Stella

Learning math starts from early ages, just so you have time to practice all basic operations, and be able to handle yourself without a calculator when grocery shopping. Needless to say it all starts in school, but more practice is also possible in front of the PC. As such, Stella comes with a different approach on calculus, while putting emphasis on learning.

Stella is a Java-based application, which means two things. First of all, Java Runtime Environment needs to be installed on the target PC. On the other hand, it can run on different devices which are capable of running Java. Another advantage of the application is portability, with no installation required here to be able to use it.

The application isn’t really your usual calculator. It only supports the four basic operators, such as adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing, but with a twist when performing them. One might consider the application does all the work, but on the contrary, it merely guides you until the end, in an intuitive manner.

A problem needs to be written down first of all. The catch here is you need to write it with words, and numbers, in the form of a question. Words like “plus”, “minus”, “multiplied by/times”, and “divided by” act as operation triggers, while “what” needs to be at the start of any problem. Without keywords, the process results in error.

Just when you thought the application returns the problem result, you’re actually taken to the last phase of the operation. Here, the problem is broken down into a detailed form, with an editable field where the result goes. It’s up to you to also provide the result, and you’re only congratulated if the right one is written down.

Taking everything into consideration, we can say that Stella comes with an interesting approach on calculus, and teaching math. It can keep youngsters entertained for a little while, but it can be a bit tricky to figure out at first, especially because of the lack of documentation.