Towards constructing a measure of the complexity of application tasks

A key characteristic of application and modelling tasks involves the embedding of mathematics in problem contexts, and its extraction and interpretation within the solution process. A central construct in addressing factors involving the successful solution of application and modelling problems is the notion of complexity. In this paper we discuss complexity as it is construed by a group of senior secondary school students and their teachers. A profile detailing sub-categories of complexity is described and illustrated