Software (Downloads and Online Apps)
Software Instructions and Tutorials
Calculator Help
Topic Help – Precalculus
Topic Help – Calculus
Graph Paper and Other Printables
Reference
Testing
IB Mathematics Analysis & Approaches SL formula booklet, new version from Sept. 2023
This is the formula packet that you get to use on the IB Math A&A SL exam and on my semester exams.
Software (Downloads and Online Apps)
Here’s where you can download GeoGebra. I recommend that you choose one of the installers rather than the Chrome app. You’ll learn how to use it to make graphs in class, if you haven’t already.
Winplot is a free graphing calculator program for Windows computers. It makes terrific graphs, and it’s especially easy for making good solids of revolution/known cross section and slope fields quickly.
It is described as a computational knowledge engine. Ask it a math problem. See what happens.
This is probably the best online graphing calculator currently available. It’s really good. If you use it, go ahead and create a free account with your school e-mail. You have be logged in to save your graphs or to export them. You can save a graph as an image and paste into a word processor.
Tracker is software that lets you import a video and mark points on each frame to track motion. It will also fit curves to the points you mark. It’s free and there are videos at that link to help you get started. It can apparently be run from a flash drive without installing on your computer, but I haven’t tried that.
A web-based program that computes the derivative of everything you’re likely to need for this class and a lot more, probably more friendly to type in than Wolfram Alpha.
Like the derivative calculator above, except that it does integrals.
This is a free open-source office software suite (like Microsoft Office, but free). The spreadsheet program works like Excel does for graphing, and you can use the Excel graphing instructions below with this program, as well. Available for Windows, Macintosh, and various Unix builds.
Grapher is a program that may already be in the Utilities folder of your Macintosh. Try the tutorials linked here for help using it.
I needed to make a flow chart a while back, and this free online tool did a really good job. It was very intuitive. There is a paid version that lets you save more documents, but the free version did what I needed.
Software Instructions and Tutorials
Desmos graphing calculator tutorials
This will help you get started with the various things Desmos can do.
This is the link to the tutorials on the official GeoGebra site.
Guillermo Bautista’s GeoGebra tutorials
Mr. Bautista teaches at a university in the Philippines, and his tutorials are very good.
These are from the University of Hawaii’s math lab.
This site hosts files designed to teach illustrate some mathematical concepts using Winplot.
A no-audio quick start guide (1:30) to graphing using Grapher (in the Utilities folder already) on your Mac. You can also try searching YouTube for Mac Grapher. There are several different tutorials there the last I checked.
The Putterer’s Mac Grapher help
That’s the first one; a second, more advanced post, is here.
These are tutorials I wrote myself to help you make scatter plots and graph mathematical functions in a spreadsheet. The instructions also work with later versions, and with some alterations in where to find the commands, with other spreadsheets as well.
Calculator Help
Getting Started with TI-Nspire™ CX
From this link, you can download a pdf guidebook to get you started with the calculator.
A bunch of videos for doing specific tasks on the TI-Nspire. They go sort of fast sometimes, but they also come with a pdf of the keystrokes to follow.
Finding Your Way Around the TI-83…
..and TI-84 series calculators. This site has instructions on how to use this calculator for specific math topics. It is potentially useful for A-Team and Polk State math courses.
Topic Help – Precalculus
Important: There is a LOT more information on this page, and it’s broken down by the particular topics we study in the course. Start there.
Quiz yourself on memorized trig values; you know you need the practice! This online app is from an IB math teacher who saw that his students needed to memorize and then review the values of the trig functions in the first revolution. Just like mine do.
These are notes from a college professor for his college algebra, trig, calculus, and differential equations classes. Both the college algebra and the trigonometry topics would be useful in precalculus class.
This is a pretty good list of the types of math mistakes that high school and college students commonly make. If you think that you’re making too many careless mistakes and aren’t sure how to stop, this might be a good place to look.
Pascal and Fermat probability correspondence
This is a translation into English of the actual letters that Blaise Pascal and Pierre de Fermat wrote to each other from 1654-1660 when they worked out the basics of the mathematical field of probability. It shows that even ridiculously brilliant people aren’t always right the first time and how ideas like these can be developed in discussion.
Examples with “answer” blocked until you move cursor over for practice. The topics include algebra, geometry, trigonometry, precalclulus, and calculus.
Lots of topics, in areas ranging from algebra through calculus.
Practice tests from SOS math
Common errors to avoid in math. While some of the examples used are calculus, lots of the things mentioned are applicable throughout high school math.
Tables of information on lots of math topics, and a “white board” on which you can “write” with your mouse back and forth with other users, which makes it easier to write mathematical symbols.
Links to internet pre-calculus resources.
Topic Help – Calculus
Important: There is a LOT more information on this page, and it’s broken down by the particular topics we study in the course. Start there.
These are notes from a college professor for his college algebra, trig, calculus, and differential equations classes.
This is a pretty good list of the types of math mistakes that high school and college students commonly make. If you think that you’re making too many careless mistakes and aren’t sure how to stop, this might be a good place to look.
University of Houston calculus videos
Calculus lectures, 15 to 30 minutes each, which include examples and explanations. They seem pretty thorough.
University of Houston calculus tutorials
While also from UH, these are not the same as the videos above. To get to the written explanations: click on the topic, then on the link under Help Materials, and you get to a page with problems to work. Click on the “Help on This Topic” graphic in the upper left corner of that page to get worked out explained problems first. The practice problems have both “answers” — no explanation — and solutions — which include the explanation.
Examples with “answer” blocked until you move cursor over for practice. The topics include algebra, geometry, trigonometry, precalculus, and calculus.
Spreadsheet Calculus on Instructables
These are instructions on how to do some calculus concepts in a spreadsheet, on the incredible site, instructables.com.
Spreadsheet Calculus: Derivatives and Integrals
Spreadsheet Calculus: Newton’s Method
Spreadsheet Calculus: Euler’s Method
The Calculus Page Problems List
Some calculus problems with worked-out solutions. Unfortunately not all of the topics listed actually have notes linked to them.
Lots of topics, in areas ranging from algebra through calculus.
Practice tests from SOS math
Common errors to avoid in math. While some of the examples used are calculus, lots of the things mentioned are applicable throughout high school math.
One guy’s instructions on how to study and make A’s in calculus, along with a bunch of tutorials for calculus.
Tables of information on lots of math topics, and a “white board” on which you can “write” with your mouse back and forth with other users, which makes it easier to write mathematical symbols.
Michelle Krummel’s LaTeX and calculus videos
If you would like to learn the technical typesetting language called LaTeX, Mrs. Krummel’s videos are pretty good. She also has playlists of calculus instruction videos that start with prerequisites and work through the course.
Graph Paper and Other Printables
Graph paper to download and print
A collection of pre-made graph paper in PDF format. This one also lets you specify your own measurements and will customize the grid for you.
Incompetech’s graph paper collection
A nice collection of PDF graph and other grid-type paper.
Graph paper, 2 mm, (blue)
Graph paper, 2 mm (gray)
Graph paper, 1/2 cm (blue)
Graph paper, 1/2 cm (gray)
These print best on highest quality. I made them myself.
Semicircular protractor to print, from MathsIsFun.com.
This is one page with several identical cm/inch rulers you can cut out and use, from the site below.
This is the site I got the one above from.
More General Reference
A massive math reference site, described like this: “MathWorld is a comprehensive and interactive mathematics encyclopedia intended for students, educators, math enthusiasts, and researchers.” It gets very high level, but can also be useful for pre-calculus and calculus topics.
This is a Lifehacker article giving some good places to look when you want to learn just about anything using online resources.
This is the tagline at the top of the page:
Is math class too easy for you? You’ve come to the right place!
Guide to Writing in Mathematics
This was written by a college calculus teacher for her students, but many of the points she makes are helpful in exploration writing.
Learning to Factor (Ask Dr. Math archive)
Answers to questions submitted by students about how to factor numbers and polynomials.
Missouri State University Problem Corner
A “problem corner” with problems for enjoyment and challenge, divided up by level of difficulty.
An organization for high school math competitions. You can find articles and problems here.
Oh, the mistakes we make. This is one reason why you can’t believe everything you read or hear.
Some nifty little programs and games.
A very cool way to understand how big and small powers of 10 really get.
The Math Forum Problems Library
Problems on lots of different math topics at all levels.
Numbers in Over 5000 Languages
Want to learn to count to 10? This is where I got all those numbers in which to count mistakes.
An ambitious web site that collects mathematical history from a variety of sources and organizes it here.
Interactive Mathematics Miscellany and Puzzles
Lots of diverse topics and interesting facts.
Designed to make math fun. Some cool programs to demonstrate concepts, some games, some tips on how to succeed in class.
Square Roots Without a Calculator
This is from the Ask Dr. Math archives, and has brief articles on how the calculation of square and cube roots can be done without a calculator.
Testing
Registration and practice for the SAT, and information about getting ready for college in general.
The College Board’s AP student section.
The official site of the International Baccalaureate.
Information about the American Mathematics Contest. In several recent years, Polk State has offered local students a chance to take this there for free. When they give me information, I’ll post it on Teams.
This site offers practice for a boatload of different tests one might take, including college entrance and Advanced Placement exams. To be honest, they asked me if I would consider linking to them (who knew a link from my site could be desirable, right?), but it looks like it might be useful to some of you. Feel free to report back on what you find if you check it out.