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Resource reviews are provided for teachers to support their teaching and learning programs.
The views expressed by reviewers are not necessarily those of the NSW Department of Education and Training. Copyright for reviews is held by the NSW Department of Education and Training. Permission for reproduction of reviews in part or full for any purpose must be sought in writing. For further information contact colleen.foley@det.nsw.edu.au
Sites are listed alphabetically by title. Those reviews
which note links to other sites, especially as a major part of
the site, will require additional exploration time by teachers
to verify specific curriculum applications relevant to their
classes. The USER LEVEL descriptor,
Professional, is a pertinent reminder of such
issues. Please note that changes happen daily on the Internet.
Sites come and go. We cannot guarantee that the following sites
are permanent or are structured as they were when they were
reviewed.
Ancient geometry: insights into the history of mathematics
Can you be a millionaire?
Chaos@UMD
Dollars and sense: making sense of your money
Einstein archives online
ExploreMath.com
Famous curves index
Fibonacci numbers and the Golden Section
Games and puzzles
GeoGebra
KryssTal: Pascal’s Triangle
Learning bridge for Australian youth
players
NRIC: mathematics problems, games and
articles
QuickMath automatic math solutions
Science talk
Understanding money website
Word problems for kids
Ancient geometry: insights into the history of mathematics 
A simple, linear site, this resource has interesting reading, yet is devoid
of colour or illustration. The first mathematicians is excellent for Stage
4 historical connections. There is a useful resource on pi, for teaching
circle geometry to Stage 4 students. In The most famous teacher, Euclid and
his postulates can introduce deductive reasoning in Stage 5 and enhance the
teaching of proofs for Mathematics: Extension I. Coverage is rich, and onsite
material demonstrates the importance of mathematical robustness to early
mathematicians. Researching the evolution of algebra, Al Jabr, the chords
of Ptolemy, Aryabhata, and The beginnings of trigonometry, will make mathematics
more meaningful for senior students. Mathematics for entertainment, chaos
theory, and fractals, are touched upon. The site uncovers mysteries upon
which our current understandings are built. M. Gary
USER LEVEL: Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: Mathematics
SYLLABUS: Mathematics 7–10; Mathematics Stage 6: Extension 1
SCIS SUBJECTS: Mathematicians – Biography; Mathematics – History
PUBLISHER: Brent Byars, USA
REVIEW DATE: 01/03/06 [510.9] SCIS 1238739
Can you be a millionaire?
A spreadsheet activity on budgeting and managing money, this WebQuest is ideal for the General Mathematics Stage 6 Topic: Financial maths and the Mathematics 7–10 Topic: Consumer arithmetic. Students will need some prior experience with Excel. They manage a budget with prescribed income and expenses and then invest the surplus on the stock exchange. Resources includes an Excel tutorial and information about the stock exchange. Evaluation gives students and teachers a comprehensive marking rubric, and Reflection provides an opportunity for reflecting and self evaluation. The task is presented in steps and each student is allocated a role in a team of three. Easy navigation and effective use of colour and space make this an interesting group activity for students. P. Hannan
USER LEVEL: Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: Mathematics
SYLLABUS: General Mathematics Stage 6; Mathematics 7–10
SCIS SUBJECTS: Spreadsheets – webquests
PUBLISHER: University & College System of Nevada, USA
REVIEW DATE: 24/04/09 [005.54] SCIS 1176049
Chaos@UMD
Providing information about the study of chaos theory, in particular chaotic scattering, this site will be of interest to teachers and students of Mathematics: Extension Two who are wanting to extend their knowledge of particle movement. Eight colourful images represent unpredictable particle movement and each image links to mathematical descriptions of the chaotic scattering. The images are by far the most interesting part of the site for schools, as the material is aimed at tertiary students. Dimensions , Fractal basin boundaries , Chaotic scattering and Controlling chaos provide detailed descriptions of current research in each area. P. Hannan
USER LEVEL: Stage 6 Professional
KLA: Mathematics; Science
SYLLABUS: Mathematics Stage 6: Extension Two; Physics Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Chaos theory; Fractals; Particles (Nuclear physics)
PUBLISHER: University of Maryland, USA
REVIEW DATE: 24/04/09 [003] SCIS 1398718
Dollars and sense: making sense of your money
Straightforward information to support students in developing sound financial skills is provided here in a user friendly format. A host of money management topics are outlined on this site, including saving, budgeting, borrowing, credit, employment, taxation, contracts, entitlements, superannuation, HECS, mobile phone bills, bank accounts, investment, insurance, and consumer rights. Running your own business will help students develop a business plan as part of their Business Studies activities. The Ask an expert link is invaluable and provides questions and answers from young and successful experts. Dream generator provides clear strategies to help students plan their financial goals. A Glossary facilitates understanding of key financial terminology. Teachers can register for free classroom resources. This excellent resource will generate interest for those studying Personal finance in Commerce 7–10, and Financial mathematics in General Mathematics Stage 6. A. Frost
USER LEVEL: Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: HSIE; Mathematics
SYLLABUS: Business Studies Stage 6; Commerce 7–10; Economics Stage 6; General Mathematics Stage 6; Work Education 7–10
SCIS SUBJECTS: Finance, Personal
PUBLISHER: Commonwealth Bank of Australia
REVIEW DATE: 16/07/07 [332.024] SCIS 1101543
Einstein archives online
The personal papers and Digitized manuscripts of Albert Einstein are collected on this comprehensive website that encapsulates Einstein’s accomplishments and life. Einstein’s Scientific writings and Non-scientific writings are available, as are his Travel diaries, correspondence with colleagues and family, lectures and poems. Photographs, sound recordings and film footage can be accessed online. The Gallery provides annotated highlights of Einstein’s most significant works, and a biographical timeline provides an overview of his life. A search facility assists use of the database. This site would be useful for teaching Einstein’s achievements, such as the theory of relativity, to show students his actual workings. The language, style and format are suitable for senior students. A. Frost
USER LEVEL: Stage 5 Stage 6 Professional
KLA: Mathematics; Science
SYLLABUS: Mathematics 7–10; Mathematics Stage 6: Extension 1; Extension 2; Physics Stage 6; Science 7–10
SCIS SUBJECTS: Einstein, Albert; Physicists
PUBLISHER: Albert Einstein Archives, Israel
REVIEW DATE: 30/04/07 [838] SCIS 1293233
ExploreMath.com
Highly interactive maths activities for students and educators
are presented in graphs and tables which reflect adjustments of
key values, for example, a, b and c in a quadratic function.
Common to all the activities is the ability to zoom, pan, and
trace points. Some US terminology will need to be dealt with.
Students can copy the graphs, tables or the whole screen to the
clipboard. The activities cover the whole range of those topics
which involve cartesian coordinates and Complex
numbers and Probability in the senior syllabuses.
The site also provides some relevant ideas for teachers. G.
Donaldson
USER LEVEL: Stage 5 Stage 6 Professional
KLA: Mathematics
SYLLABUS: Mathematics 7-10; Mathematics Stage
6:General; Extension 1; Extension 2
SCIS SUBJECTS: Mathematics - Problems,
exercises, etc
KEYWORDS: Conic sections; exponentials;
graphing; interactive math; linear equations; logarithms;
mathematics; multimedia math; points in the plane; polynomials;
quadratics; trigonometry
PUBLISHER: Third Millennium Press, USA
REVIEW DATE: 29/6/00 SCIS 1031540
Famous curves index
A large, varied list of curves, some of which are studied in
detail in Stages 5 and 6, is offered by this site. The
Straight line, Circle,
Parabola, and Hyperbola are
just a few of the curves that come to fully animated life with
a Java enhanced browser. Making use of this
site’s Java abilities really enhances the
experience of learning about curves through experimenting
interactively. Students may well enjoy the intricacies of:
Lissajous curves; Equiangular
spiral; Conchoid; and the
Quadratrix of Hippias. Each curve comes with a
detailed historical perspective. This site can be of
considerable assistance to students in a range of mathematics
courses. T. Scott
USER LEVEL: Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: Mathematics
SYLLABUS: Mathematics 7-10; Mathematics Stage
6: General; Extension 1; Extension 2
SCIS SUBJECTS: Curves
KEYWORDS: Circle; curves; ellipse; hyperbola;
mathematics; parabola
PUBLISHER: School of Mathematics and
Statistics, University of St Andrews, Scotland
REVIEW DATE: 7/5/04 SCIS 1028028
Fibonacci numbers and the Golden Section
Fibonacci applications, including Rabbit generations, Pascal’s triangle, and Pythagorean triangles, are exhaustively illustrated on this site. Laid out with many headings, a simple colour palette and a linear sequence, site users will still need persistence to follow number sequence progressions. The site has a useful summary page and a What's new? section, with mathematical imagery, knots and planet shapes, tessellations, iterated fractal knots, puzzles, graphic designs, two-way faces, and impossible columns. Senior students are catered for with interactive result generators for Fibonacci, magic squares, permutations and combinations. Stage 4 students can be shown the brick wall puzzle, rectangle and shell spirals and how to draw them. Lower difficulty levels escalate quickly to complex conceptual levels. Mathematics teachers could extract material and guide their students; the site includes tertiary level content. M. Gary
USER LEVEL: Stage 6 Professional
KLA: CA; Mathematics
SYLLABUS: General Mathematics Stage 6; Mathematics 7–10; Visual Arts 7–10
SCIS SUBJECTS: Number theory; Sequences (Mathematics)
PUBLISHER: University of Surrey, UK
REVIEW DATE: 10/09/07 [512.7] SCIS 1271038
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Games and puzzles
A detailed discussion of the psychology and maths of popular games, along with their applications for artificial intelligence (AI), the site is best suited to teachers of Mathematics and Information Software and Technology. Subtopics has readings about AI applications and probability in Chess, Checkers, Poker, Scrabble and other popular games. Videos has a range of interesting and well produced videos on topics such as Kasparov versus Big Blue, and the first human versus machine poker challenge, both of which are a good introduction to probability and chance in Mathematics and the study of AI in Information and Technology Software. Apart from the videos, the site is predominantly academic written text and more suited to teacher professional development rather than student research. P. Hannan
USER LEVEL: Stage 6 Professional
KLA: Mathematics; TAS
SYLLABUS: General Mathematics Stage 6; Information & Technology Software Stage 6; Mathematics 7–10
SCIS SUBJECTS: Games – Mathematical aspects; Game theory
PUBLISHER: Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, USA
REVIEW DATE: 24/04/09 [519] SCIS 1398691
GeoGebra
Using mathematics software for multiple levels of education, this award winning site provides students and teachers with a great tool to aid mathematical understandings, from arithmetic to manipulating graphs of complex functions. The link WebStart allows users to access this free program with Java. Teachers will get a lot of value from the site, such as some dynamic worksheets in Examples and a link to a GeoGebraWiki page that contains more resources sorted into topic. The website and tool are great resources for Mathematics syllabuses and the Physics course. Suitable for the L4L laptop project and use within a connected learning environment. A. Cini
USER LEVEL: Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6 Professional
KLA: Mathematics; Science
SYLLABUS: General Mathematics Stage 6; Mathematics 7–10; Mathematics Stage 6: Extension I; Mathematics Stage 6: Extension II; Physics Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Algebra; Calculus; Geometry
PUBLISHER: University of Salzburg, Austria
REVIEW DATE: 30/04/09 [512] SCIS 1275863
Learning bridge for Australian youth
players
Bridge is an International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognised
sport. It is used for imparting skills in improved
concentration, problem solving and lateral thinking. Bridge
could be used in Mathematics: Extension 2 with its
content of patterns, symbols, numbers and problem solving, or
to extend gifted junior Mathematics students. The site is not
colourful but offers useful resources such as free software
for a Playing online competition,
Links to Australian and international bridge
raining sites, Teaching kit for kids,
Practice hands, and Rules of mini
bridge. All have quality content and instructions,
making this a functional site that is designed for young
learners and comes equipped with teaching resources for the
teacher of bridge. M. Gary
USER LEVEL: Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: Mathematics
SYLLABUS: Mathematics 7–10;
Mathematics Stage 6: Extension 2
SCIS SUBJECTS: Bridge (Game)
PUBLISHER: Australian Bridge Federation,
Australia
REVIEW DATE: 21/08/05 [795.41] SCIS 1221949
KryssTal: Pascal’s Triangle
Pascal’s Triangle is utilised here as a means of
introducing the Binomial Theorem, combinations, selections and
binomial series. Whilst the latter item may not be within the
confines of Stage 6 mathematics syllabuses, the other
presentations feature in the Extension 1 course. Clear
definitions and carefully constructed examples feature in this
slightly different approach to the subject matter. The
excursion into convergent binomial series may enhance the
understanding of the Binomial Theorem. Links to related pages
on number series, algebra, trigonometry and logarithms are also
available. T. Scott
USER LEVEL: Stage 6 Community
KLA: Mathematics
SYLLABUS: Mathematics Stage 6: Extension
1
SCIS SUBJECTS: Mathematics
KEYWORDS: Algebra; binomial; combinations;
mathematics; roots
PUBLISHER: Kryss Katsiavriades, UK
REVIEW DATE: 7/5/04 SCIS 1037806
NRIC:
mathematics problems, games and articles
Part of the millennium mathematics project, this resource
displays mathematical problems in four tiers with differing
levels of challenge. Equating British content to NSW syllabuses
is efficiently aided by the Help section, and teachers are
advised to read this first. Each problem is supported by links
to similar problems and related topics as well as very helpful
hints. Clear, bright graphics help to clarify the problems and
will engage students. Solutions can be submitted online for
later publication. As well as mathematical problems, the site
contains games of logic and articles about interesting aspects
of mathematics. Extension students who are mathematically
literate could work independently and productively using this
web site. C. Stilwell
USER LEVEL: Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5
Stage 6
KLA: Mathematics
SYLLABUS: General Mathematics Stage 6;
Mathematics K–6; Mathematics 7–10; Mathematics Life
Skills Course Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Mathematical recreations;
Mathematics – Problems, exercises, etc
PUBLISHER: University of Cambridge, UK
REVIEW DATE: 16/03/05 [510.76] SCIS
1195248
QuickMath automatic math solutions
Solutions and graphs for a broad range of mathematical
questions are presented at this dynamic and interactive site.
Headings include: Algebra;
Equations; Inequalities;
Calculus (Differentiation,
definite and indefinite integrals); Graphs;
and Numbers (Percentages and
Scientific notation). Students can enter an
expression, function or equation, which will be simplified,
solved or plotted accordingly. In some cases a
Random button generates these inputs. Answers
and often a full explanation of the process are provided. Input
is usually simple and is supported by a good help section. This
powerful tool could be used as an exercise checker and self
tutorial for students or as a generator of exercises. G.
Donaldson
USER LEVEL: Stage 5 Stage 6 Professional
KLA: Mathematics
SYLLABUS: Mathematics 7-10; Mathematics Stage
6: General; Extension 1; Extension 2
SCIS SUBJECTS: Mathematics – Problems,
exercises, etc
KEYWORDS: Algebra; calculus; differentiate;
equations; expand; factor; inequalities; integrate;
mathematics; simplify
PUBLISHER: QuickMath, Australia/USA
AUTHOR: Ben Langton SCIS 1031717
REVIEW DATE: 7/5/04
Science talk
ABSTRACT
An online teaching resource, the site promotes teaching and learning in Science and Mathematics. The site’s educational sections are: Chemistry practicals (8), Physics practicals (16), Maths practicals (7), Virtual experiments (9), and Games and puzzles (3). Sections are laid out in headings which equate to lesson ideas. Each of these is an audio and visual presentation by a scientist, and site users can view a transcript of the lesson. The site is developing and will feature more lessons, including video interviews and master classes. The site provides information on technological help for teachers using the material.
USER LEVEL: Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6 Professional
KLA: Mathematics; Science
SYLLABUS: Chemistry Stage 6; Mathematics Stage 6: Extension 1; Mathematics Stage 6: Extension 2; Physics Stage 6; Senior Science Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Chemistry; Educational games; Mathematics; Physics; Science – Experiments
PUBLISHER: Centre for Learning Innovation, Australia
REVIEW DATE: 10/09/07 [500] SCIS 1330754
Understanding money website
The processes of managing money and taking control of personal financial issues are explained on this site. It has a strong focus on explaining how to manage and invest money, making this website useful for Mathematics syllabuses and Commerce 7–10. For Mathematics, the Budgeting section is the most useful part of the site as it gives students an understanding of what a budget is, and how to create one using the tools on the site. Teachers and students would find this section of the site most beneficial as it covers most of the FM1 strand of the General Mathematics course. Commerce students will gain some financial knowledge from Investing and Starting work. The Handbook link allows users to download a PDF resource about how to manage money in a range of situations. This resource is suitable to support the L4L laptop project within a connected learning environment. A. Cini
USER LEVEL: Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: HSIE; Mathematics
SYLLABUS: Commerce 7–10; General Mathematics Stage 6; Mathematics 7–10
SCIS SUBJECTS: Consumer education; Financial literacy
PUBLISHER: Financial Literacy Foundation, Australia
REVIEW DATE: 30/04/09 [332.024] SCIS 1299221
Word problems for kids
Broken into sections from Grade 5 to Grade 12, this site
presents word and diagram based problems across the mathematics
curriculum. The problems originated from Canadian mathematics
competitions. Brief hints and answers are provided.
Measurements are metric. There are from 40 to 50 problems for
each of the eight grades. Teachers would need to locate
appropriate problems, but should find this a good resource.
Students from Stages 3 to 6 could be directed to specific
activities. Download is fast and navigation easy. The problems
are in simple language, concise, and come from both real world
applications and abstract algebraic, geometrical, and
trigonometric constructs. G. Donaldson
USER LEVEL: Professional
KLA: Mathematics
SYLLABUS: Mathematics K-6; Mathematics 7-10;
Mathematics Stage 6: General; Extension 1;
Extension 2
SCIS SUBJECTS: Mathematics – Problems,
exercises, etc.
KEYWORDS: Grade; word problems
PUBLISHER: St. Francis Xavier University,
Canada
REVIEW DATE: 7/5/04 SCIS 1030741
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