SFLS Math Club Designs New Game + Earns ‘Gold Level Status’ in National Math Club
Sioux Falls Lutheran School’s Math Club received national recognition this week for designing a math-based game that meets the National Math Club’s Gold Level Project requirements. The club, which is one of only three in Sioux Falls and 14 in South Dakota that are part of the National Math Club, designed the game as a group. Check out the rules below and give it a try on your next family game night!
Operation Math Attack
By SFLS Math Club
Number of Players: 3-6 recommended (more is possible but the more players, the harder the game)
Supplies:
one deck of cards (two decks for 5+ players)
one 20-sided die (or three 6-sided dice)
Objective:
Use operations to make a certain number using card face values
How it works:
Shuffle the deck (or decks) and deal out the cards to all players. Players should not look at their cards.
Roll the 20-sided die to determine the objective number.
-Alternatively, roll three 6-sided dice and add the values.
-Alternatively, use a random number generator (the higher the values, the harder the problem).
-Alternatively, players can agree upon a number before flipping over their cards.
At the same time, each player flips over their top card to the middle.
Players should use addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division and all card values in the middle to make the objective number.
-Alternatively, include exponents and roots.
The first player to correctly explain how to make the objective number using operations wins the cards in the middle.
The game ends when all cards have been played. The winner is decided by who has collected the most number of cards at the end of the game.
**If no combination makes the objective number, the person that rolled the die (or dice) flips another card.
Card values:
Ace = 1
2 = 2
3 = 3
4 = 4
5 = 5
6 = 6
7 = 7
8 = 8
9 = 9
10 = 10
Jack = 11
Queen = 12
King = 13
Jokers = wild card → Player who lays the card can choose its value
Special Rules:
As a group, decide if calculators can be used
As a group, decide if paper and pencil can be used
As a group, decide if players can look at their cards to choose which card to lay
As a group, decide if face cards will be used
The Math:
This game helps practice mathematical operations like adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing (and others if you choose to include them) in order to get to a certain number.