Math Effect

The concept behind this game is one of those where even young children can understand it and even compete against adults.  There are two options that the user can enter: yes and no.  A series of single operation arithmetic questions appear on screen and the player must decide if each one is correct or incorrect.  They tap yes for the former and no for the latter. 

There are three modes of play:  Score as much as possible in a time limit; answer a set amount of questions in the fastest possible time, or keep going as long as possible with correct answers adding 5 seconds more to the clock.  They are all challenging game modes which make the player want one more go to better their performance.

In all modes wrong answers end the game - no second chances here!  This adds well to the tension generated when the player is closing in on beating a high score.

The questions do use a notation that not all children might have encountered.  An asterisk represents multiply and a colon represents divide.  This isn’t hard to remember, and it is worth them knowing that these are alternative forms of notation for these operations for when they encounter them in online study guides and so forth.

A number of mental strategies can be adopted to improve efficiency in this game. Sometimes a better strategy than working out which number is correct, is working out which number must be incorrect. For example take a multiplication by 3.  If you know any tricks to see if a number is a multiple of 3, and you apply it to see that one of them isn’t, then you know the other is correct.  There are quite a few of these strategies and learning them could provide a fun training session for a class competition in using this app.

This won’t, of course, just be for fun.  Those mental strategies are very effective checks for children’s own arithmetic.  They may not tell them their answers are definitely correct, but they do tell them if they are definitely wrong.  The app becomes a very useful tool to give children a purpose to learn these checks that they may not otherwise identify for the intermittent use of checking their own arithmetic. 

The app is available as a free app with advertisements included, but the version reviewed here is available for a low price and is recommended.  Not having the advertisements halt the game between attempts keeps players focussed and less likely to switch off from it. 

This is a narrowly focussed app but it is a great way to harness children’s competitiveness to encourage them to learn useful skills and increase their proficiency at quick mental maths. In class it will be useful as a productive activity to fill 5 minute gaps in the timetable.  At home it can be a fun math competition between all of the family.  It may well be surprising who comes out on top!  It is certainly a fun and educational addition to any compatible device.