Using a dynamic geometry system to integrate analytic and synthetic knowledge in the solution of geometry problems

In this study, we documented how the systematic use of a dynamic geometry system (DGS) during problem solving became a means of integrating synthetic and analytic concepts of geometric knowledge. We analysed solution paths for tasks of geometric construction, developed by participants of a problem-solving seminar during two sessions and identified the limitations of purely analytic approaches and the advantages of integrating synthetic and analytic techniques. The results indicate that solving problems with the support offered by a DGS increases the opportunities that problem solvers have to interpret algebraic procedures from a geometric perspective and to construct meaning of mathematical concepts.