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Ugh, MATH! Can anything make it more fun? Yes, as a matter of fact, MathBits.com can. This resource for high schoolers presents algebra in a fun and engaging format, complete with games and activities in Algebra, Geometry, and everyone’s favorite — Trigonometry. With the slogan “live long and love math,” MathBits enables students to bolster their mathematical  expertise in the guise of activities and “caching” exercises.

For example, try the “Basic Caching” game, which presents three not-too-difficult equations to solve. Once you have the answers written down, you insert your answer into a unique url which leads you to the next step. It makes things slightly difficult, but forces users to search for hidden internet boxes to complete the game. There’s no cheating here, so you actually have to solve the problems to move on. The whole thing is reminiscent of web-based Alternate Reality Games such as those formulated for such programs as LOST or the recent “search for the clues” exploration surrounding another J.J. Abrams project, Cloverfield. Sure, it isn’t full of mystery or monsters like those examples, but the idea of having to complete one step on the Internet to get to the next is almost as fun. You might even forget it is math.

The site offers paid-for subscriptions for more activities and updates, which isn’t something we necessarily promote at Instructify, but there is enough free math-based fun to keep your algebra class distracted from looking at a textbook full of numbers. Other activities include instructions for learning your way around a graphing calculator, and for your more advanced students, and intro to Java scripting as well as C++. The cartoon animals adorning the page are certainly more entertaining than pictures of Pythagoras, to boot. Check out this resource if your math lessons need a kick in the rear towards making it fun again. -JEREMY S. GRIFFIN

MathBits

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