Brittany Priest
MATH REF
HAPPY MAAU STUDIOS, LLC EDUCATION
Math Ref is a mobile app created by Happy Maau Studios. The app costs $0.99, and there is also a free version of Math Ref called Math Ref Free. Math Ref Free does not include the same amount of information that Math Ref provides. My critique is based off of the full version of Math Ref. There is more information about Math Ref and its features at
PURPOSE: The purpose of this app is to help students and teachers by providing definitions, formulas, mathematical theorems, and show examples in the subjects of Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Linear Algebra, Calculus, Differential Equations, Discrete, and Probability and Statistics. It also includes information on other subjects related to Mathematics, such as Science and Finance.
This app also provides tools to solve problems in Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Stats, and Physics. The 2 Point Solver takes two points and gives the polar coordinates of each, finds the midpoint, finds the x- and y-intercepts, and finds the slope. Then it shows what the graph would look like for these two points. The 2 Line Solver finds the slope of both lines and where the lines intersect. The Quadratic Solver solves any quadratic that the user types in. It even gives the correct solution to a quadratic with complex roots. The Complex Solver can convert a complex number into polar coordinates and vice versa. This solver can also add, subtract, multiply, and divide two complex numbers. For the Triangle Solver, the user needs to know either SSS, SAS, AAS, ASA, or SSA and enter these numbers in to find the rest of the angles and sides. The Angle Solver converts degrees to radians and vice versa. The other solvers provided with this app are self explanatory and very easy to use.
I believe this app is useful for students whom already know how to do the basics and procedures in their mathematics classroom. This app can be helpful for application problems. Students will have to distinguish what formula they need to use in a problem and therefore, not have to rely on wasting time trying to derive a formula.
WEAKNESSES: This app has several weaknesses. There are some mistakes in the mathematics and in the organization of this app. One mathematical error was the value of . The app has the answer as 1; however, in class we learned that is undefined. This type of error can mislead students to believing that , and they will be confused by the underlying mathematics of why is undefined. An organizational error in this app comes from the Pre-Algebra section. The example given under the complex numbers tab is actually an example that should be under order of operations. The example given under the order of operations tab is an example that should be under scientific notation. The example under the scientific notation tab is an example that should be under complex numbers. This might provide confusion to the learner because they might think that scientific notation is actually written as a complex number. As an experienced Mathematics student, I was able to realize these examples were mixed up; however, for a student beginning to learn these subtopics this organizational error might cause confusion and false perceptions.
Another mathematical error is under the Graphing Functions tab. It shows horizontal and vertical shifts, reflections, and vertical stretches and compressions; however, it does not talk about horizontal stretches and compressions. This part of graphing functions is skipped over completely but is an integral portion to understanding the deeper mathematics of transformations of functions. When looking at the vertical stretches and compressions of functions, the students might not see the importance of learning horizontal stretches and compressions and might automatically believe they are the same as vertical stretches and compressions. Therefore, the creators need to include horizontal stretches and compressions in this tab.
Another weakness is that this app only provides one example for the students to look at for each subtopic. They are always the same examples and never change. The student is not being exposed to more than one example which is not enough to learn material. Therefore, this app should not be used to teach the students mathematics; however, just to give students a quick reference when trying to complete a more intense mathematical problem. This app also is not very consistent with its examples. For Algebra, Geometry, and Integration there are examples for each subtopic; however, all the other topics contain at most five examples for the entire topic. Therefore, some subtopics are not even accompanied by an example. The examples given in this app are mostly drill and practice problems. There are no real life examples for the users to explore. Therefore, this app does not rely on the underlying mathematics of the definitions and theorems but just relies on giving the user the information. This is potentially a weakness because it doesn’t motivate the student to learn the proper mathematics of each definition and formula which is what teachers aim for in their classroom.
The solvers provided in this app are only useful to students whom already know how to do the basics. If a student is just beginning to learn how to solve these certain subtopics in Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, and Stats then the solvers basically tell the student that they don’t have to learn the computation because this app will do it for you. This is not the message we want to be sending our students. Part of learning the deeper meaning of mathematics is learning the actual procedure of how to find certain things. However, for a student who is already an expert at solving these types of equations, the solvers are a great way to help a student save time in doing the procedures and focus more on exploration. I would suggest to the creators to include a Matrix Multiplier Solver and also a Derivative and Integral calculator.
STRENGTHS: There are also many strengths that this app provides. When clicking on a specific formula or definition, there are options to show an example, to take extra notes, to add to favorites, or to share (print, email, or copy). Taking extra notes provides the teacher or student with access to include more information about each subtopic. This is good to help the student study for a test or quiz. The student can add more information about the topic under the notes tab and then use the phone as a flashcard flipping between the formula and the information. Students can also add certain formulas and definitions to the favorites tab for easy and quick accessibility. Also if students are still confused about a definition or theorem, the student can hit the information tab and there is a little more information about each definition, theorem, and formula included under this tab.
This app can be useful for students whom already know the procedures. These students can then move on to more challenging problems and explore mathematics to create a deeper mathematical understanding of each topic. Having formulas, definitions, and theorems at easy accessibility can help the students save time to explore other interesting aspects of mathematics. The students won’t have to derive formulas or try to remember theorems to help them understand a problem. Some students are turned off by having to remember theorems and formulas. These students can become more engaged in mathematics classrooms by having these formulas and theorems accessible. This app also includes a unit converter. Therefore, students who don’t know how to convert inches into feet or feet into miles, can use this feature to still help them understand and solve a problem they are given.
The Quadratic Solver included in this app can be used in the classroom to explore the possible solutions for a quadratic equation. Students can use this app to see that there can only be 0, 1, or 2 solutions to quadratic equations. The teacher can help guide the students by helping them find quadratic functions to type into this solver. The students can learn quickly that when a quadratic equation has zero solutions, then it actually has two complex roots. This exploration can lead to further understanding of quadratic functions.
This app provides a direct link to email the creators of this app. They are open to suggestions for improvement of this app. This can be useful to teachers who want to try to make a better app to use in the classroom for their students. They can provide suggestions to the creators and help make the app better fit the classroom. This is also useful to users who find mistakes in this app. I have found a couple and also have suggestions on what the creators can also include in their app to make it more mathematically correct. I talked about these mistakes and suggestions in the weaknesses section.
This app also includes a search feature to help the user quickly find what they are looking for. If a teacher or student is stuck on trying to remember a certain formula or theorem, they can quickly type in what they are looking for and several suggestions will come up. The student or teacher doesn’t have to waste time by looking through each topic and subtopic to try to find what they are looking for.