ActiveMaths  (Copyright)1995 John Calder
             E-MAIL:  calderj@schools.minedu.govt.nz  
             Box 41-076, Auckland 3, New Zealand

See end of this file for copyright details and rights reserved.

A set of programmes for Maths teaching and learning at 
High School level - ages 13 to 15.
DOS programmes, in our experience also well-behaved
under Windows.

Startup programme is "mathmenu.exe"

Shareware with no trial time limit.
Registration is optional and gives you an extended
version with more programmes and exercises.

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ActiveMaths - short intro                       

It's at High School that you go past number work 
and into higher levels of Maths.
A computer system can make this Maths come alive 
in interesting and even exciting ways, helping to 
make it "click" into place for you.

In 1992, I searched for Maths learning programmes 
and I was disappointed with what I found, so I 
decided I could do it better and here it is!

ActiveMaths is a system of programmes.

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The programmes of exam style questions have helping steps.
If you get a question wrong first time, a help message 
appears, and you have a chance to get half a mark by 
trying again.

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In 'Graphing of Equations' and 'Draw-by-Plot', the graph 
age becomes an open space you can explore.  Equations, 
variables, shapes and graphs come to life as objects you 
control: change, squeeze and tweak them, and learn by 
eeing the results.

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'Frankenstein' is a game, a little like 'hangman', to 
help learn Maths words I have collected from past exams.  


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System Requirements

IBM compatible computer, XT type and above.
At least CGA graphics to run the complete system and
EGA/VGA/SVGA or better to get the full effect.
Hard disk preferable. 

I've made this a DOS-based system which means that, 
while it can make good use of the colour and speed 
of the latest computers, it will still run on most 
low-tech and older machines.
It also makes it economical on disk space!

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Copyright Note

I reserve all rights on my programmes, as in the ways 
and means to make this Maths work interactively on a computer.

An exception is the "FRANK" programme which is my improved 
version of part of the freely distributed "IQ-BUILD" shareware 
programme of the mid 1980s, still available as "PC-SIG no 18".  
If the original authors are reading this please accept my 
congratulations for your fine work and know that I am following 
in the spirit of the original and making my version freely 
available in the same way.  For that reason, this disk contains 
the programming code for "FRANK", and those of you interested in 
programming can experiment with it, adapt it, or even improve 
it more(!) with the QBASIC system found in DOS-5 and above, 
or any BASIC compiler, eg POWERBASIC, VISUAL BASIC, or QUICKBASIC.

Teachers and students should also feel welcome to use the 
questions generated by "ActiveMaths" for revision sheets, 
worksheets etc, so long as you are not exploiting my generosity 
for a project for profit or a large-scale project that goes 
outside your home or school community.
In these cases, work out a clearance with me first.

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I hope you find this angle on learning Maths helpful 
and enjoyable.
Let me know what you think!

John Calder, Auckland, New Zealand, July 1996

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