Enthusiast Jenny Eather is the creator of an unique online resource for grade school mathematics students. Called A Maths Dictionary for Kids, the site has over 400 entries arranged alphabetically that explain key math terms and concepts in a simple, straightforward manner. Besides giving definitions, each topic has an interactive activity that demonstrates its use and significance. Some of the...
A former mathematics professor at the University of Surrey has created this webpage as an introduction to ancient Egyptian mathematics. Specifically, the site focuses on "how the Egyptians of 5000 years ago worked with fractions." While the methodology is somewhat peculiar, it is very clearly explained and anyone with an understanding of modern fractions should have no problem learning the...
In 2001, the BBC created Skillswise, a free online tool developed to assist adult learners and adult educators on topics of English literacy and math. On this website, visitors will find resources that may be of interest to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) instructors, mathematics instructors, General Equivalency Diploma (GED) or High School Equivalency Test (HiSET)...
New physics teaching resource sites continue to pop up every day, and this one from the University of Minnesota's Physics Education Research Group is a good find. The site is divided into two areas, one covering mechanics problems, and the other covering electricity and magnetic problems. Within these two areas, visitors can look through examples of linear kinematics problems, force problems,...
For many elementary and middle school students, fractions are one of the most difficult topics to learn. The Fractions Web site on Coolmath.com offers seventeen lessons explaining everything from basic definitions to multiplying and dividing fractions. Color illustrations let students visualize exactly what fractions are and how they are used. For each lesson there is a thorough description,...
The author of Curious Math, Clay Ford, enjoys mathematics. While Ford claims not to be an expert by any means he maintains a fun website full of math tricks and trivia. Examples of postings include how to "quickly square a number that ends in 5" and "why the number 153 in the Bible is such an interesting number." Visitors can search a particular subject or browse the Math Topics, which are...
The National Institute of Standards and Technology has recently updated its online Dictionary of Algorithms, Data Structures and Problems. The dictionary takes the form of a hypertext alphabetical list of terms dealing with algorithmic techniques and functions (e.g., Ackermann's Function), data structures, archetypical problems (e.g., "traveling salesman"), and related definitions. Nice features...
The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) is creating a series of instructional materials for mathematics teachers, and they are drawing on the expertise of high-quality instructors from across the country. One such teacher is Cindy Wyels, who teaches math at California State University, Channel Islands. She recently created this useful set of materials that will help teachers with the use of...
Expii functions as an interactive series of math and science textbooks. Po-Shen Loh, a math professor at Carnegie Mellon University, created Expii with the aim of making math and science instruction more interactive and collaborative. The resource can be navigated in one of two ways: users may either search for a specific topic, such as "quadratic equations" or "Newton's first law," or they may...
Figure This! is a project funded by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Education that gives middle school students an exciting way to learn about math. In all, there are 80 "challenges" that stimulate mathematical reasoning with real-world scenarios. Each challenge starts with a description of the problem that incorporates suitably-named animated characters. A hint is also...