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XyAlgebra was written to teach Algebra I to students at The City College of The City University of New York. It was used there successfully through most of the 1990s, until the university raised entrance standards at its four-year institutions and the college ceased offering courses at the level of Algebra I.
For 20 years, xyAlgebra has been offered completely free to educational institutions and individuals.
New versions have been released every year or two.
Current and Future Plans
A new version, xyAlgebra 7.01, was released in December, 2012. See Syllabus. It features new problem types (see below) and also new equivalence checking and next step solution generating algorithms (see Description).. These algorithms further improve the critical capability that distinguishes xyAlgebra from most such software. They permit xyAlgebra to respond even more effectively to step-by-step solutions by:
(1) Determining if each student step is equivalent to the preceding step regardless of the method used.
(2) Suggesting either an appropriate type of step to perform next or providing an actual such step, regardless of solution method and of where in that solution help was requested or an error occurred. See the Comparison Page for an example.
For security reasons, xyAlgebra 7.01 no longer supports storage of student records on the Internet. Students working remotely should use Student Program Disks. See the Instructor Program Help File for more information.
New Problem Types. The improved algorithms permit xyAlgebra 7.01 to cover more types of problems more effectively than ever. The new types include:
(1) A review of all available factoring methods,
(2) More complex fraction problems including several new items covering various types of difference quotients,
(3) Linear equations that can produce extraneous roots,
(4) Equations containing radicals.
The new algorithms also become more ambitious and suggest more complicated steps as skills improve.
If interested in these algorithms themselves, rather than in the programs containing them, please see the bottom of the Description page or contact the Author.
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