Math Runner
A math fact sits at the top of the screen, and three lanes run down toward your runner. A row of three gates comes down them, each gate wearing a number. Only one of those numbers is the answer. Pick that lane before the row arrives: press the left and right arrow keys, press 1, 2 or 3, or tap the lane or swipe on a phone or tablet. Run through the right gate and you score a point. Run through a wrong one and you stumble.
The wrong numbers are near misses, not random ones: a number one, two or ten away, or for multiplication the fact next door in the table. For 8 + 7 the other two gates might say 14 and 16; for 7 × 8, 48 and 63. A fact that is only half remembered is easy to run straight into. You also have to make a choice. Standing in a lane is not a choice, so a row that arrives before you have picked a lane is a stumble, even if you happen to be standing in the right one. Press the lane's number, press Space, or tap the lane, and the pick is made.
You have three hearts, and every stumble costs one. The third stumble ends the run, and your score is the number of gates you passed. The game speeds up while you get facts right and eases off when you do not. Choose the facts before you start, from addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, and then a pace: Jog, Run or Sprint, where the first row takes 9, 6 or 4 seconds to reach you. Your best score for each pace and each set of facts is saved on this device.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Math Runner?
Read the fact at the top, find the gate wearing the answer and pick its lane before the row reaches the runner. The left and right arrow keys (or A and D) move one lane, and 1, 2 and 3 jump straight to a lane. On a phone or tablet, tap a lane or swipe sideways. A right gate scores one point. A wrong gate, or a row that arrives with no lane picked, is a stumble and costs a heart.
Does standing in the right lane count?
Not on its own. A pick has to be made after each row appears, so a runner who does nothing stumbles on every row, even when the answer happens to be in their lane. To stay where you are, press that lane's number, press Space or the up arrow, or tap the lane. Moving to another lane is a pick too, and the lane you have picked when the row arrives is your answer.
How fast do the gates come, and does that change?
At the start a row takes 9 seconds to come down the track at Jog, 6 at Run and 4 at Sprint. Every gate you pass takes 5 percent off that time, down to 4.5, 3 and 2 seconds. Every stumble adds 20 percent back, up to where the pace started. The speed follows how quickly you really know your facts, and it eases off when you are stumbling.
Which facts are in the game?
Addition is selected when the page opens. Tap the buttons above the paces to add subtraction, multiplication or division. Any mix works, and at least one always stays on. Both numbers run from 1 to 9 until “Change what to practise” says otherwise, so a single times table can fill the whole track.
What happens to the facts I miss?
Each wrong gate and each row with no lane picked is listed when the run ends, next to the right answer, and remembered on this device. A button under the results prints a worksheet made only of those facts, so you can practise exactly what slipped.