Computer games can lay early seeds of mathematical concepts in children. The game discussed here is a computer puzzle that allows the movement of pieces through exchanges as well as in-place rotations of 180° about the x, y, or z axis. As a result, the player becomes comfortable with some nontrivial aspects of the permutation and rotation groups. © 1998 American Institute of Physics.
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For a list of available software see, for example, Comput. Phys. CPHYE211, 49 (1997).
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S. Dugdale, in Computer-Assisted Instruction and Intelligent Tutoring Systems, edited by J. Larkin and R. W. Chabay (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Hillsdale, NJ, 1992), pp. 11–45.
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The game used here is called “Disorder” (works on Windows 3.1 and Windows 95). It is currently available directly from the author at 3 Kaegill Lane, New Paltz, NY 12561 (price: $15.00). There are similar games available from other sources.
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This article does not discuss a major component of skills developed by computer puzzle games, namely, pattern recognition skills, in particular, allowing the pieces to be rotated brings in a higher degree of challenge in recognizing patterns of the puzzle picture.
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The present version of the game does not consider playing speed.
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I have observed one eight-year-old acquire such intuition. However, not having tried the game on a large group of children, it is difficult to generalize. So I am guessing, somewhat conservatively, that by age 10 significant numbers of children would acquire such intuition.
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Here, the particle theorist might see a discrete analog of a fiber bundle!
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H. Wielandt, Finite Permutation Groups (Academic, New York, 1964).
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© 1998 American Institute of Physics.
1998
American Institute of Physics
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