MathsNet.net is a website sans pareil for anyone with any interest in mathematics. Bryan Dye has received many awards for his site, which will help thousands of students, teachers and researchers explore a vast treasure house of mathematics.
To quote from the site: “MathsNet.net is an independent educational website providing free mathematics resources to the education community. Its aim is to offer truly interactive resources that are both wide and deep in terms of their applicability and usefulness. It is not an online textbook. It is interactive, requiring the user to participate rather than be a passive observer.”
The home page greets you with so much interesting material I was not sure where to start. Since I have an interest in dynamic geometry software (DGS) I looked at the interactive geometry link. This offered far more than I ever imagined. Java applets allow you to interact with the software and all the major programs can be explored without the need to have any installed.
Where next? I then visited the GCSE revision site and was delighted with what I saw. Neatly sorted links allow pupils to revise at their own pace and practise whatever they want. Make sure your students are aware of this site, but beware - they may never bother you again.
ASA2 or algebra, GCSE or geometry, enrichment and entertainment: this site has it all. This review took me absolutely ages since I kept getting trapped in the activities that abound on the site. However, I now know where my pupils will be going frequently. Make this site your number one priority.
www.mathsnet.net
Peter Ransom is the Leading Mathematics Teacher at The Mountbatten School and Language College, Romsey in Hampshire
