i byggprocessen bidrar till en effektivisering av både tid och kostnad. För att öka förståelsen för vikten av effektivisering synliggör den här studien slöseri i produktionsflödet för en platsgjuten betongvägg i ett bostadsprojekt. Studien visar även var i produktionsflödet det finns förbättringsmöjligheter. Slöseriet synliggjordes genom en tidsstudie som visade på stor potential till förbättring i bostadsprojektets resursflöde, materialflöde och informationsflöde. Mycket tyder på att dessa brister i produktionsflödet beror på allt för kort byggtid, vilket leder till att en fullgod planering inte alltid utförs. / High construction costs and considerable housing shortages in Sweden show that a more efficient housing construction is required. A reduction of waste in the construction process contributes to the efficiency of both time and cost. In order to increase the understanding of the importance of efficiency, this study reveals waste in the production flow of a cast in-situ concrete wall in a housing project. The study also shows where in the production flow there are improvement opportunities. The waste was made visible through a time study which showed great potential for improvement in the housing project resource flow, material flow and information flow. There are many indications that these shortcomings in the production flow are due to a too short construction time, which means that a good planning is not always carried out.