The following is a small sample of some of the MS-DOS/Windows software for mathematics which is available now for teachers, most of it in free or shareware forms. The web sites linked through this site contain these and many more packages suitable for use at various levels of schooling.
Peanut Software
This collection of programs is written by Richard Parris. All are free for educational use. The first set are designed for WINDOWS, the second for DOS and should run on ANY IBM compatible computer. The Windows versions are more recent and more powerful. All are excellent.
Listed below are the abstracts and links for downloading the free mathematics software created by Rick Parris, (rparris@exeter.edu) at Phillips Exeter Academy.
The programs may be freely distributed, and the author welcomes suggestions for improvements and repairs. Current versions (dated below) are always available at the Peanut Software home site.
Each program link will supply you with a self-extracting archive. This file contains the executable file and perhaps some accessory files. The executable file also includes documentation that can be printed, exported to your word processor, or simply used for on-screen help.
To download files, first create a directory on your hard drive into which the files will be copied. Then click the desired links. After downloading, execute each file ("run" it) to extract its contents. You will have to register the programs with the Windows Program Manager yourself.
WinGeom (14 June 96) is for high-precision geometric constructions in both two and three dimensions. Drawings can be highlighted and animated in a variety of ways.WinPlot (13 June 96)) is a general-purpose plotting utility, which can draw (and animate) curves and surfaces presented in a variety of formats.
WinStat (29 May 96) provides access to scatter plots, curve fitting, histograms, statistical data, and standard theoretical probability distributions. It also simulates dealing cards, tossing darts, needles and coins.
WinFeed (6 Mar 96) is a fractal exploration program. It allows the user to explore functional iteration, including Mandelbrot and Julia sets, ferns and snowflakes, web and bifurcation diagrams, and more.
WinLab (22 May 96) currently includes seven subprograms: conic sections, star polygons, three-body simulator, a root-finding utility for elementary functions, a 2-dim mapping visualization, roulettes, and random functional graphs for students to identify.
WinDisc (14 Apr 96) is a collection of subprograms that deal with discrete-math topics such as apportionment, voting power, voting methods, and network analysis (travelling salesman problem, map-coloring,...).
WinMat (10 Jun 96) allows the user to calculate and edit matrices, and solve standard linear algebra problems.
WinCalc (12 Jan 96) is a high-precision integer calculator, for numbers with thousands of digits.
WinArc (7 June 96) is a collection of game subprograms, currently including Life, Krypto, Boxes, Hex, Rubik, Mazes, Pegs, Bishops, and the Loyd 15 puzzle.
PGSDos (6 Apr 96) are old DOS versions of the above programs (Plot, Geom, and StatPac).
FAMDos (25 Nov 95) are old DOS versions of the above programs (Feedback, Arcade, and Matpac).
LCDDos (29 Mar 96) are old DOS versions of the above programs (Lab, Conics, and Discpac).
And a couple of others NOT from Peanut Software:
CC4: the Calculus Calculator
This is a beta version of one of the best packages around for algebra, calculus and graphing, not to mention statistics and its own programming environment.
This package by David Meredith is shareware, but has been published by Prentice Hall as X(plore). It is available in both Mac and DOS flavours and, at only $AUS50, represents great value for money for upper secondary students.
LOGO for Windows
One of the best versions of LOGO around, from the University of California Berkeley ... and its FREE!
Math-o-matic
A powerful symbol manipulator that solves, simplifies, plots and more. A very good shareware package for upper secondary students.
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