OnLine Mathematics Resources
- Professional Development Materials
- Some writings and publications on teaching and learning in a technological age.
- Useful Links for Mathematics Education
- Free algebra and graphing software.
Best Graphing (free and online)
- EDGE (EmbeDded Graphing Engine) from Hydrix: possibly the best grapher currently available for both explicit and implicit functions and inequalities - and the prototype is FREE online!
Best Integrated Geometry and Graphing (free and online)
- GeoGebra is an exciting blend of Algebra and Geometry using an integrated graphing and geometry environment. It is freely available for Mac and Windows and has a wealth of supporting sites. Explore the sample files:
- the beach race,
- introducing Bezier Curves,
- the falling ladder,
- meeting a friend,
- design a better soft drink can,
- Half a Glass, Please!,
- the Case of the Diminishing Square,
- exploring Lines of Best Fit
- kissing curves,
- investigating inversions,
- exploring the parabola,
- the witch of agnesi,
- and even some A4 paper folding!
For some more detailed ideas about how to use such wonderful tools, please feel free to read Exploring Algebra - Geometrically.
Free Computer Algebra
YACAS (Yet Another Computer Algebra System) offers free online CAS as well as downloadable software for Windows and Linux: this is a powerful and relatively easy-to-use CAS, with full online help and even 2D and 3d graphics within your webpage! (Go to My YACAS from the home page).
SAGE is an extraordinary free open-source CAS-based project which seeks to bring together all major CAS systems under a single interface: and what an interface - it even includes interactive 2 and 3D graphics! Use Sage OnLine or download and use your browser locally as your CAS system, doing mathematics, 2D and 3D graphing and more. Sage can also be used within a terminal in both Mac OS X, Windows and Linux. Most of the free open-source CAS engines come built-in (including Maxima) with Sage.
EigenMath is an easy-to-use free algebra and graphing package which is freely available for both Mac and Windows. While limited compared to a full computer algebra system (such as Maxima), this is most suitable for early high school algebra.
Maxima is a free and very powerful computer algebra package which is suitable for students from the middle years of high school onwards. Although not as well developed for school use as packages such as TI-Nspire CAS Maxima offers all the capabilities that one could wish for in a CAS package. Available for Windows and Linux, Maxima also runs just fine on my Intel-based Mac under Darwine, a free Windows Emulator that works with X11 (install from your Mac Install Disks).
What about free graphing and algebra on your mobile phone?
XCalc is a free Java Applet which offers a graphing calculator for any mobile phone which runs Java (which is nearly all of them now!) Think about the possibilities for classes that do not yet have access to graphing calculators! While limited (it does not yet have a trace facility) it DOES offer 2d and 3d graphing which is quite fast and powerful. Well worth a play!
Now, combine that with quite a useful algebraic workpad that allows you to define variables and formulas and evaluate these. MobCAD is based on the MathCAD premise and again adds some pretty powerful mathematical features to your mobile phone.
These tools and many more may be downloaded to your mobile phone if you have wireless internet access from your phone by going to www.GetJar.com - type in your own mobile and it brings up hundreds of Java applets which you can download and run on your phone! (I know internet access is expensive, but these cost me about $1.20 each to download - they are small and the process is quite efficient.)
Or other goodies...
- Live Mathematics on the Web: Great free interactive activities for algebra, geometry and number.
- Complex Numbers Review
- Mathematics: A Search for Harmony
- OnLine Tax Calculator
- Practise your number skills
- x-Functions for great graphing and more.
- One of the most exciting and extensive online resource sites is that of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, their Illuminations site. Investigations, lesson plans, interactive resources, problems... this is a must-visit site!
- You may also like to visit the Texas Instruments home page at http://education.ti.com for all things related to hand-held technology, TI Interactive and excellent graphing calculator resources.
- If you wish to get even more from your Texas Instruments graphics calculators, then you should check out www.ticalc.org, a storehouse of further resources.
To create your own interactive web pages for algebra and geometry and for a range of great interactive activities, visit the following sites:
LiveMath.com for the LiveMath Maker and free LiveMath plugin: interactive computer algebra, graphing and much more.
CabriJava for free software to convert your Cabri Geometry II files into interactive web pages.
For one of the best free mathematics tools, visit x-Functions Xpresso where you can use this wonderful software tool online, or download the java source for use offline. It includes 2-D and 3-D graphing, areas under curves, animations, derivatives, differential curves and much more!
For a free solver for just about any equation, visit QuickMath (it is powered by Mathematica!)
The Commonwealth Bank has a great resource site for schools at Dollars and Sense with lots of interactive goodies for personal finance.
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