MATH TOOLS NEWSLETTER - February 24, 2011 - No. 95 ***MATH FORUM ONLINE COURSES Moving Students from Arithmetic to Algebra...one step at a time March 10 - April 20 http://mathforum.org/pd/movingstudents/ Teaching Mathematics with The Geometer's Sketchpad(R) March 28 - June 6 http://mathforum.org/pd/sketchpad/ ***FREE SELF-PACED ONLINE ORIENTATION Problems of the Week Membership -- Getting Started March 17 - 24 http://mathforum.org/pd/orientation_pow/ \|/ ***FEATURED DISCUSSION Programs using 'Excel VBA' to share with people http://mathforum.org/mathtools/discuss.html?&do=r&msg=114774 shakespeare1212 posts to an ongoing discussion, "I would like to check it out. What does it do? VBA has HUGE potential as a math training tool." ***FEATURED DISCUSSION Language arts and reading / math http://mathforum.org/mathtools/discuss.html?&do=m&thread=___disc_20164_g-1 Ginny M asks, "I just got an ActivLearning board. Do you have a section on your site that has interactive capability?" ***FEATURED DISCUSSION Factoring Quadratics http://mathforum.org/mathtools/discuss.html?&do=r&msg=113153 pacer4life adds to an ongoing discussion, "Doesn't anyone use 'X-marks the spot' out there? It's such an easy algorithm to use." \|/ As you browse the catalog, please take a moment to rate a resource, comment on it, review it -- join an existing conversation, or start a new discussion! ***FEATURED SUPPORT MATERIAL Support Material: What Americans Are Really Paying for the Things They Buy Most http://mathforum.org/mathtools/support/110525/ Bloomberg Business Week By adjusting for the inflation that occurred from 1980 to 2010, this Businessweek.com article reveals just how much the relative cost of 35 consumer goods and services has increased -- or decreased. Click through the slide show to see the change in real dollars on everything ranging from milk and bread to haircuts and doctor's visits. ***FEATURED TOOL Tool: Savings Calculator http://mathforum.org/mathtools/tool/115318/ FINRA Use this savings calculator to see how a consistent approach to investing can make your money grow. Whether saving for a house, a car, or other special purchase, the savings calculator will help you determine the right amount to save on a regular basis to achieve your goal. ***FEATURED TOOL Tool: Distributions http://mathforum.org/mathtools/tool/117051/ McGraw-Hill Select grids with different numbers of outcomes, run some experiments, and look for patterns in the distributions. For each type of grid and for 128 chips, predict the number of chips on average that can be expected to land in each of the lettered outcomes. ***FEATURED TOOL Tool: Exploring Probability and the Monte Carlo Method (Video Interactive) http://mathforum.org/mathtools/tool/117055/ LearnAlberta.ca This multimedia mathematics resource examines probability. A video illustrates how math is used to evaluate the danger of avalanches in the mountains of Alberta. An interactive component allows students to compare theoretical and experimental probabilities, as well as explore the Monte Carlo method. A probability print activity is also included. ***FEATURED TOOL Tool: Plinko Probability http://mathforum.org/mathtools/tool/117057/ PhET Interactive Simulations Play Plinko and develop your knowledge of statistics. As the Plinko ball falls, it ricochets down a triangular grid of pegs. See the balls random walk through the lattice. Watch the histogram of final positions build up and approach the binomial distribution. ***FEATURED TECHNOLOGY POW Technology PoW: How Many Cubes? http://mathforum.org/mathtools/tpow/5857/ Stephen Weimar Given the front view and side view of an arrangement of cubes, students are asked for the largest number of cubes that could have been used to make the arrangement, as well as the smallest number possible. A link to Space Blocks, a Java applet from the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives, is provided to help students think about the possible arrangements. NOTE: A free login is required. Sign up using the link on the login page, or use your existing KenKen or Problems of the Week login. 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/ Twitter Feed http://mathforum.org/pd/twitter.html \`. .--------------.___________) \ |//////////////|___________[ ] `--------------' ) ( '-' The Math Forum @ Drexel -- 24 February 2011