Open source software in teaching mathematics

Abstract

Open source operating systems and software have become popular in education. In this work an approach to teaching mathematics that emphasizes the usefulness of computer algebra, plotting, visualization and array oriented packages for educational purposes is introduced. Open source document preparation and authoring software can aid in the preparation of courseware especially in schools with lack of computer software support. A wide range of open source applications for educational purposes can be downloaded and installed from SchoolForge. The software introduced in this study is under the GNU Public License and free for individual purposes. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.