Where We've Been
In 1998, John R. Mishanski Jr. was a junior high school student in Northeast
Pennsylvania. Bored, unchallenged, and tired of reviewing algebra concepts
that he learned in elementary math class, he began looking to continue
learning outside of class. Traditional math books were abundant within
the school. But as many other readers have found, traditional math books are
little more than a collection of problems. Turning to the web, John was still
unable to find the "how-to" material that he needed.
Still seeking a challenge, John decided to learn math himself by leveraging his existing knowledge of math and computers to help others. Soon after, algebra.help came online with a single calculator capable of solving very simple algebraic equations. At the time, the equation calculator had a unique advantage over other calculators, and solutions provided in math books. In addition to providing solutions entered problems, the calculator gave step-by-step explanations of how the solution could be determined.
Traffic and popularity began to increase as search engines started indexed the website and users linked to it. After receiving e-mails from users, John decided to expand the resources on the web site. Calculators were added to aid with fractions and proportions. Later, Basics of Algebra was added as the first lesson. Soon, hundreds of visitors began visiting the web site and the content was moved to algebrahelp.com.
Algebrahelp.com has been featured in print publications including the LA Times, and Access Magazine. Algebrahelp.com has been used by students of secondary schools, colleges, universities, and home schooling students.
Where We Are
Quick Facts
- 5,400 unique visitors daily *
- 36,643 pages viewed daily *
- 1.3 Million Equations Solved
Visitor Demographics **
- 68% of surveyed visitors are under age 24
- 25% of surveyed visitors are between ages 25 and 54
- 52% indicate student status
- 38% completed some high school; 11% High School Graduates; 25% Some College; 7% are College Graduates
Today algebrahelp.com reaches about 5,400 unique visitors each day. Current features include lessons with Plain English explanations, calculators that give step-by-step solutions to various algebra problems, and worksheets that automatically check answers.
Our current content and features are the result of several years of design and thousands of letters from our users.
The website is accessable free of charge, with development and hosting costs supported by paid advertisements.
Where We're Going
Algebrahelp.com was created with a goal of providing people with content that leverages technology to aids in learning algebra. While we have made a great deal of progress on this front, we continue designing new features to make our existing content universally understandable and accessible.
We are working to leverage new and existing technology to provide materials on additional topics at the request of our users. Please let us know how we can serve you better.
* Based on data from February 2005
**Non-scientific; Based on 523 responses for year ended March 1, 2005. Contact for details, latest results, and additional data.