Microsoft Releases Math 4.0 Free

Microsoft has released a new version of its math education software Mathematics 4.0, making it available as a free download for the first time.

Microsoft said the new version of its math program has been downloaded 250,000 times since its quiet January 2011 release.

Microsoft Mathematics 4.0, designed for students in middle school, high school, and early college, is intended to teach users how to solve equations while bolstering their understanding of fundamental math and science concepts. Although the company charged for its last version, this latest edition is free.

The new program works on computers running Windows XP, Vista, and 7, as well as Windows Server 2003 and 2008. The software includes a graphing calculator capable of plotting in 2D and 3D, a formulas and equations library, a triangle solver, a unit conversion tool, and ink handwriting support for tablet or ultra-mobile PC use. One new feature enables a user to create a custom movie where a 3D graphed image shifts among multiple shapes as variables change.

An 18-page step-by-step guide provides basic documentation to use the program's functions.

Microsoft Mathematics 4.0 is available now. Further information can be found here.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

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