Educational Things (2)

Dataman Texas Instruments calculator to teach children simple math. The machine has the form of a robot (Dataman) who asks the pupil for assistance in his fight against error demons.

'Rekenwonder' (Computing Miracle) Rekenwonder or mathematical genius is a playfull and colourful educational calculator which teaches young children the basics of  arithmetic. It rewards correct answers with animated displays and a small game of pacman.

The Little Professor Many games can be played on the famous Little Professor: an educational toy of Texas Instruments for (very) young and (very) old players. Many versions of this educational calculator reached the market, the latest with LCD display and powered by a solar cell (Picture to the right.). Playing is simple: the Little Professor displays a sum and the player must input the answer after the equals-sign (=). To the left: this is one of the first Little Professors with a LED display. There are four levels of play for the basics: add, subtract, multiply and divide. The product comes with a number of games for two or more players described on colourful cards.

Monkey See   Toy calculator for kids manufactured by Tandy Radio Shack (1977). Accompanied by a booklet with many games and tasks. The player must input a sum, e.g. 7 x 8 = 56 and push the key with the question mark to finish. If the input is right the monkey's green (left) eye will light up otherwise his red (right) eye. The simple toy seemed to be a commercial success in the US.

Solve and Understand The Pythagoras-theorem is that the square on the opposite side of a right angle triangle is equal tot the sum of the squares on the other two sides. To the left the big square can be perfectly filled with both green and purple pieces. The problem to solve is to fill the green square with the green and the purple square with the purple pieces. When perfectly solved the Pythagoras theorem is understood perfectly at the same time. This three-in-one math puzzle was a giveaway of Philips Centennial (1891-1991).

Secret of the Sfinx Fifteen Numbered squares must be placed on a pyramid formation while satisfying the following condition: Take any two adjacent tiles, the value shown of the tile directly above and between them should show the value of their difference. Subtracting either right from left or left from right is OK. This puzzle is very hard to solve without the help of a computer. Most owners buy the solution from the British manufacturer.