[seul-edu] Idea for a math game

[Jim Thomas <jthomas@bittware.com>]

Hi,

I have an idea for a math game that I'd like to see implemented.
I'd work on it myself, but I don't have time right now.  So I
thought I'd put the idea out there and hope someone picks it up and
runs with it.

Here it is.  In the early nineties there was a game called WordZap.
It's still around, only it was "enhanced" to the point where it's
really not as nice as it used to be.  My idea is similar, so I'll
start by describing WordZap.

In wordzap the player was presented with a 3x5 grid of randomly
selected letters.  The user would select the letters from the grid
to spell words (3 to 5 letters long).  These words would show up on
a rack on the left of the screen.  When the opponent (which could be
human or computer) and the player both put the same word on the
rack, it was "zapped" off both racks.  The first player to rack up
seven words which the other player didn't have was declared the
winner of that round.  Once the round ended, you could see what
words your opponent found.  I recommend that anyone interested
should google for wordzap and try it out.  Then optionally write a
version for Linux (although it does run under wine).  It is highly
addictive (and was called an "Addictionary Game").

The list of allowable words followed the same rules as Scrabble
(Xscrabble comes with a tgz file containing a word list).  As I
recall, there were two options in WordZap.  EZ-Zap and Word Zap.  In
EZ-Zap, the letter grid was only 2x5 and the user could choose any
letter at any time.  In WordZap the letter grid was 3x5.  The player
could choose any letter first, but subsequent letters had to be
adjacent to any already-selected letter.

So that's WordZap.  I call my variation "MathZap."  In MathZap, the
user would be presented with a grid of random digits (0-9).  There
would also be a row of operator buttons (+-*/=) which would always
be available.  Instead of spelling words, the player builds
equations.  If the equation is true, it stays on the rack.  If the
opponent gets the same equation it gets zapped off both racks.

Under "Options" the user could enable or disable each operator.
That way the first graders could play addition without worrying
about division, and the 5th graders could play division without
worrying about addition.  Or they could have all four operators.
Perhaps it would also allow exponents, "about equal," and decimal
points too.  Maybe the decimal point shows up in the digit grid.
Maybe inequalities could be added, but perhaps inequalities would
require a / operator in the equation.  Otherwise the game would go
too quickly.  That sounds like a good way to have fun with fractions
anyhow.  Or perhaps the inequality operators should be added to the
random number grid.

If no one steps forward to create this, I eventually will.  But it
might take me a dozen years before I get around to it.  Any takers?

--
Jim Thomas            Principal Applications Engineer  Bittware, Inc

jthomas@bittware.com  http://www.bittware.com          (703)
779-7770
Things could be a lot better around here, but worse is more likely -

Calvin