Students Talk About Prime: What We Heard About Definitions

This study examines data from college students who worked in pairs to make decisions about a list of potential definitions of prime number. Analysis focused on the evidence each student pair cited when they decided whether or not a statement could be used as a definition for prime number. The purpose of this paper is to describe patterns in the ways students used the evidence they cited. Findings suggest that students attend to important features of mathematical definitions, with some students giving preference to usability and others giving preference to definitions that are unambiguous.