MathsNet newsletter

This newsletter is an occasional update on mathematics resources being developed at MathsNet. If you subscribe then this newsletter will be emailed to you.

Newsletter Volume 14.2, November 17, 2005

An update on resource development at www.mathsnet.net. Thank you for subscribing. MathsNet.net is a free and independent educational website, produced in its entirety by me.

The password for access to the puzzle answers is not given here but is included in the emailed newsletter.

MAIN RESOURCE SUMMARY
The main curriculum resources on MathsNet are:

ASA2 Mathematics: http://www.mathsnet.net/asa2/2004/
Geometry: http://www.mathsnet.net/geometry/
Graphs: http://www.mathsnet.net/graphs/
Algebra: http://www.mathsnet.net/algebra/
Fractions: http://www.mathsnet.net/fractions/
Games and puzzles: http://www.mathsnet.net/puzzles.html
Discussion forums: http://www.mathsnet.net/forums/
Interactive GCSE Subscription site : http://www.mathsnetgcse.com

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
The two most popular areas of MathsNet currently are: ASA2 Mathematics: http://www.mathsnet.net/asa2/2004/ and Puzzles: http://www.mathsnet.net/puzzles.html. The puzzles page contains an ever growing collection of games and puzzles from around the world. Each one requires some degree of stategic thinking to solve.
Here's a summary

Backflip: A simple puzzle akin to the slider types
Boxes: The familar paper and pencil game for two players where the aim is to connect up dots to comple square boxes
Bridges: Build a brifge across the diagram before the computer does
Checkers: Otherwise known as drafts
Chess: Play chess against the computer
Cluster: A kind of 3D noughts and crosses
Connect 4: Play the computer at this well known game
Countdown: a version of the popular TV game
CrossCheck: Connect 4 in two different directions
Diagonal differences: A trypical GCSE coursework investigation
Eliminator: a strategy game unique to the web
English 16: A board game involving swapping moving pieces by leapfrogging others
Equation buster: Online algebraic equation solving
Factor game: A game for two on knowing your factors
Fiver : Another counter swapping strategy game
15 puzzle: The well known slider puzzle
Game of life: Conways game
Go: Chiness chess
Gomoku: Get five counters in a row before the computer does
Graph game: Make connections on a graph
Guess: Guess a number in the minimum number of moves
Hangman: The well known paper and pencil game
Hare & Hounds: Another traditional strategy board game
Hex-7: And another
Higher-Lower: Like the TV game - is the next card higher or lower?
IQgame: a peg removal game, like solitaire
knotfunny: A new computer game based on a slider puzzle
Leapfrog: Make the frogs change places in the minimum number of moves
Mastermind: The logical thinking game based on coloured pegs
Mathionaire: Based on the TV game but with mathematical questions
NumberJump: A strategy game based on moving around a board to every square
NumberStairs: A investigation similar to Diagonal differences
Packing crate: A maze game with a difference
Pannerotto: Difficult to describe; unque to the internet
Peg: A solitaire game
Peggy: Another solitaire game
Product game: A two player game based on knowing your tables
queenVknight: Place knights and queens on a chessboard
Quoridor: Build a bridge before your opponent does - and use barriers too
Reversi: The board game also known as Othello
Rubik's cube: An online version
Rush hour: A slider/maze game
Shooter: A peg removal game
Siji: Another peg removal game
Sokoban: And another peg removal game
Sliders: Various slider puzzles
Sudoku: Place the digits 1 to 9 in the grid
TacTix: Similar to Nim
3D TicTacTo: Noughts and crosses in 3D
TicTacTo : Noughts and crosses
TicTacTo 3D: Another 3D version
Tower of Hanoi: Move the disks from one tower to another
Triplets: Get three counters in a row before the computer does
Tsukoban: A maze game based on moving objects to a goal
Wordsearch: Find the words in the grid

Newsletter Volume 14.1, September 20, 2005

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
The last newsletter mentioned the need for MathsNet to generate some income if it is to continue. There are Google ads appearing on most main pages now. Please click on them. A small income is generated that will help pay for the site servers to be updated.
For the same reason, you will find at http://www.mathsnet.net/music/ a new area totally unrelated to mathematics. Essentially it is a list of my recommended music CDs. If you buy a CD through this page then, once again, a small income is generated , this time from Amazon.
The main page includes an advertisement for eTeach, the education job search engine. This you can support this site by getting a new job and listening to good music!

NEW STUFF

The puzzles page at http://www.mathsnet.net/puzzles.html now includes online versions of the TV shows Countdown and Millionaire, a version of the well known "frogs" investigation and a wordsearch. All four were created by the website Subtangent at http://www.subtangent.com/, which is highly recommended. From the same site comes "Diagonal differences" which you can find from the Flash page at http://www.mathsnet.net/flash/. This is a Flash implentation of a typical piece of GCSE mathematics coursework. Again, highly recommended - particularly if you have an interactive whiteboard to show it on.

The Chessclub at http://www.mathsnet.net/puzzles/chess/ has been extended and includes a daily chess puzzle. This comes from the Mazeworks site at http://www.mazeworks.com/

All the links pages that start from http://www.mathenet.net/links.html have been weeded through recently for dead links. Finally, to repeat once more, any comments are welcome on Equation Buster at http://www.mathsnet.net/algebra/equation.html