MATH TOOLS NEWSLETTER - APRIL 4, 2008 - No. 62 ***THE GREAT GREEN GLOBS CONTEST "PRACTICE" CHALLENGE http://www.ciese.org/CIESEmath/globs.html Sharon Dugdale recently announced the release of Green Globs to a Math Tools discussion, where she has "very much enjoyed reading comments." Upon seeing her post, longtime Green Globs enthusiast Ihor Charischak replied: "This is great News! Just in time for folks to get to prepare for the global 'Great Green Globs Contest' which I will be announcing later this month and will be happening in late May." \|/ As you browse the catalog, please take a moment to rate a resource, comment on it, review it -- or start a new discussion! ***FEATURED TOOL Tool: 3 Equations - 3 Unknowns Matrix Practice Tool Jeff LeMieux http://mathforum.org/mathtools/tool/42942/ One of the problems in dealing with three equations and three unknowns is a lack of practice problems. This script provides a new problem set each time which has integer answers. Another difficulty faced by students is the fact of paying attention to the details of each step in the solution which often leads to incorrect answers. This script allows students to practice the procedures while keeping the math accurate. ***FEATURED TOOL Tool: 3 Equations - 3 Unknowns Matrix Solver Tool Jeff LeMieux http://mathforum.org/mathtools/tool/42944/ This is a companion program to "3 Equations - 3 Unknowns Matrix Practice Tool." This program does not solve the 3 equations-3 unknowns system; rather it is a tool to help the student work through the problem using combination. It will also allow entry of numbers in mid-course should one desire to try a substitution. Use of the practice program is encouraged to develop facility with the process. ***FEATURED SUPPORT MATERIAL Support Material: Area Discussion Shodor: Project Interactivate http://mathforum.org/mathtools/support/40166/ A dialogue between a student and a mentor about finding areas of irregular shapes on a grid. ***FEATURED DISCUSSION Demise of Green Globs http://mathforum.org/mathtools/discuss.html?&do=r&msg=43618 Sharon Dugdale adds to an ongoing discussion: "Good news! The Mac OS X version of Green Globs is now available!" ***FEATURED DISCUSSION Graphing Tool http://mathforum.org/mathtools/discuss.html?&do=r&msg=41177 Trish Kepler explains, "These explorative tools are only really effective with direction. Without a concrete objective, my kids would be likely to spend a lot of time playing without really understanding the point of the tool." 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 April 2008