Math Tutor 2
Brian T. Luke, Ph.D.

Math Tutor 2 is a set of programs that contain more advanced addition and subtraction problems and tutorials on miltiplication, division, and extracting information from tables and bar charts. Each tutorial is followed by a set of problems for the child to answer.

This set of software is built on the basic premise that mathematics, at any level, can only be really understood if it is practiced again and again. Though practicing on a computer can be very helpful, there is no substitute for having the student work out problems with pencil and paper. With this in mind, this distribution contains several activities that generate hardcopy problem sets in PostScript format. (See below for printing PostScript files.)

This package is Freeware and can be freely distributed. This package has no special requirements (e.g. a particular run-time library) and runs under DOS, which means that it can also be run from a DOS window under Windows 3.1 and Windows 9x (though you may have to rezise the DOS window to see the text at the bottom of some pages).

To obtain a copy of this package, simply hold down the left [Shift] key and use the mouse to click on MATH2REG.ZIP. By ensuring that the file transfer is in binary mode, this zip file will be copied to your system. Though I have tried to use unique file names in all of my programs, I would suggest that you download this file to its own directory.

Once this file is downloaded, all of the files can be extracted. The zip file can then be deleted, or moved to a floppy disk for storage. Before running this package, you should first view the file README.TXT to see any additional information. To run this package, simply go to this directory and enter the command 


      MATH2
When this command is entered, you will have the choice of running one of 22 different activities, or exiting the program. In particular, they are 

     A = More Addition/Subtraction Problems (Level 1)
     B = More Addition/Subtraction Problems (Level 2)
     C = Multiplication Tutor (0-12 Times Tables)
     D = More Multiplication Questions (0-12 Times Tables)
     E = Generate PostScript Multiplication Questions (0-12 Times Tables)
     F = Multiplication Tutor (Level 2)
     G = More Multiplication Questions (Level 2)
     H = Generate PostScript Multiplication Questions (Level 2)
     I = Multiplication Tutor (Level 3)
     J = More Multiplication Questions (Level 3)
     K = Generate PostScript Multiplication Questions (Level 3)
     L = Division Tutor (Level 1)
     M = More Division Questions (Level 1)
     N = Generate PostScript Division Questions (Level 1)
     O = Division Tutor (Level 2)
     P = More Division Questions (Level 2)
     Q = Generate PostScript Division Questions (Level 2)
     R = Division Tutor (Level 3)
     S = More Division Questions (Level 3)
     T = Generate PostScript Division Questions (Level 3)
     U = Bar Chart Tutor
     V = More Bar Chart Questions
     Z = Nothing (DOS)
You can start an activity by pressing the appropriate letter (A-V), or can exit the menu by pressing the letter Z.

When I wrote these tutorials, I assumed that an older person will be working with the young student. Each tutorial screen contains a fair amount of information and is set up so that the older person can carefully discuss this information with the student. In addition, not all of the activities may be appropriate for a given student. It is therefore highly recommended that the older person, or supervisor, first read the file DESCR.TXT. This file contains a general description of the activities and allows for the selection of an appropriate activity.

All of the practice problems use a random number generator to select the numbers. This means that the same activity can be run many times and slightly different problems will be asked. It also means that the same question may be asked more than once, or a relatively hard problem may be followed by a very easy one.
Notes on Certain Activities:

In all practice sections of each activity, the student only has to press the correct key; they never have to press the "Enter" key.

In the activities that ask more practice questions (A, B, D, G, J, M, P, S and V), and some that generate PostScript files containing more problems (E, H, K and N) the program first asks for the number and/or difficulty of the question you want. The older person will have to answer these to make sure that the problems are within the reach of the student. When a set of PostScript questions is generated, another PostScript file contianing the answers to each problem is also created. The PostScript files will have unique names, so that the same file is not overwritten each time questions are generated. In general, each avtivity has a limit of 99 sets of questions and answers. Once 99 is reached, the program starts over at 01 and the earlier copies will have to be manually deleted before a new file can be written.

Printing PostScript files...The PostScript files (those generated by activities E, H, K, N, Q and T) can be printed by sending them to a PostScript printer. If such a printer is not available, they can first be read into a PostScript viewer and printed from there. A good PostScript viewer is "ghostview". Versions for DOS, Windows 3.1 and Windows 9x can be obtained by going to http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/. There you can also get a good Windows interface called GSview. (Please note that I have no involvement with ghostview or GSview, I just find them useful.)

I hope this set of programs is useful and you will let me know if you have any suggestions to make them better.

Return to my Educational Software Page.

� 1999 Brian T. Luke, Ph.D.