# Fun math game

1. Feb 3, 2007

### dontdisturbmycircles

Try it, http://www.jimmyr.com/blog/Speed_Math_Trainer_Program_126_2006.php .

I just found it and can't stop. For multiplication basic I can get down to 0.87 on the 'average' and 13 seconds total. This is for the standard settings (15 questions). Although of course this is no huge accomplishment. :rofl: I am not very good at the two digit multiplication at all. But, I'll get there.

Last edited: Feb 3, 2007
2. Feb 3, 2007

The audio instructions are great! :rofl: Couldn't start playing, still laughing.

3. Feb 3, 2007

### dontdisturbmycircles

Lol, yea I saw that. lol

He goes on to show off his uber addition skills. lol

Last edited: Feb 3, 2007
4. Feb 3, 2007

### Schrodinger's Dog

hey 10 out of 10 on basic multiplying maths, aren't I groovy.

Got it down to 1.3, but I'm too fuzzy headed to do better (too much of xnay in the mjay if you know what I mean kids) And my typing sucks atm great fun.

addition .7:- 9 stars but I could get it lower as I paused before I started.

1.1 multiplication, I have a feeling if I could touch type I could get it lower.

Last edited: Feb 3, 2007
5. Feb 3, 2007

### verty

Well, I got 7 stars on Basic Addition, 8 stars on Basic Multiplication, and 6 stars for each of the other additions.

I'm just now trying to find a good method to multiply numbers together.

6. Feb 3, 2007

### verty

Ok, by a similar method to how I do addition (no paper), I can solve a 2x2 multiplication in an average of 13 seconds. It only rates as two stars.

7. Feb 3, 2007

### Schrodinger's Dog

Nah anything less than about 1.4 and you get 10 stars for multiplication.

8. Feb 3, 2007

### Moridin

I keep getting distracted by the timer >_>

9. Feb 3, 2007

### verty

You can hide it.

10. Feb 3, 2007

### Schrodinger's Dog

got 10 stars on both adding and multiplication. you need about .8 but it depends how consistennt you are too, for addition and about 1.3 as an average for multiplication. Touch typing will probably help alot too.

Once you've got ten stars on add go to multiply it's really hard to not add everything

I've got a 1.1 on multiplication but I reckon I could break the second barrier. Mind you I was my schools undefeated maths quickdraw champion :rofl: something for the CV. Ahhhh maybe not :tongue:

Oh yes .9 on multiplication I own the internet maths game

I need to work on my 12 times table.

Last edited: Feb 3, 2007
11. Feb 3, 2007

### mattmns

Interesting. Just got 10 stars on addition, 12.624 seconds. Now to multiply :uhh:

edit.. oh there are more addition tests, my score was for the basics

ouch... 67 seconds on my first medium addition test

Last edited: Feb 3, 2007
12. Feb 3, 2007

### Schrodinger's Dog

10.5 addition and 13.5 multiplication best I could do, if anyone can beat that then your a better man than I Gunga Din.

I've got to stop playing this now, must do something else.

Show this to your kids, it's a great way to learn maths. And it's unbelievably addictive too.

13. Feb 4, 2007

### Gokul43201

Staff Emeritus
Oooh...this is fun...just got 11 stars on medium multiplication...but the Hard is, as advertised, HARD! I think I need to sober up before I try that next. I'd better hit the bed now ...or I'll never to the lab early enough tomorrow!

14. Feb 4, 2007

### dontdisturbmycircles

I haven't had the time to give the medium multiplication a serious shot. I was not very good (although of course was always able to come up with the right solution, not too too bad, but not good by any means). I really want to try but I am so swamped with work. What technique do you use Gokul?

10.5 on the addition? 15 questions? geez. I was ussually around ~14, slower than multiplication! :tongue:

Back in the day when I was around 8 my father wrote a computer program that would run through the multiplication table up to 9, and would give rewards if I beat my previous time. Once I got down to like 54 seconds and was getting \$20 per second that I got lower than 60 seconds, he closed the project down. Playing with this program reminds me of that.

Last edited: Feb 4, 2007
15. Feb 4, 2007

### Schrodinger's Dog

The easiest one I know is the round up multiply and then take away the result of the rounding up process.

99*99 becomes 100*100-199=1801

Last edited: Feb 4, 2007
16. Feb 4, 2007

### verty

Where do you get the 199 from?

17. Feb 4, 2007

### Schrodinger's Dog

98*98=100*100*100-396

(100+98)*2.

100+99*1

97*97=10000-9409=591=(100+97)*3

I'd play myself but I'm currently in maths games rehab after spending an hour on it yesterday.

$$\sum_{n=-\infty}^\infty (n_1*n_1)-{(n_0+n_1)*n_0-n_1} = \lim_{n\rightarrow\infty}$$

It's a derviative of this rule pretty much.

Where $$n_0=$$

the original number and

$$n_1=$$

the rounded number

Last edited: Feb 4, 2007
18. Feb 6, 2007

### Gokul43201

Staff Emeritus
I estimate the logarithms, add them up, and them estimate the antilog.

Kidding! I don't really have a technique...but there's lots of little tricks. For instance, I'm used to multiplying numbers of the forms (10b+c) *(10a-c), when c is small. There are also tricks for squares of numbers of the form 10a + 5, the obvious one for products that can be written as (a+b)*(a-b), with an easy a (really, all products can be written in this form, but some are far nicer than others), etc. It helps to know some squares, and it if there's no quick trick that comes to mind, there's the usual rounding-multiplying-correcting technique. So, yes, I guess that last one would classify as a technique.

19. Feb 6, 2007

### Schrodinger's Dog

This is why I can't stand seeing calculators used so often in primary schools, because you miss out learning basic arithmetic fluently, a game like this more than makes up for it though, when I was a kid I sat there and memorised the entire 1-12 times table in about half an hour then the teacher tested me and like lightening I was giving answers, essentially if anyone puts the effort in their mental arithmetic skills will go up, and when you get to college level you'll be thankfull you took the time to learn the basics as doing equations will become much quicker.

This is also why I've never forgotten the times tables and why I scored around 10.5 seconds on addition and 13.5 on multiplication, I literally was typing from rote. If I could touch type I'd probably of got a lower score.

As for the addition, at school I was the first person to answer one hundred simple additions in less than x time, no one had done it before and the teacher offered a mars bar to the first person who could, freee chocolate!!!! they then gave me multiplication division and subtraction to do. I did them all in less than I think it was about ten minutes, most of the teachers couldn't do that I'm freakishly quick at mental arithemetic at least the fairly simple type, I can't come up with the formulation of pi to 3 million decimal places or work out what 348374837483484274834x2834763287648746723647326473 faster than a computer. unfortunately

Last edited: Feb 6, 2007
20. Feb 6, 2007

### dontdisturbmycircles

Yea, I think I am going to start working on my mental math. It is a powerful tool to have at your disposal.