Math can be fun

C. Ramesh

Continuing with our series on science-related Web sites, this week the spotlight is on what most of us dreaded as kids: mathematics.

The first site we feature aims to dispel the fear of math among students and open up the wonderful word of mathematical concepts through puzzles.

The next is meant for serious students of the subject, devoted to a wide-ranging collection of advanced concepts, while the last looks at something so old that it has become offbeat in today's world.

www.cut-the-knot.com

This curiously-named cyber resource describes itself as Interactive Mathematics Miscellany and Puzzles, and deals with a large body of mathematical work, and is essentially aimed at making math accessible to those with a congenital dread of the subject.

In the Manifesto, the folks behind this venture clearly spell what the site's purpose is, and also illustrate beautifully what the place of math in our lives is.

Divided in to various sections, such as games & puzzles, arithmetic, geometry, probability, proofs and more, the site plunges straight into the exciting world of problems and solutions. There are also links to other math sites to visit once you are done with this one, which is unlikely to happen soon!

www.mathpages.com

Web sites don't get any more plain than this one, the home page being just a gateway to a vast collection of pages of information on a spectrum of concepts ranging from algebra to number theory, calculus to probability to symmetric pseudoprimes.

There is also separate link to animated illustrations, which includes an applet that shows the positions of all 297 stars with magnitudes less than 3.5, and another that describes the workings of an unconventional internal combustion engine.

Besides, there is a link to a `Most Wanted List', which is the Web site author's list of problems awaiting solution, and one that features a host of musical pieces for your listening pleasure!

There is also a page on the history of mathematics and quotations by famous mathematicians. All in all, this is a Web site that should keep you busy for hours, but of course, that depends on how close math is to your heart.

www.vedicmaths.org

Long before modern-day mathematics was established as we know it, our own ancestors had made tremendous advances in the field, now commonly referred to as Vedic mathematics.

The site is run by two UK-based enthusiasts of Vedic mathematics: Clive Middleton, who is working on a computerised Vedic maths tutorial program, and Kenneth Williams. It aims to ``provide a central resource to explain what Vedic mathematics is''.

Though the site scores low on layout, its textual content and the lucid manner in which the concept of Vedic mathematics is explained more than makes up.

There are separate drop-down links to what the subject is all about, its history and tutorial sections to familiarise with the subject (this section is quite fascinating).

If your are keen on knowing more about the topic, you can subscribe to a e-mail newsletter that will keep you abreast of the latest developments.

A calendar of events gives details of related courses and lectures, and a sister site also sells books.

Please e-mail us at eworld@thehindu.co.in if you have queries on computer usage or if you find an interesting way of using the computer.