The following are some Mathematical Applications that are freely available on the Internet. They all are potentially of some use in the delivery of secondary school mathematics courses or as enrichment material for these courses. The links are to a download Site.
Download Site (available from SCET Site)
A basic calculator for the Mac with BIG buttons and a BIG display. It talks and has two windows, a normal display and a window that shows you the calculation. This would be good for the less able student. It's good fun!
This software allows you to explore the complexities and delights of the Mayan Calendar. The Mayan Glyphs are stunning ... a true work of art. You will need some background concerning how the Maya constructed their calendar, The following are links which provide some of the background information:
Links:
Welcome to the Maya Calendar is from the Maya World Studies Center in Mérida, Yucatan, México and is extremely comprehensive. Other links are:
LINK 1 LINK 2 LINK 3 LINK 4
This application is a very easy to use calculator solely devoted to converting between one unit of measurement and another. There are 38 different Categories ranging from length, area and mass through to Wine bottles and Paper Area. It is just waiting for a good worksheet!
Download Site (Power Mac needed)
This is a demonstration version of a highly technical Molecule and Crystal construction package. A possible use in the Mathematicas Class is as follows. Under File Menu choose the New Molecule Option. Now type say H (for a hydrogen atom), give the (x, y, z) coordinates and then click add. Repeat this for different sets of coordinates. You could attempt to build a cube structure or a pyramid etc. When ready click plot. It is now possible to join the atoms you have plotted using the
key and then clicking on the two atoms you wish to join. Now try rotating the model using the
key. Stereoscopic viewing is possible using two images. Options may be found under the Rendering Menu.
"Get Smart, Win Arguments and Be Hated" This Fallacy Tutorial teaches 42 logical fallacies and has 3 built-in quizzes with 30 scenarios. An excellent resource to develop clear thinking.
Fractals - Fractal Explorer
Download Site (Power Mac needed)
This is an extremely powerful program that allows you to explore the Mandelbrot Set ( and other similar sets). The visual potential of the program is quite stunning. There is a large choice of colour renditions and even a dynamic colour rolling animation feature.
Calculate the area of a triangle by typing in your measurements on a diagram of a triangle. What could be simpler? This calculator has excellent graphical windows for triangles, tapezia, rectangles, circles, cuboids, pyramids, prisms and cylinders.
GrafEq
Download Site (All Macs)
This is a very sophisticated (but easy to use) graph plotting package. It has some excellent novel features. For example: Implicit graphing ( eg 2x+3y=5), constraints may be added (eg x > 4), an "Easy Buttons" window to allow correct input of algebraic notation, a comprehensive "View Tools" window to allow eg zooming in and out, determination of gradient between two points, determination of angle with horizontal, display of coordinates of points etc. Many other features are built in eg superimposing graphs, changing axes, various grid backgrounds etc. It allows the saving of graphs so that you would be able to do a "here is one I prepared earlier". Full documentation is in a seperate file in the GrafEq folder.
Download Site (PowerMacs)
This interactive world clock has a beautiful satellite-based graphic interface displaying the world and the current extent of darkness. Simultaneous times can be displayed in four different locations of your choice. Particulary nice is the sundial display illustrating the length of shadow at particular times. An animation takes you round the world during the course of a day. Follow the Earth's shadow as the sun revolves while watching the sundial's shadow. It adds up to a highly educational demonstration for the 24-hour clock and time-work in the Maths Classroom.
Hypercube
Download (All Macs)
A skeleton model of the projection of a 4-dimensional cube (a tesseract) into 3 dimensions. The model can be rotated in various directions. But will it help you to visualise the impossible?
Generate a list of Primes from, for example1 to 1000000, at an unbelievably fast speed and then use your list to factorise very large numbers. Great fun to use when doing factor trees with your younger students or hunting for that undiscovered pattern among the primes!
Kali
Download Site (All Macs)
This is a fairly basic pattern drawing program that allows experimentation with the various wallpaper symmetries, frieze symmetries and interestingly some rosette symmetries.
Download (All Macs)
There are two sections.
Maths Stars This section gives practice in basic mental calculation. Names are entered, various options chosen and ten questions are given. Stars are awarded for success and a "Hall of Fame" is built up. The various options are:
Single Player/Head-to Head
Addition/Subtraction/Multiplication/Division/Random
3 secs/5 secs/10 secs/15 secs/Timer off
Negative Numbers/No Negative Numbers
Lowest Number(2-9)/Highest Number(2-19)/2 random numbers
Type: 2+3=x / x+3=5 / 2+x=5
Display: Horizontally/Vertically
Math Detective This section gives practice in finding factors and/or multiples of numbers.
The package is very easy to use. The timing facility is especially entertaining and should increase motivation.
Download Site
This is a very useful Imperial - Metric conversion application. It allows conversions of Distance, Area, Weight, Volume, Temperature and Velocity measured in a variety of units. What is unique is the user friendly window that allows the typing in of the measurement and selection of units. Various conversions are then displayed. The Temperature conversion window in particular has a useful display showing temperature scales with your value for conversion highlighted and showing where it is in relation to the freezing and boiling point of water.
A calendar that allows you to customise it in many ways: special five day and seven day week formats, moving banners by click and drag etc
Turn your Mac that just sits silently in your classroom into a talking timer. Add excitement to your lessons. Set your classes timed challenges to be done while your Mac gives a talking countdown! This software can do that and a lot more.
RepTiles
Download (All Macs)
This comprehensive tiling package contains an incredible 7000 different tiling patterns all of which may be experimented on. Dynamic alteration allows moving vertices, breaking edges, different colouring, different styles for the vertices and edges. There are lots of other features too numerous to mention. Some extremely impressive artistic works can be produced using this software. One use for teachers is to produce graph paper templates of various customised types. (You need never go short of dotty isometric paper again!)
Download
Although designed for model railway enthusiasts this easy to use calculator could have some novel uses in the Mathematics classroom. Give your students the model's scale factor. Can they calculate the real speed from the model's time over a given distance? Students can check answers using this calculator. There are several different windows:
ScaleCalc Window: Given a Scale Factor it will calculate scale model length in Metres or Feet. The inbuilt scales are for model railways but these can be altered using the Edit menu. Several independent windows can be open at the same time.
GradCalc Window: This has great potential. Four variables are shown: Level distance, Incline distance, Rise distance and Gradient (as a %). Any two may be entered and the other two will be calculated in Metres or Feet etc.
Solids & Nets
Download Site (All Macs)
This package allows you to view Platonic Solids (5), Archimedean Solids (15), Prisms & Anti-Prisms (10), Johnson Solids (92), Catalan Solids (15) and Dipyramids & Deltohedrons (10). There are nine different view modes. The impressive feature of this software is its ability to rotate the solid and at the same time gradually "open it up" to flatten it out to show its net. There is a print option that prints out the net along with the title of the solid.
SpiralGraphics
Download (All Macs)
A simple implementation of the Spirograph idea to produce pretty designs.
This neat design drawing package can generate tiling patterns based on your drawing. It allows you to choose the underlying symmetry (from the 17 wallpaper groups) and to reflect and rotate the basic element of your design in various ways. Results may be saved.
Download Site
Download Site
Download Site
Download Site