NittanyJen Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 In several recent math threads, I have read questions about math texts that reflected concerns about being able to access answers to exercises (due to lack of a teacher manual, expensive teacher manuals, out of print editions, etc). Although it will not help with word problems, I wanted to make sure forum members were aware of the website Wolfram Alpha for pretty much any problem that you can put into a mathematical equation-- just go to www.wolframalpha.com and enter the equation that is giving you difficulty, and get the answer, if you just need to check the answer. For free, there is now a step-by-step solution feature, where you can have up to three solutions emailed to you (or you can sign up for W-A Pro for unlimited step by step solutions). I see there is an example generator for all kinds of problems, including word problems, so perhaps there is a way to input word problems that I simply have not explored yet. You can expect your answer in several formats, which can be interesting to your kids-- for example, if you enter a fraction problem, your answer will be returned as an exact fraction, a decimal, a mixed number, a number line, and an Egyptian expansion fraction. If you enter a polynomial problem, you can expect a graphical solution as well. This is a really nice resource for quickly checking "Is this answer really wrong, or is this answer key perhaps printed incorrectly?" or for those times when you have a problem and no answer key at all for it, and there is the opportunity to get a step-by-step solution mailed to you. Neither DH nor I has any affiliation with W-A that I am aware of; DH has programmed other mathematical packages, but not, I believe, this one, so I am not pushing anything for any type of personal gain; just trying to help my fellow forum members, because I know math can be a sticky problem for many. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiana Daniels Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 It's a FANTASTIC site! But one I don't want my kids to discover when they are at the point of doing work that's tougher ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiana Daniels Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 And it's not just math. Try putting a date in there, etc. Lots of interesting tidbits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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