algebra

Haptic app helps visually impaired learn math

For the blind and visually impaired, it can be nearly impossible to follow along when a math teacher spends most of a lecture in front of a blackboard or projector drawing shapes, parabolas, X-Y planes, and other visuals.

It's about time there's an app for that, thought mechanical engineering grad student Jenna Gorlewicz, who'd spent a few years at Vanderbilt's Medical and Electromechanical Design Laboratory miniaturizing endoscopic robotic capsules and was looking for a more people-oriented project.

So Gorlewicz, who says she loves both teaching and math, set out 18 months ago to try to develop a tablet app that uses haptic (or tactile) technology to help the visually impaired learn math and other subjects with a strong visual component.… Read more

Free Universal Algebra Equation Solver solves as well as teaches

Algebra: The very word still turns strong wills to water, yet somehow they haven't stopped teaching it in school. And your algebra teacher was right; you may need to know this stuff later, and not just for midterms. But this problem is easy to solve. You have a computer. Computers are really good at math. Algebra is math. We'll cheat a bit and tell you the answer: The missing variable is the software. UMS Team's Free Universal Algebra Equation Solver is a freeware algebra solver and tutor. It offers step-by-step solutions, including commentaries, to any algebra problem … Read more

Wolfram education apps raise teaching dilemma

Wolfram Research, a software company with deep mathematical and scientific expertise, is expanding to the broad education market with a range of mobile apps.

But although those apps hold the promise of turning smartphones into sophisticated next-generation calculators, they also raise questions about the best way for students to learn.

Wolfram Research got its start with the hard-core Mathematica software, itself an offshoot of Stephen Wolfram's attempt to explain his mathematical view of the universe embodied in his book, A New Kind of Science. It was therefore fitting that the company's "knowledge engine," Wolfram Alpha, took … Read more

Instructional algebra program

AlgeBasics is an educational tool that helps users learn basic algebra. Although the program has a teaching component, we're not sure that users who are not already familiar with the basics of algebra will get much out of it.

The program's interface isn't the most intuitive thing we've ever seen, but it's fairly easy to understand. AlgeBasics covers four main topics: algebraic expressions, algebraic fractions, indices (positive only), and indices with negatives. For each of these topics users can either view a tutorial or work a set of practice problems. We found the tutorials to … Read more

Versatile variable calculator

Farsight Calculator is a versatile application that can be used for algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and other computations. Users have the option to program functions into the calculator and customize settings for personalized usage.

Though Farsight Calculator is designed primarily for algebraic calculations, under the Tools menu, users can access the Finance Box for computing financial information and date calculations. It also offers a Unit Converter that converts distance, volume, temperature, area, time, and more. These features make Farsight Calculator a useful tool for users in a variety of professions. The interface is small enough to stay out of your way … Read more

Intuitive worksheet maker

AlgeWorksheets is a quick and intuitive way for teachers and parents to create algebra worksheets and tests. The program combines many useful features in an easy-to-use layout.

The program's interface is plain, but all of its features are straightforward and easy to use. Users select from among 20 algebraic topics, specify any other needed settings (difficulty level, type of problem, etc.), and then click Add New Sum. The program generates a problem and inserts it into the worksheet. Users can specify whether they want to include answer blanks and can give each problem up to 15 lines of working … Read more