• Investment World
• eWorld
• Catalyst
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest

Paromita Pain

Here are a few online resources that can help crack the all-important board examinations for Math and Science.

FOR all those who spent December in a stupor of partying and merry-making, January heralding a new year — and exams needn't be completely nightmarish. While textbooks and the bound volumes of collected question papers are indispensable, a few online resources can help crack the revision exams and speed up studies for the all-important board examinations.

Practice mathematics

Among the most demanding and daunting subjects a board examination candidate ever faced, help for maths can be accessed at http://mathforum.org/library/toc.html.

A part of the maths forum, the Internet Mathematics Library, the link has different sections on various mathematical topics. The site is divided into various subcategories, and main headings such as Algebra are subdivided into Equations and further into Graphing Equations and Polynomials.

The USP of the site is its simplicity. As Amrita, who recently finished her exams from the Pratt Memorial School, Kolkata, says, "I discovered the site pretty late. But even casually reading through the explanations of the formulas given made them at least seem easy. I later found that applying them wasn't so difficult."

In fact, this section seems meant for those planning to learn their formulas by heart. Laid out simply, each formula is explained in clear steps, with sums to demonstrate the application better.

It also has tips and warnings, such as converting the hours to minutes makes calculations easier and remembering to be careful about units to make solving the problem in uniform units easier.

It also has an FAQ (http://mathforum.org/dr.math/faq/) section, which is sure to be a boon to all those struggling with classical problems. Remember `Al's father is 45. He is 15 years older than twice Al's age. How old is Al'-type monsters? Well, Dr Maths explains with clarity and infinite patience to get the better of them.

The site also has some interesting reading sections devoted to `About Mathematics', `Was Math Invented or Discovered?' `What is Mathematics?' and other interesting debates.

The disadvantages here are of the basic variety. Navigating the site is a problem. As Niladri of Don Bosco School says: "It is cluttered with too many links, divided into different subheads, and valuable time may be wasted trying to get to the section you really want. One option is to go straight to the Dr Math column and choose the specific problem from there."

A search engine is provided but the search words must co-ordinate with the content provided. Broad topics typed in may help narrow it down.

Http://mathstest.4t.com/ has assignments to help CBSE as well as ICSE math students. This has honest to goodness questions just the way it will be served up during the board exams, with the instructions plainly spelt out and the time to start and end marked. Perfect to get a feel of what it will be like to take the test in real time! Science guide

http://www.stepsedu.com/cbse.htm, a part of STEPS, a comprehensive programme for class X math and science syllabi, has various free exams that can be downloaded. It has all the details about the CBSE scheme of examination.

Registration on the site is necessary for access. But it is worth since a one-time registration allows members one-click downloads of the most current sample papers and information about new updates.

The student helpline, will answer queries e-mailed to them.

CBSE Assistance Compassbox.com has matter for CBSE classes VIII to XII and SSC class X (Maharashtra Board), covering the maths, sciences, social sciences and the languages.

Http://www.compassbox.com/oth/edusmt_demo/default.jsp has the Edusmart search facility, a tool to search problems (along with solutions) from a database of more than 26,000 problems. This is applicable only for maths, physics, chemistry and biology.

The keyword could be a topic name of any subject. Popular choices include the "quadratic equation" which throws up 754 matches while "tangent circle" yields 341; "sun nuclear energy" shows 175 matches, with "deficiency diseases" coming close behind (88).

The site also has an Explanator, which demonstrates how to break down a problem into steps, and explains each step. This is significant as each step carries marks.

http://www.getmoremarks.com/studyzone1.html promises guidance and personalised attention from reputed online teachers. For students from classes VIII to XII, this zone combines the advantages of private tuition and the convenience of accessing lessons at any time. Registration is free, as are downloading solved questions and other notes to help study different subjects though it needs an Acrobat Reader.

http://www.cbseguess.com/default.asp is a portal of the CBSE India Board. Question papers on English, Hindi, science, mathematics, social studies, Sanskrit and French, besides additional subjects, suggestions, reference books of different Indian and international publishers, exam datesheet-related news and study materials are available.

paromita@thehindu.co.in

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Go for one big bag

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line