A Calculating Web Site Could Ignite a New Campus 'Math War'

The long-running debate over whether students should be allowed to wield calculators during mathematics examinations may soon seem quaint.

The latest dilemma facing professors is whether to let students turn to a Web site called WolframAlpha, which not only solves complex math problems, but also can spell out the steps leading to those solutions. In other words, it can instantly do all the homework and test questions found in many calculus textbooks.

The new tool will be a bane to teaching, some professors say—but others see a blessing.

WolframAlpha was created by Stephen Wolfram, an entrepreneur who invented Mathematica, one of the first computer math engines. His new site debuted last month to much media fanfare and, like Google, provides answers to questions typed into a simple search box. It is free and already boasts millions of searches.

But unlike Google, WolframAlpha features a supercharged math engine based on the Mathematica software used by many researchers. It makes a graphing calculator look like a slide rule.

Such math engines—they’re called “computer algebra systems,” or CAS's—are not new. But they usually cost hundreds of dollars and involve a steep learning curve. The goal of WolframAlpha is to bring high-level mathematics to the masses, by letting users type in problems in plain English and delivering instant results.

As a result, some professors say the service poses tough questions for their classroom policies.

A Pandora's Box in Math Education

“I think this is going to reignite a math war,” said Maria H. Andersen, a mathematics instructor at Muskegon Community College, referring to past debates over the role of graphing calculators in math education. “We are still in the process of adopting graphing calculators,” she said. “It’s kind of like the Pandora’s box that’s open now.”

Ms. Andersen predicts that students will rush to WolframAlpha because it is free and easy to use, but that some professors will ban it.

In a posting on her blog, Teaching College Math, she wrote:

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