1ARITHMETIC(6)                    Games Manual                    ARITHMETIC(6)
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NAME

6       arithmetic - provide drill in number facts
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SYNOPSIS

9       /usr/games/arithmetic [ +-x/ ] [ range ]
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DESCRIPTION

12       Arithmetic  types  out  simple  arithmetic  problems,  and waits for an
13       answer to be typed in.   If  the  answer  is  correct,  it  types  back
14       “Right!”,  and  a  new  problem.   If  the  answer is wrong, it replies
15       “What?”, and waits for another answer.  After every twenty problems, it
16       publishes statistics on correctness and the time required to answer.
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18       To quit the program, type an interrupt (delete).
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20       The first optional argument determines the kind of problem to be gener‐
21       ated; +-x/ respectively cause  addition,  subtraction,  multiplication,
22       and  division  problems to be generated.  One or more characters can be
23       given; if more than one is given, the different types of problems  will
24       be mixed in random order; default is +-.
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26       Range  is a decimal number; all addends, subtrahends, differences, mul‐
27       tiplicands, divisors, and quotients will be less than or equal  to  the
28       value of range.  Default range is 10.
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30       At  the  start,  all  numbers  less  than or equal to range are equally
31       likely to appear.  If the respondent makes a mistake,  the  numbers  in
32       the problem which was missed become more likely to reappear.
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34       As  a  matter of educational philosophy, the program will not give cor‐
35       rect answers, since the learner should, in principle, be able to calcu‐
36       late  them.   Thus the program is intended to provide drill for someone
37       just past the first learning stage, not to teach number facts de  novo.
38       For  almost  all users, the relevant statistic should be time per prob‐
39       lem, not percent correct.
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437th Edition                       May 6, 1986                    ARITHMETIC(6)
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