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Spiro Math

In Spiro
Math, you use addition, subtraction, multiplication and division on four
digits to reach a particular target. In the picture above, the digits
are 2,8,8,9 and you must manipulate these to get a result of 24. If you
get stuck, click on the Hint button to get hints on the correct
solution. When you get the correct solution, Spiro Math draws a
spirograph as your reward. Spirographs are nifty graphical figures like
the one in the picture above.

One day, Pete came
trucking in the door from school with news of a game that his whole
grade was playing. The 24 Game consists of a deck of cards, each card
with four digits on a side. The idea is to use multiplication, addition,
division and subtraction on the four digits to arrive at a result of 24.
We played the game together and I liked it, but, every once in a while,
I would get stuck and be unable to figure out the answer. This got
frustrating and I, as usual, thought, “How can I use my computer to
solve this problem.”
With a evening's work, I was able to print out a list of all
possible four digit combinations that can be made to yield 24. There are
398 of them if you don’t count different combinations of the same
digits. 9530 if you do. Now I had my list and would never be stuck
again. I also had a database of possible problems, and started to think
of computer games that I might make using the idea of the 24 Game. I
visited the library the next day and found that there are many games
like this. As a class, they are called MADS games (Multiply, Add,
Divide, Subtract) and I set about writing my own.
For months after its completion,
5
5
Pete kept his math
skills in good shape
by playing Spiro Math for 15 minutes each day
The trial version of Mouse Math is exactly like the real
thing except that
you can do only 10 problems. After that you must buy the full version.
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Special Deal:
Now you
can get Mouse Math,
Spiro Math
and SymmeToy a CD. The CD also contains over 45 minutes of computer video
instruction on using the three programs. The CD costs just $34.95 and is
available from SoftExpressions.
Click here
for details
Tech Support:
Hufnagel Software Phone: 814-226-5600
P.O. Box 747 Fax: 814-226-5551
Clarion, PA 16214 Email:
hank@hufsoft.com
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