GeoGebra Editor's Review

Let’s be honest, most of us mere mortals struggle with the complex trinity of geometry, algebra and calculus at the best of times, so any piece of software which simultaneously renders these subjects accessible and makes them interesting, ticks all the necessary boxes as far as we’re concerned.

GeoGebra is a free, open-source, and multi-platform piece of mathematics software designed with one thing in mind, to enhance our understanding and increase our use of geometry, algebra, and calculus. It is suitable for all levels of education but obviously the more comfortable you are with complex maths the more you’ll get out of it. GeoGebra is the brainchild of Markus Hohenwarter and its basic premise is to connect geometric, algebraic, and numeric representations in an interactive way. Its flexible geometry tool provides ease of use and enables you to directly enter and control equations and coordinates, which allows you to plot functions. Using pre-configured tools you can create points, vectors, lines, segments, conic sections, and a whole lot more.

GeoGebra has a very handy default interface with a toolbar crammed full of useful icons to make your life easier, such as points, lines through, two points, polygons, ellipses, angles, reflect objects, and sliders. Small property boxes allow you to customise and configure each item you are working with, and objects, once placed, can be easily moved around, making GeoGebra a great tool to teach, learn, and perform math.

Pro's: As it provides multiple representations of dynamically linked objects, the world of maths is pretty much your oyster.

Con's: It can prove intimidating and a little complicated for absolute beginners.

Conclusion: Because GeoGebra incorporates geometry, algebra, tables, graphing, statistics and calculus in one accessible package its potential uses are pretty limitless. The only restriction is your own knowledge and understanding. It is very flexible, well supported and users are given the option to customise much of the program’s appearance and functions. Put two and two together and it makes GeoGebra.