A Functional Mathematics for the Engineer:An Approximation to theTrigonometrical Series of Fourier

The research reported here is the social construction of the mathematical knowledge in engineering field in higher education. It takes that knowledge is built according to the rules and practices are established explicitly and implicitly by the social community in which knowledge is situated, be it in this case engineering in schools. It proposes an approach to the Trigonometric Series Fourier (STF), promoting a functional mathematics. Thus the research shows how mathematical knowledge of known knowledge, is disrupted, changed and amended to take into the classroom, when they take the impact of institutional, socio-cultural environment of the engineering community in training and learning functionality of knowledge within the activities of the engineering community teachers. It's considered that mathematical knowledge will provide a sense and meaning to the student if it is built within a community and gradually incorporate it relates to their activities and social practices of their cultural environment thus encouraging the learning of mathematics articulated integrated and functional.