This site provides about 35 graphical applets on topics relative to Algebra, Precalculus, Calculus, and Statistics. These are designed for classroom demonstrations of various mathematical/statistical concepts. The applets were constructed using GeoGebra.
Type of Material:
These are graphical Java applets.
Recommended Uses:
In-class demonstration.
Technical Requirements:
Internet Explorer Web browser.
Identify Major Learning Goals:
To provide materials for classroom demonstrations in various areas of mathematics, including precalculus, calculus, linear algebra, and statistics.
Target Student Population:
Undergraduate students taking courses in any of the areas covered.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
Basic algebra.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
The site design is very simple. The home page has two columns. The first column contains thumbnail snapshots of the Java-applet demonstration tools. The second column provides a brief one-paragraph explanation of what the applet does. Clicking on the thumbnail opens the corresponding applet. All applets have a similar design, with pulldown menus at the top along with some buttons to control graph position, point placement, and various other options. There is usually a text box for entering functions and such. Sometimes symbols, constants, and preset functions are provided in other pulldown menus. The values of some of the variables and parameters can often be controlled via sliders. Teachers in these subject areas will find some very useful demonstrations here. Particularly impressive is the Solids of Revolution applet.
Concerns:
The applets called Cross Section Solids (Solids by Slicing) and Simple Harmonic Motion did not work.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
The concepts covered by these demonstration tools include the unit circle, trig function definitions, transformations, relationship between a function and its derivative, symmetry, polar equations, parametric equations, least squares, solids of revolution, etc. In other words, this site covers many of the mainstream concepts that teachers of Precalculus, Calculus, and Statistics have to present to their students. These well-designed, usually intuitive, colorful applets should be quite effective in most instances.
Concerns:
The fact that the size of the graphs cannot be expanded to fill the screen is a drawback for classroom demonstrations.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
Most of the Java applets are intuitive and easy to use.
Concerns:
Very little explanation of how to use the applets is provided. The Help button at the top of the page (above the pulldown menu) takes the user to a cartoon and an email address. The other help button in the pulldown menu provides help with GeoGebra, not with the applet itself. Most applets are intuitive; however, some of the applets are quite complicated in terms of function and parameter inputs. While experimentation will often bring enlightenment, several applets could definitely use some additional instructions. One reviewer could not find a way to input new parametric functions into the Parametric Equations applet; he was unsure if this is even possible. As noted above, two of the applets (Cross Section Solids and Simple Harmonic Motion) did not work.
Also none of the applets work in Slimbrowser.
Creative Commons:
Search by ISBN?
It looks like you have entered an ISBN number. Would you like to search using what you have
entered as an ISBN number?
Searching for Members?
You entered an email address. Would you like to search for members? Click Yes to continue. If no, materials will be displayed first. You can refine your search with the options on the left of the results page.
Searching for Members?
You entered an email address. Would you like to search for members? Click Yes to continue. If no, materials will be displayed first. You can refine your search with the options on the left of the results page.
