MATH TOOLS NEWSLETTER - May 9, 2011 - No. 97 ***Ignite http://mathforum.org/workshops/nctm2011/ignite.html Ever wondered what the Math Forum is all about? What makes us passionate? What IGNITES us? Now you can find out! Max Ray, Annie Fetter, and Steve Weimar spoke at Key Curriculum's Ignite event at NCTM and the videos are now available. ***Gene Klotz http://mathforum.org/workshops/nctm2011/gene.html Gene Klotz, founder of the Math Forum, was honored with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Service to Mathematics Education. ***Booth Handouts/Resources http://mathforum.org/workshops/nctm2011/handouts.html Download handouts from our recent presentations and exhibits. Don't miss this one! http://mathforum.org/indy/documents/free_resource_list_handout.pdf ***iPhone and iPad Apps http://mathforum.org/workshops/nctm2011/ipad.html Check out the iPhone and iPad math apps we featured in Indianapolis, including: Shmuzzles KENKEN: Train Your Brain (lite and full versions) ThinkFun: Rush Hour (lite and full versions) ThinkFun: Solitaire (lite and full versions) WolframAlpha \|/ 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 TOOL Tool: Math Visual Solver http://mathforum.org/mathtools/tool/125073/ John Linstrum This open source Java software takes a basic algebra equation, inequality, or expression, and solves, simplifies, or factors it, displaying step-by-step explanations in an adjacent window and highlighting affected terms along the way. Also try it to simplify a numerical expression (without variables). ***FEATURED TOOL Tool: The Trajectory of a Cannonball http://mathforum.org/mathtools/tool/125632 Paul Trow Plot the trajectory of a cannonball for a given muzzle velocity and angle of elevation. ***FEATURED TOOL Tool: WebGrapher http://mathforum.org/mathtools/tool/125090/ Tom Cooper This page contains a graphing applet that can be used online or downloaded. The applet can create dynamic graphs with sliders that can be saved as web pages. Users can plot points, functions, parametric functions, polygons, vectors and more. There are examples from Algebra, Trigonometry, Calculus, Geometry, and Math for Teachers. ***FEATURED TOOL Tool: Roman-Numerals.org http://mathforum.org/mathtools/tool/125082/ John Barth Lessons, worksheets, online games, and quizzes for practicing Roman numeral counting and arithmetic. Sections accessible from the left sidebar include Making Roman Numerals, Learning Roman Numerals, and Roman Numerals Resources. ***FEATURED TOOL Tool: Problems with the Trapezoid http://mathforum.org/mathtools/tool/125634/ Bill White Problems are generated requiring the user to find the area or length of one of the bases or the height of a trapezoid. The interesting feature of this program is that it doesn't restrict the problem to just finding the area of the trapezoid. The unknown may be the area, but it also may be either base or the height. This requires the person solving the problem to think about how to use what they know to find that unknown value. ***FEATURED TOOL Tool: ShowTheMath.org http://mathforum.org/mathtools/tool/125080/ Alan Degener Enter an algebraic equation and then solve it, step by step -- manually: use the pull-down menu to describe steps as combining like terms, distributing, expanding, factoring, adding to both sides, subtracting from both sides, dividing both sides, multiplying both sides, taking a root of both sides, or raising both sides to a power. ShowTheMath.org allows LaTeX typesetting commands. ***FEATURED DISCUSSION Calculus without calculus http://mathforum.org/mathtools/discuss.html?&do=m&thread=___disc_3522_g-12 LFS explains, "I want my (non-math) IT kids to do the cool things from calculus but without having to know calculus." ***FEATURED TECHNOLOGY POW Technology PoW: Math at the Snack Bar http://mathforum.org/mathtools/tpow/99997/ Suzanne Alejandre using applet by Alexander Bogomolny Use an interactive applet for visual examples of the distributive property. 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--see this page for details: http://mathforum.org/tpow/ 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 -- 9 May 2011