Keeping Up With Jones!

Review – The Math Academy Online / Platonic Realms

A few years ago, a colleague of mine told me about The Math Academy Online.  I found – and still find – the site to be a fascinating collection of mathematical games, videos, trivia, and other fun things.

Upon entering the site (http://www.mathacademy.com/), one is drawn to several interesting things to see: a historical note, a daily quotation, and a math moment in the form of a shockwave video.  A daily challenge and several articles can draw in the curious viewer.

Unfortunately, the last "news" posted dates to early 2004.  That, and the fact that the math moment was the same one I saw before – and the only one I ever recall seeing – leads me to believe that few, if any, updates have occurred; the latest copyright date is 2006.  In all fairness, the site's creator, Dr. B. Sidney Smith, has completed his Ph. D. and taken a faculty position at Radford University in Virginia.  A look at the Platonic Realms "About" page and a peek at Dr. Smith's home page (http://www.radford.edu/~bsmith7/) details the very interesting life he has led so far.  I wrote to Dr. Smith about the site; since it is August, I expect that he is both resting and gearing up for the fall semester.  If and when I receive a reply, I shall update this review.

The site does have much going for it.  An encyclopedia and mini-texts are well-written and easily understood by the layperson.  Links to sites such as Calc101.com Automatic Calculus and Algebra Help (http://www.calc101.com/) provide thorough assistance for students.

This is an excellent site for students from Grade 7 through college.  I would give the site an A-; new offerings would keep students returning and raise this site's  grade.

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This page was last updated on 7 August 2007.