Independent developer Esa Helttula today is pleased to announce the release of Partial Products Multiplication 1.0, a new educational math app for iPhone and iPod touch. The app can be used to teach and study the partial products multiplication method.
The Partial Products Multiplication Method
The partial products multiplication method is a two-step process. In the example 39 x 24, each place value is first multiplied separately. The partial products are added and 36 + 120 + 180 + 600 produces the answer 936. Many children find the partial products method easier to understand than the standard algorithm.
The Everyday Mathematics Curriculum
Everyday Mathematics is a new mathematics curriculum developed by the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project. In the United States over 3 million students in 185,000 classrooms are currently using Everyday Mathematics. Parents may find it hard to help their children with the "new math" and apps like the Partial Products Multiplication can help both children and parents.
The Interface Supports Learning
If the user presses the wrong button the answer will appear above the keyboard but it will not move. "Because no wrong entries are allowed the app provides a passive form of positive reinforcement and your child will likely improve in both confidence and competence with respect to the procedure", said assistant professor of mathematics education Tim Pelton in his review of Column Subtraction, a sister app of Partial Products Multiplication that uses the same kind of input method.
The App is Easy to Use
The numbers are aligned automatically so that the user can concentrate on solving the operations for each column. After you solve the operation for each partial product the correct answer will fly to the right place. If you press the wrong button the answer will appear above the keyboard but it will not move.
Difficulty can be set with Settings:
- Each number can have from 2 to 3 digits
- The current operation can be hidden
- The operands of the current operation can be highlighted
- Colors of the interface can be changed
- The speed of the animations can be set
Device Requirements:
- iPhone and iPod touch
- Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later
- 0.4 MB
Pricing and Availability:
Partial Products Multiplication 1.0 is only $0.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Education category.
