MATH TOOLS NEWSLETTER - DECEMBER 4, 2004 - No. 21 Your eyes do not deceive you: the photographs on the Math Tools home page have changed! In fact, we have recently started to rotate them on a weekly basis, and have added a third graphic that features a tool. Do you have a favorite tool that you'd like us to feature? Let us know! Do you have photographs of students or teachers using a math tool? Use our "Contribute a photo" link: http://mathforum.org/mathtools/contribute.html ***FEATURED TOOL Tool: Willy the Watchdog Harcourt School Publishers http://mathforum.org/mathtools/tool/16243/ Two players take turns telling time in this game that combines chance and skill. The spaces on the game board show different clock times. Roll the die to move to a new position on the board, then turn the gear to move the hands on the clock face to the time shown. Answer incorrectly, and you lose your next turn. ***FEATURED TOOL Tool: Simultaneous Equation Solver Texas Instruments http://mathforum.org/mathtools/tool/16323/ Calculate solutions (unique, representation of the infinite solutions, or no solution) for linear systems up to 30x30. ***FEATURED TOOL Tool: Let's Do Math Checkerboard Cynthia Lanius http://mathforum.org/mathtools/tool/15504/ As a problem solving activity, students determine how many squares are on a checkerboard. Students drag highlighted squares of various sizes around the board to count the number of squares. They enter the values in a table and submit to get the answer. ***FEATURED DISCUSSION Left Right Translation of Functions http://mathforum.org/mathtools/discuss.html?&do=m&thread=a2_____g-1 Susan asks, "Most students have no problems understanding a real world application that shows a vertical shift in a function. What is so much harder to explain is the horizontal shift. Does anyone have a good way to explain this?" ***FEATURED DISCUSSION Research concerning most beneficial amount of time spent on math http://mathforum.org/mathtools/discuss.html?do=m&thread=_____ra-40 Tara posts the question, "We are wondering if there is significant research about the most beneficial amount of time that should be spent per day on math." ***FEATURED DISCUSSION Pick-a-block tool (middle level) http://mathforum.org/mathtools/discuss.html?&do=m&thread=ps__hl_tool__g-1 Tackweed writes, "I am curious as to whether I should include the simulated experimental probability and the theoretical probability as part of the summary, or should I leave it for student calculation." CHECK OUT THE MATH TOOLS SITE: Math Tools http://mathforum.org/mathtools/ Register http://mathforum.org/mathtools/register.html Discussions http://mathforum.org/mathtools/discuss.html Research Area http://mathforum.org/mathtools/research/ Developers Area http://mathforum.org/mathtools/developers/ Newsletter Archive http://mathforum.org/mathtools/newsletter/ \`. .--------------.___________) \ |//////////////|___________[ ] `--------------' ) ( '-' The Math Forum @ Drexel -- 4 December 2004