Guys,
math software is good for producing nice presentations and for avoiding computational errors, because the leg work is done for you by computer.
However, I seriously doubt it will be of any help to a novice to understand what is going on here and why.
What I am talking about is mathematical concepts and relations.. all that software can be used by people who already understand those things, but it could be a confusing and a perfect deterrent for those who are not at that level.
Brian, if you are serious about learning math starting from fundamentals, then I suggest you try a course at uni (I think Swinburne is offering math courses see
here for example) or get someone to tutor you on one-to one basis. Of course, it all depends at what level you are at the moment, I can't tell that from your comments posted here.
With things like math the proper start is absolutely essential - mathematics is about introducing the strict method and discipline of thinking into your practices.. and if you missed that, you will never get it right, which means you will never be able to advance properly.
It is a very rare case that individuals (usually very gifted in that area) get much sense out of it all by themselves - without guiding by a good teacher...
My high school teacher was absolute gem.. and this is where I get my fundamentals. In primary school, math teacher was a very good person, but useless in terms of teaching - she even couldn't keep the basic discipline in the class so that we who were interested could do anything without disturbance from others.
Good books would be my preference but unfortunately I have no idea what's available here and now in Oz..