Home >> Games & Cards >> Games

Fun Math Games for the Brain

In 1992, a neuroscientist named Richard Haier studied the affect of the videogame Tetris on the brain. Tetris is a puzzle that requires falling blocks to fall in lines. The results of the research implied that the brain becomes more efficient upon exposure to similarly challenging games, just as the body becomes efficient due to exercise. Math games provide the fun and exercise that the brain needs.

Grid Games
- Some math games that people can really enjoy are the number puzzles that use grids or cells. A famous example is Sudoku. The number of grids varies, but the most common is the 9x9 grid, which further divides into 3x3 grids. The objective of this game is to place each number from 1 to 9 in each of the smaller grids without repeating a location. For example, if in one grid the number 5 is in the bottom-left cell, then the number 5 shouldn't be in any of the other grids' bottom-left cell. Another math game using grids is a memory game. Mathisfun.com calls its version of the memory game "Math Match." The player opens two cards in the hopes of getting a match. In "Math Match," a matching pair consists of an equation and an answer.
Figure It Out
- Math has applications in everyday life. The website figurethis.org offers several situations that require some basic knowledge in arithmetic, geometry and even statistics. However, unlike ordinary word problems, these situations don't require exact values. What matters in the game is to find out how to begin answering the question and if possible, to come up with estimates. One sample displays two cookies in different shapes. Both cookies are covered with chocolate. The question is, "Which cookie has the most chocolate?" Attempting to measure the area of the cookie will yield the answer. The site features many other inquiries into seemingly ordinary topics, like the best shape for a manhole cover and the best angles when looking at a mirror. All of these invite mathematical approaches to figuring out possible answers.
Logic Puzzles
- Logic puzzles are games that guide the player through a series of premises that create a question. The player answers this question by deducing it from the given conditions. Logic puzzles are also similar to word problems, but they are more playful in providing clues, further honing the player's analytical skills. The website brain-fun.com offers various logic puzzles and other brainteasers. One example from the site is "How Old Are They?", which features two men whose ages add up to 49. The problem gives a couple more conditions and finally asks how old each of them are. Other logic puzzles are longer and more complicated.

Games