Web site helps students in math

A University of Missouri-Columbia Web site that helps students prepare for math tests and competitions is reportedly gaining popularity.

The site, developed by Mathematics Professor Elias Saab, is ranked as the No. 1 site on Google when searching for "online math tests," positioning it above approximately 53 million other similar sites, university officials said.

The Web site -- MathOnline (mathonline.missouri.edu) -- provides free tests students can use for practice or self-evaluation and that school officials can use to assess their students' readiness in mathematics, Saab said.

MathOnline provides interactive tests in high school geometry, algebra and trigonometry, as well as for placement in first-year calculus and college algebra. Options allow users to personalize tests by choosing the number of problems (from 5 to 75, in denominations of 5) and whether the questions are multiple choice or single-answer blanks.

After students finish the tests, the site provides the correct answers with a detailed explanation of each problem. The site also has a database of problems large enough that students can take similar tests several times without repeating questions.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International