Download Math Practice (Math.zip 43.4KB)

12/6/2008 see Program Updates

by Fred Parcells

Email me from my reelbook contact page

Summary:

This is a little program I wrote for my 3rd grader, to help her practice her Math. So far the program does addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. You can personalize the greeting with your own name. You can also use your own pictures. The numbers on the left of the equal sign can be up to 2,147,483,646. You can input numbers with or without commas.

System Requirements:

  1. Computer running Windows
  2. .NET 2.0 or above
    1. You can check to see if you already have the .NET Framework installed by clicking Start on your Windows desktop, selecting Control Panel, and then double-clicking the Add or Remove Programs icon. When that window appears, scroll through the list of applications. If you see Microsoft .NET Framework listed (2.0 or greater), you do not need to install it again.
      Get .NET Framework

Install:

  1. Click the download link above.
  2. Save the Math.zip file in your "My Documents" folder.
  3. Right-Click the Math.zip file and Extract All. That will make a Math folder in My Documents with 4 files in it.

The four files in the Math folder are:

  1. Math.exe
  2. Math.exe.config
  3. pichappy.jpg
  4. picsad.jpg

Setup

  1. Right-Click on the Math.exe file and Send to - Desktop as shortcut.

Configure - change the greeting and/or pictures

  1. Right-Click on the Math.exe.config file and Open in - Notepad.
  2. Should look like this without the colors. Replace the ORANGE text with your name (9th line).

    <?    xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>

    <    configuration>

    <    appSettings>

    <!--    ///// INSTRUCTIONS /////-->

    <!--    ///// Replace the value between the quotes "Claire the math whiz" with your name. /////-->

    <!--    ///// You can use up to 40 characters and spaces. The first word must be less than 29 characters. /////-->

    <!--    ///// Example: value="Jack" /////-->

    <!--    ///// DO ALL EDITING BELOW THIS LINE! /////-->

    <    add key="YourName" value="Claire the math wiz" />



    <!--    //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////-->

    <!--    *** The section below is only if you want to use your own pictures (.bmp .gif .jpg .png). Put your pictures in the same folder as the file: ClaireMath.exe-->

    <!--    In the next line replace the file name between the quotes "pichappy.jpg" with your picture's file name. Width <= 244 pixels and Height <= 275 pixels. Example: "MyRightAnswerPic.jpg"-->

    <    add key="pictureRightAnswer" value="pichappy.jpg"/>

    <!--    Use the next line if you're using your own picture. Put the picture's width (less than or equal to 244 pixels) in between the quotes-->

    <    add key="pictureRightAnswerWidth" value="244"/>

    <!--    Use the next line if you're using your own picture. Put the picture's height (less than or equal to 275 pixels) in between the quotes-->

    <    add key="pictureRightAnswerHeight" value="275"/>

    <!--    Replace the value between the quotes "picsad.jpg" with your picture. Width <= 244 pixels and Height <= 275 pixels. Example: "MyRightAnswerPic.jpg"-->

    <    add key="pictureWrongAnswer" value="picsad.jpg"/>

    <!--    Use the next line if you're using your own picture. Put the picture's width (less than or equal to 244 pixels) in between the quotes-->

    <    add key="pictureWrongAnswerWidth" value="244"/>

    <!--    Use the next line if you're using your own picture. Put the picture's height (less than or equal to 275 pixels) in between the quotes-->

    <    add key="pictureWrongAnswerHeight" value="202"/>

    <!--    //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////-->

    </    appSettings>

    </    configuration>
  3. You can also use your own pictures. Just keep the size <= 244 x 275

Using the Math Practice program

Open the program from the Icon on your desktop.

The number next to the drop down box is the upper bound, or the highest the numbers on the left side of the equation will be, except for division where the upper bound pertains to the divisor and quotient. Changing the upperbound number when the answer text box is empty and the check button is visible will generate a new equation based on the new upperbound number. The upper bound can be set up to 2,147,483,646

Acknowledgments:

Thanks to Rebecca for suggesting using pictures for the right and wrong answers.

Updates:

  1. 11/11/2008 - Original Configuration - 3rd grade math with addition and subtraction
  2. 11/20/2008 - Added multiply and divide
  3. 12/6/2008 - Improved user input validation