Mental math game online
Bigger Sum · Logic · 15 levels
Two expressions appear at once. Pick the one with the bigger result. The results are never equal.
Free up to level 5, 15 levels in all.
How to play
- Two expressions appear on the board.
- Tap the one whose result is bigger.
- On a keyboard, press 1 for the first and 2 for the second.
- Each pair has a time limit. A wrong answer or a miss costs a life.
A mental math game online, for adults
This mental math game will run in the browser and inside Telegram, with nothing to install. You do not type an answer. You see two expressions, such as 7 + 8 and 9 + 5, and tap the one with the bigger result. You can play by touch, with a mouse or with the 1 and 2 keys.
The two results are never equal. Subtraction never goes below zero and division always comes out whole, so there are no fractions or negative numbers. The pairs use ordinary addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, and each pair has a time limit.
From level 1 to 15
Each level is a fixed number of pairs, 10 on the first levels and 20 on the last. Four things change as you go up, and none of them ever gets easier.
The operations come in one at a time. Levels 1 and 2 are addition only. Subtraction joins on level 3, multiplication on level 5 and division on level 8. From then on a pair can mix any two of them, for example a product against a difference.
The numbers grow. On level 1 you add numbers up to 9. By level 15 addition and subtraction use numbers up to 99, and multiplication and division use factors up to 12.
The two results get closer. On level 1 they can be up to 6 apart. On level 15 they differ by exactly 1, as in 3 × 11 against 97 − 65, so a rough estimate will not settle it.
The time per pair drops from 6 seconds on level 1 to 2.6 seconds on level 15. A pair you do not answer in time costs a life, the same as a wrong pick. With three lives gone the level ends and your points so far are kept.
How the points work
A right answer earns 10 points plus a speed bonus of up to 10. The bonus drops by one point for every 400 ms you take. A right answer in under 0.2 seconds earns the full 10, a right answer in 2 seconds still earns 5, and from 3.8 seconds the bonus is zero. A wrong or late answer earns nothing. The best possible score is 20 points per pair, so 200 on level 1 and 400 on level 15.
Exactly half of the pairs on every level have the bigger result on the first side. Tapping the same side every time would be wrong on the other half, and three wrong answers end the level before the list runs out.
Points and your best show how you did in this game. We do not claim that it will make you better at math at school, at work or anywhere else.
What is a good result
We do not publish norms for this game yet, and we would rather not invent them. Compare levels cleared, lives left and scores with your own earlier results.
A fast wrong answer costs a life, while a slow right one only costs bonus points. So a slow right answer is always worth more than a fast wrong one.
Tips
Work out the easy side first. If one side is 9 × 9, you know it is 81 without counting. Then you only need to check whether 46 + 38 goes above 81 or not.
The results are at most 6 apart even on level 1, so rounding both sides to tens rarely decides a pair. Round only the harder side, then correct it. 46 + 38 is 50 + 38 minus 4, which is 84.
Knowing the multiplication table to 12 by heart saves time on every pair with a product, and there are many of them from level 5 on.
Division here is always a product turned around. 56 ÷ 7 is 8 because 7 × 8 is 56, so use the multiplication fact you already know.
On a keyboard, keep two fingers on 1 and 2. The first expression is on top on a narrow screen and on the left on a wide one.
Similar games
Target Sums is also about numbers, but it has no time limit. You remove numbers from a grid until each row and column adds up to its target. In the Schulte Table you find numbers in order on a grid, as fast as you can.
Questions
- Is this mental math game free?
- Yes. Levels 1 to 5 will be free in the browser and in Telegram, with nothing to install. The full version opens all levels for a one-time payment, with no subscription.
- Do I need to type the answer?
- No. You only pick the bigger of two expressions, by tapping it or pressing 1 or 2.
- Can the two results be equal?
- Never. One result is always bigger. On level 1 the gap can be anything from 1 to 6, and on level 15 it is always exactly 1.
- How long does a level take?
- Usually under a minute. Level 1 has 10 pairs with up to 6 seconds each, level 15 has 20 pairs with up to 2.6 seconds each, with a short pause between pairs. If you use the full time on every pair, a level takes a little over a minute.
- Is this a math speed test?
- It is a game, not a standardized test. It does time how fast you compare two results, but the score only tells you how you did in this game.