Mathematical Games
Who says math can't be fun and games? Games are an important part of mathematics. On the one hand, games based in mathematics can help students learn basic concepts faster and better, as well as being more fun than repeated problem solving. In a more advanced setting, there are entire bracnhes of higher mathematics devoted to the theory of games.
This section of the site contains various games, each of which has some basis in mathematics, either from a theoretical perspective, or as a learning tool for basic skills. Enjoy!
The available games can be seen in the left-hand navigation bar. You can also use the links in the following descriptions:
- NIM: The classic impartial combinatorial game. Take turns removing stones from different piles until there are none left. Whoever takes the last one wins.
- Kayles: Another impartial combinatorial game. Take turns knocking down pins, either one pin or two adjacent pins. Whoever knocks down the last one wins.
- Don't Make a Triangle (DMaT): Take turns coloring the edges and diagonals of a hexagon with your color. The first player to color three lines that make a triangle all with their color loses.
- Who's Multiplying?: Another game from Square One, use your knowledge of multiplication to take over squares on a 6 by 6 board. The first player to control 3 squares in a row wins.
In order to play these, you'll need to have Java 1.5 (or higher) installed on your system, and your browser set to allow applets to run. You can download the Java runtime from Sun Microsystems.