Mr. Cantlin's Math Tutoring

Any maths. Specializing in long-term preparation for the ACT.

Cool Math Sites

When I was a young man, the king of the world could not command the resources available for leaning math that anyone with access to the web now has at their disposal. But if they are not used, there is no advantage to having them. Just like a person that knows how to read but chooses not to is no better off than someone that is illiterate. The best way to to use the web for math help is to just enter the specific topic you are having trouble with or are interested in into Google, The more specific the better. For example, enter "Solving quadratic equations by completing the square." Some sites will provide a thorough explanation of the concepts, others will just focus on the algorithm, i.e., the steps involved in using the method, others will have many example problems. If you do this often enough, you can learn to quickly sift through the long list of sites to get to the information that suits you best. Try including the word "interactive" in your search, it often will pull up some kind of programmed site, maybe in Javascript, Flash, Java, or something else, that allows you to interact with the program and see the math principle explained in a way that is unique and not possible without interactivity. My experience has been that most high school students are too used to being told what to do to use this type of initiative. So parents, show them what to do and make sure they keep doing it! They will discover it quickly enough by necessity when they get to college, and they will kick themselves for wasting this wonderful resource on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and not using it at all for math. I do this all the time so I have listed a few that I seem to end up using a lot. Don't forget YouTube, there are a lot of great instructional math videos there!

Kuta Software makes the worksheet generators that I have used for years and use for the majority of the practice problems that I use during and between tutoring sessions. I own all the programs that they currently make, one for Prealgebra, Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, Precalculus, and Calculus. I bought the first package in 2008 so I have had time to give them a comprehensive evaluation. If you are a fellow teacher or math tutor I highly recommend these programs. They are well designed, flexible and accurate.

Students - don't wait for your parents or teachers to tell you to start preparing for college. This is your first job. No one will do it for you as well as you can do it for yourself. The tools you have available on the web are better than any student has had available in the history of the planet. But you need initiative. The will to use these tools. Don't stop there. Talk to real people, visit schools. Ask questions. When should you start? Eighth or Ninth grade. Get the application form for any college you think you are interested in from the web and start going over it to see what you can do to better prepare yourself for that school. You know the Pink Floyd song lyrics "No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun." ? You've been told. :-)

Online Math Tools

Free Math Lessons

Math Practice

College Planning and Admissions
Juniors and Seniors, don't wait for your Moms or Dads or teachers, or tutors to tell you what to do and when to do it. Make something happen. Don't be a lazy slacker!

Vex Robotics

Arduino Related

Javascript Related

Python Related

Raspberry Pi Related

Numworks Graphing Calculator Related

Julia Programming Related

Mr. C.'s Geogebra Activities

SMath Studio
A small, free, and powerful math program that comes close to duplicating my favorite math program of all time, MathCad. True WYSIWYG math. I loved this progam for engineering calculations but many engineers had trouble appreciating the unique and intensly practical "self-documenting" nature of this program. It has been restored from the corporate death it suffered and lives again in Smath Studio! I never thought I would be using colons to define variables and quotes to start a text block again. Hooray. Check out some SMath Studio programs I wrote below to support "Things to Memorize" for the ACT. These are live and calculate top-to-bottom, left-to-right. So cool. Smath Studio has the option to store programs you write "in the cloud" and they are live and work with just a browser. The programs below should allow you to change the inputs to explore, please let me know if they don't work for you. Give Smath Studio a try yourself. If you put any Smath programs in the cloud, let me know!


Mathematician's Anniversaries Throughout The Year
Check out the math history index and the famous curves index too!

Alabama Common Core Based Standards for Math (K-12)

Be Informed - Read the Actual Standards
The Alabama Course of Study (COS) includes the minimum standards. Local school boards can always add to these. I have kept earlier COS in case you are interested in what has been revised since 2010.

2010 Alabama Course of Study Math

2013 Revised Alabama Course of Study - Math

2015 Revised Alabama Course of Study - Math

2016 Revised Alabama Course of Study - Math

2019 Alabama Course of Study - Math K-12