Basic Math for Windows

This shareware program is a comprehensive collection of multiple choice questions on the following basic math topics:

• Operations on Whole Numbers,
• Operations on Positive Fractions,
• Operations on Decimal Numbers,
• Ratios and Proportions,
• Using Percent,
• U.S. and Metric Measurements,
• Geometric Figures, and
• Rational Numbers.

Each topic is broken down into discrete steps. For example, Operations on Whole Numbers covers: Introduction to Whole Numbers, Adding, Subtracting, Multiplying and Dividing Whole Numbers, Exponents and Order of Operations, Writing Numbers in Prime Factored Form and a Review. Each of these sections contains approximately 20 multiple choice questions.

Although the focus of the program is the multiple choice questions, during any section except the review, students may view a sample question, the answer to the current question and a textbook style description of the background information necessary to complete the question. The information provided is clear and logically presented but relies mostly on written instructions with very few diagrams, etc.

After a student answers a question, they are told if their answer is correct and then they are given the opportunity to choose another answer. They can continue to choose answers until they come up with the correct one. The computer keeps track of the student's score for the current section, but it should be noted that it doesn't record the number of tries necessary to reach the correct answer. Therefore, the score is somewhat meaningless unless the students allow themselves only one attempt at each question. The only other tracking feature that comes with the software is the Resume Lesson feature. When a student stops without completing a section they are asked if they want to save their work. When they return to the program later, they can choose Resume Lesson and the computer will go to the last question they were working on. Unfortunately, this feature is only available for one student.

The lack of meaningful tracking features is definitely a shortcoming of the software. Some people may also argue that multiple choice questions don't accurately assess a students' ability to generate answers themselves. On the other hand, this type of questioning is particularly suited for those students studying for multiple choice tests such as the GED. This program covers a large portion of the basic math required for the GED, including Metric which is rarely found in American software. (Similar programs covering higher level mathematics are also available.) The instructions found in the software may not be adequate for students who are learning things for the first time, but this software could easily be used for review or assessment.

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