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These Websites Offer Easy Access to Science and Technology News, Useful Tools |
October 23, 2005 |
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Posted by Don Dunnington at October 23, 2005 09:37 PM |
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While many think of blogs and RSS newsfeeds as synonymous, there are an increasing number of websites that offer RSS subscription to their web pages. A website whose RSS feed I subscribe to is physorg.com, which offers news on science, technology, physics and space.
I first came across physorg.com about a month ago in a short news item on a new trigonometry developed by Dr. Norman Wildberger of the University of New South Wales, Australia. Dr. Wildberger has eliminated the need to use sines, cosines and tangents in trig and calculus.
"Generations of students have struggled with classical trigonometry because the framework is wrong," says Wildberger, whose book, Divine Proportions: Rational Trigonometry to Universal Geometry, is published by Wild Egg books.
Could Wildberger’s rational trigonometry lead more young people loving math, or entering careers in science and engineering? Wildberger thinks so. "Once you learn the five main rules of rational trigonometry and how to simply apply them," he writes, "you realise that classical trigonometry represents a misunderstanding of geometry."
Here are two other websites that offer free tools that I use myself:
Free K-Convert Translates Measurements
K-Convert will convert metric measures to US standards and US to metric. I’ve been using this freeware program from K-Tron for more than a decade. Originally written for Windows 3.1, this small conversion utility works great and runs on any Windows platform including XP. You can join the thousands who have downloaded it from K-Tron's "free tools" page (requires registration).
Pennsylvania Crusher’s Handbook of Crushing Now Online
Penn Crusher’s classic Handbook of Crushing offers a solid introduction to size reduction technology. Where once the handbook was available only through limited distribution directly from Penn Crusher, you can now see much of the content 24/7/365 on the web, including an animated explanation of the four basic ways to reduce material. You can also download the entire handbook free (requires registration).
We invite you to share your favorite tools and tips on this blog. Tell us about the machines, the tools, or even a free download from a website that makes your job easier, faster, or just more fun.
Don Dunnington
