A few maths games I have made to help my pupils

bobbym · 2011-03-08 06:52:19

Hi;

I see that your method of assigning the number to each tile will result in fewer and fewer primes in the grid. This means more time for reflection on the smaller number of semi obvious cases.

phrontister · 2011-03-08 16:48:55

Home for a late lunch, and couldn't think of anything better to do than to test the modified version of the game.

Got to L39...obviously the time penalties and extra time per level made a big difference.

The only trick I used to get to that level was to check for digit sums that weren't a multiple of 3. Maybe next time I'll try to divide by the lower primes, but I'll have to oil up the mental arithmetic cogs for that to work. I can't see it ever working all that well, though, because the time taken with all the calcs needed would soon eat up all the time bonuses.

It's now possible to chalk up some good time bonuses on the early levels (I had 100sec by about L8 or L9), but that all evaporated in the higher levels when wrongly guessing with numbers I'd determined were possibles after using just the digit-sum 'multiple of 3' rule.

Back to work...

bobbym · 2011-03-08 17:07:13

Well, I got to level 13.

phrontister · 2011-03-08 19:55:30

That's a prime number, both forwards and backwards...so you've got more into the spirit of the game than I have.

I just had another game but failed because I'm too trigger-happy and just blaze away at guesses instead of trying some dividing. I'm too conscious of the time ticking away...which I help along with my misses.

bobbym · 2011-03-08 20:04:30

You really are worried about the time with a 39!

phrontister · 2011-03-08 20:13:22

Hi Bobby,

I don't really know if that's a good score or not, because the game's so new and probably not many have tried it.

I'm just trying to get the best score I can before I get bowled over by the avalanche of better scores that must be just about on the doorstep.

bobbym · 2011-03-08 20:15:25

Hi phrontister;

I suppose you can think like that. But until those prime guessing giants appear...

studymaths · 2011-03-09 05:50:34

Hi,

Level 39 is a fantastic score. Maybe L50 is not so impossible after all?

Bobby, the 10 + level * level system I use was the easiest way I could think of to make the game progressively more difficult. I did add a check in the program to make sure at least 1 prime is generated though!

On the topic of high scores, does anyone know the easiest way of actually recording these to my website? I love the idea of a high score table. Unfortunately I only know javascript but would be willing to learn whatever I need!

bobbym · 2011-03-09 05:52:19

MIF can probably answer that best.

studymaths · 2011-03-09 08:56:10

Sorry, i'm new here. Who is MIF?

bobbym · 2011-03-09 11:38:07

Oh sorry, that is MathsIsFun the administrator.

phrontister · 2011-03-10 22:31:11

WOOF!! Missed out by one! Grumble! Neeeeearly got that 50.

Lots of nervous excitement towards the end...and I'm quite happy, really.

Again, I was too timid to test with lower prime divisors, because I think that looking for one from the range available will eat up too much time.

So all I used was the same as before: the primes I know (which is only 2-digit primes) and the multiple-of-3 digit-sum rule.

Last edited by phrontister (2011-03-11 16:49:21)

bobbym · 2011-03-10 22:36:41

That is a really nice score. Studymaths will be very happy!

phrontister · 2011-03-11 03:39:06

Hi Bobby,

bobbym wrote:

If I get to level 25 then phrontister will get to level 50.

Now you have to get to Level 24.5

bobbym · 2011-03-11 09:51:14

Fat chance! Slim and none and Slim left town. It is a real longshot. Snowball in hell. You know when hell freezes over. It ain't gonna happen. That'll be the day. Have I missed any longshot talk?

phrontister · 2011-03-11 15:50:18

Hi Bobby,

More long shots:

Yeah, right!
I've got Buckley's.
I've got no show of ever doing that.
And pigs might fly.
I couldn't do that in a month of Sundays.

I know "snowball in hell" as "a snowball's chance in hell".

They're the ones I know, but here's a list of more of them from other countries. Some are rather good.

bobbym · 2011-03-11 15:56:41

Hi phrontister;

Thank you! That is a nice list.

phrontister · 2011-03-11 16:44:23

Hi Bobby,

Here is something about the English language. I found it on the internet some years ago and I've added to it from time to time.

'Slim' and 'fat' chances are mentioned, which is why I thought of it.

Last edited by phrontister (2011-03-11 16:46:55)

bobbym · 2011-03-11 17:01:24

Yes, too many inconsistencies. I remember a documentary with Hubert Dreyfus where he went on and on about why computers will never understand English. He seemed to think that was due to the fact that humans were superior. On the other hand I began to sense that the structure of English makes no sense.

phrontister · 2011-03-11 17:21:42

Other than the obvious, I thought that computers would never 'understand' English because most English-speaking people, not to mention computer programmers, don't either.

Btw, "not to mention" (meaning "in addition to; as well as") is one of the myriad of our English language's odd idiomatic phrases that would drive any would-be learners of English up the wall.

bobbym · 2011-03-11 17:31:59

Lots of people can hardly pronounce some of the words. Take the word diameter for instance. The language is a lot like the measuring system, totally off the wall. I have heard that a foot was the length of the kings forearm. Why not the length of his foot?

There is even a lot of differences between US english and British. They say viiiitamin and we say vy ta min. The say she juu uhl and we say skedjual.

phrontister · 2011-03-11 21:28:51

Yes, there's a wide variety of English pronunciation throughout the world.

In Australia we say "schedule" as per this guy's British version. He also gives the American version. I use that site as well as pronunciation sound files in some online dictionaries.

I prefer the American "wrath", which to me sounds much more wrathful than our frothy "wroth".

I once met a teenage Canadian girl who'd only been in Australia for a couple of weeks. When she first spoke I thought she was speaking in some foreign language, but after hearing her out for a bit my ears detected some English-sounding words and I realised she was actually speaking English! After a while I could tune in to what she was saying, but it wasn't easy. The same happened to me with a newly-arrived Scot.

Last edited by phrontister (2011-03-11 21:45:05)

bobbym · 2011-03-11 21:51:34

Nice page! I notice they pronounce Birmingham differently also.

I have that problem listening to English television. If they have a very strong accent then I cannot understand them well.

phrontister · 2011-03-11 22:01:24

Here are three different pronunciations of "due", which are "dyu", "jew" and "do". We say "jew".

bobbym · 2011-03-11 22:08:45

Differences on "new."

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#26 2011-03-08 06:52:19

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#27 2011-03-08 16:48:55

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#28 2011-03-08 17:07:13

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#29 2011-03-08 19:55:30

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#30 2011-03-08 20:04:30

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#31 2011-03-08 20:13:22

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#32 2011-03-08 20:15:25

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#33 2011-03-09 05:50:34

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#35 2011-03-09 08:56:10

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#36 2011-03-09 11:38:07

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#37 2011-03-10 22:31:11

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#38 2011-03-10 22:36:41

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#39 2011-03-11 03:39:06

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#40 2011-03-11 09:51:14

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#41 2011-03-11 15:50:18

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#42 2011-03-11 15:56:41

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#43 2011-03-11 16:44:23

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#45 2011-03-11 17:21:42

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#47 2011-03-11 21:28:51

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