Interactive math tutorials, often called mathlets, are designed to provide a more visceral learning experience than traditional textbook methods and to enhance intuitive understanding of complex ideas by allowing users to alter parameters that influence visual scenes. We describe methods for creating such tutorials using the HTML5 canvas
element. First, we discuss some motivations for writing such mathlets, then walk-through the process of creating a mathlet with canvas
. Then, we compare canvas
to alternatives, explaining our decision to use it, and provide links to other demonstrations and resources.
canvas
to Alternative Options
canvas
canvas
ElementThis article requires JavaScript to be enabled in your browser. The article discusses browser support for the HTML5 canvas
element.
This article uses jsMath, which requires JavaScript, to process the mathematics expressions. If your browser supports JavaScript, be sure it is enabled. Once the jsMath scripts are running, clicking the "jsMath" button in the lower right corner of the browser window brings up a panel with configuration options and links to documentation and download pages, including instructions for installing missing mathematics fonts.