Combinatorial Analysis: from random method to systematic combinatorics

Abstract

This research seeks to understand the psychogenesis of the combinatorial thought from the perspective of the genetic epistemology of Jean Piaget. It analyzes the mechanisms used by high school students in solving combinatorial analysis of experimental situations in order to understand how this notion is built by them. The thought of the subjects is analyzed emphasizing their similarities, as reasoning structures, when building possibilities. We believe that some school methods can hinder the construction of the formal reasoning, explaining the difficulties of young people in understanding combinatorial mechanisms.