Computerbasedmath.org

Real-world maths is more crucial than ever to our everyday lives. It holds the keys to unlocking the solutions to a multitude of problems: simple to complex, local to global, large and small. By contrast, maths education is diverging more and more from today's and tomorrow's requirements of countries, industry, further education... and students. Unless we take harder, machine-computed maths back into the school curriculum, maths in education will continue on its ineffective downward spiral, destined for future failure—a future populated by bored and switched-off students, dissatisfied employers, bewildered governments, frustrated teachers and concerned parents. Aware of the increasing divergence between school and real-life maths for more than a decade, Conrad Wolfram believed the growing political impetus, emerging computing ubiquity and practicality of interface and implementation made 2010 the right time to start computerbasedmath.org. Conrad and his colleagues at Wolfram Research have been in a unique position at the epicenter of maths and its applications: using high-powered maths to develop the latest algorithms for Mathematica and Wolfram|Alpha software, employing mathematicians and other STEM specialists, supplying technology to the world's community of maths users and interacting with leading experts from all technical fields. That's not to mention involvement with thousands of universities, schools and independent courses worldwide. Wolfram Research really is the "maths company"—the organisation with the world's broadest perspective on maths and computation. It is with that perspective that CBM will change maths education for good. Computerbasedmath.org is a UK-registered company and aims to be self-supporting in delivering this fundamental change to maths education worldwide. Early projects have been established with the Estonian government, as well as in Sweden and Africa, and there is marked interest from many more governments and associated organisations like assessment authorities around the world. Thousands of schools are keen to get materials. Companies are interested not only in employee training but in associating their brand with better maths in schools. Computer-Based Maths is a long-term project. Conrad Wolfram believes it will take a minimum of 25 years to transform school maths worldwide, but that in the end, this change is inevitable. It will happen differently in each country; the first countries to make the change will likely gain the most advantage.