TuxMathby SchoolForge updated November 29, 2011
TuxMath is an arcade game that helps kids practice their math facts. The main goal is to make it effective and fun!

Software Details

TuxMath is an arcade game that helps kids practice their math facts. The main goal is to make it effective and fun!

Based on the classic arcade game "Missile Command," Tux must defend his cities. In this case, though, he must do it by solving math problems.

Requirements

Operating systems: Linux, Windows, Mac OSX, BSD

Reviews

3
TuxMath Review
4
Average: 4 (1 vote)

TuxMath is an educational, arcade style game teaching basic math facts and functions. Although this game may not have all the graphics and action of today's mainstream video games the concept and educational aspect is invaluable. TuxMath is geared for lower elementary school aged children. The most basic lesson begins with number typing on the keyboard but in a fun and easy number key recognition. The objective is to stop the fireballs from reaching Tux's igloo by selecting the fireball's corresponding number key and firing the laser to disable the fireball. The games get progressively difficult with the inclusion of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems. As players master the easy problems, new problems appear at a faster rate. Additional math problems include sums to designated numbers, addition and subtraction of two digit numbers, multiplication and division of single and two digit numbers. Negative numbers are also introduced along with fractions and factors.
Games can be played individually or with multiple players. There is even a function to play against other students on the network.
TuxMath makes learning basic math skill fun. I tried playing each of the games and mastered the easy ones without problem. As the difficulty increased my own score decreased, so even if this is designed for younger children I could probably use TuxMath to refresh and develop my own math knowledge. TuxMath is part of a suite of open source educational programs for children. More information can be found at: http://tux4kids.alioth.debian.org/ . TuxMath supports Linux, Windows, and Mac OS.

Tux Math offers students an
2
Average: 2 (1 vote)

Tux Math offers students an opportunity to practice basic math skills starting with number recognition and moving from addition to subtraction to multiplication and division. Each skill set is broken into smaller chunks that progressively get more challenging. The game has students operating a spaceship and shooting asteroids that have math facts attached to them. The player has to enter the correct answer to the problem to destroy the asteroid before it hits you. While I applaud the scaffolding and sequence of the program, the game felt dated, slow and frankly I could not imagine it being fun/effective for many students. The only exception was the Factoides and Fractoids game which had you navigate a spaceship using the arrow keys to aim at asteroids flying in all directions, while also trying to shoot them down by correctly entering facts or equivalent fractions. I found the game challenging enough in trying to navigate the spaceship without being struck and a creative way to provide practice for students learning facts and fractions.

TuxMath is like an arcade
4
Average: 4 (1 vote)

TuxMath is like an arcade game for students to practice their math skills. Students can select the level or type of math that they wish to practice, and then they have to solve the problems before the fireballs drop to the bottom of the screen and destroy the cities at the bottom. The levels get more difficult as more problems appear at a faster rate. Students can play individually, or with other students on the same network, or take turns on one computer.

Pros:
-some students might find it engaging
-nice range of math practice (number typing, adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing)
-tiered nicely (adding from 1-3, 0-5, etc.)

Cons:
-some students might find it not very engaging because you're just typing in the numbers
-just for practicing skills – not learning new ones

Overall: This is a game that students can use to practice their math skills – there's no instruction of how to solve the problems. Some students might be engaged by the game aspect, especially if they can challenge their classmates, but others might find the lack of graphics and interactivity boring.

Ease of installation: 5
Ease of use: 5
Effectiveness: 4
Student engagement: 3.5
Overall: 4 stars