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Data from the recent Second International Mathematics Study [3] suggest that American high school students have not mastered the basic precalculus topics of function, graphing and problem solving/9Microcomputers should be used on a regular basis to develop mathematical concepts and to enhance the learning of mathematics. In particular, the computer is especially effective when developing the concept of function and it strengthens and expands problem solving skills. Data from the recent Second International Mathematics Study [3] suggest that American high school students have not mastered the basic precalculus topics of function, graphing and problem solving. Pretest and posttest average scores for United States precalculus students on 23 items about functions and graphs were a dismal 34% and 43% respectively.The computer can be used to produce quick and accurate graphs of functions and equations and to eliminate those arithmetic tasks which are tedious and time-consuming. More importantly, students are able to observe and study many more graphs because of the speed of the computer. Interactive programs should be used so that student involvement with mathematics is active rather than passive.The computer program presented in this article (Figure 1) is easy to use, very powerful, and can be easily modified by the student and teacher to facilitate further mathematical exploration. It is written in Applesoft BASIC for the Apple II family of computers and is easily modified to run on other popular brands of computers. We will illustrate how to use this simple computer graphing program to make graphing a general and very effective problem solving tool.

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