Multiplication, Grade 6

This tutorial demonstrates the simplicity with which a 64K computer can be programmed to provide a no-frill means of developing an unlimited number of multiplication problems for a math practice session of a six-grader. The program LISTing is short and can readily be converted to the basic language of other computers.

One of the biggest drawbacks of most software packages provided by the schools today for their students is that the programs are too elaborately written. Thru these programs the inanimate computers are expected to teach, but they cannot anticipate a child’s needs, and are thus very inefficient as a teaching medium. As a consequence students can spend up to eighty percent of their time standing by…. watching crude computer animations, slow developing and fancy picture embellishments, repetitious displays of the credit and introductory screens, unclear menus, confusingly abbreviated instructions, and the like. Much of this rot is created by the programmers and producers of the software, who appear to be more concerned with demonstrating their programming ability than they are the education of the child. The relatively poor grades that students currently are scoring on standard tests, compared to the grades in the years before computers entered the classrooms, is principally due to this inefficient method of teaching. But, computers can be of help in providing a student with practice exercises to follow up on classroom instruction, by a teacher. H-34 is a program written for this purpose.

Routine H-34 does nothing more fancy than to develop two decimal numbers for multiplication on paper by the student who then enters his answer. The computer then checks it and indicates whether it is correct or not.

There are two subroutines in this program suitable for use in other programs. The one in lines 1000 to 1040 generates decimal and integral numbers in the range of 1 to 900+. They are developed as “strings” so that the individual digits can be manipulated. They are then converted to numbers for computation and display.

The subroutine in 500 to 680 reviews all INPUT and rejects anything that cannot be a valid answer. In other words, it monitors input so that nothing other than positive (or negative) numbers of 2 or more digits get by.

H-34

   5 REM ** "I-16", 1-6-90, WF
  10 REM ** MULTIPLICATION,
            GRADE SIX

  20 RANDOMIZE
  30 CLS : LET F=0
  40 PRINT "You are expected to
be within     .03 of the correct
answer to       be marked correc
t."
  50 FOR I=1 TO 10
  60 GO SUB 1000: LET N1=VAL N$
  70 GO SUB 1000: LET N2=VAL N$
  80 LET ans=N1*N2
  90 PRINT '"QUESTION No. ";I
 100 PRINT "  ";N1;" X ";N2;" =
";
 110 INPUT T$: GO SUB 500
 115 LET try=VAL H$: PRINT try
 120 IF ABS (ans-try)>.03 THEN G
O TO 150
 130 PRINT "   Correct.  Press E
NTER."
 140 LET F=F+1: GO TO 160
 150 PRINT "   Wrong.  Answer is
";ans: PRINT "   Press ENTER."
 160 INPUT z$: NEXT I
 170 PRINT '"Your score was ";F;
" out of 10.       Press ENTER t
o play again."
 180 INPUT z$: GO TO 30
 190
 500 REM ** INPUT MONITOR
 510 LET H$=T$
 515 IF LEN T$<2 THEN GO TO 560
 520 IF T$(1)="+" OR T$(1)="-" T
HEN LET T$=T$(2 TO )
 530 GO TO 600
 560 FOR T=1 TO 120: NEXT T: GO
TO 110
 600 FOR T=1 TO LEN T$
 610 IF (T$(T)<"0" OR T$(T)>"9")
 AND T$(T)<>"." THEN GO TO 110
 620 NEXT T
 630 LET S=0
 640 FOR T=1 TO LEN T$
 650 IF T$(T)="." THEN LET S=S+1
 660 IF S>1 THEN GO TO 110
 670 NEXT T
 680 RETURN
 690
1000 REM ** NUMBER GENERATOR
1010 LET A$=STR$ (1+900*RND*RND)
+"000"
1020 LET w=2+INT (6*RND)
1030 LET N$=A$(1 TO w)
1040 RETURN

You are expected to be within
 .03 of the correct answer to
    be marked correct.

QUESTION No. 1
  197.9 X 11 = 2176.9
   Correct.  Press ENTER.

QUESTION No. 2
  3.3 X 354 = 1168.2
   Correct.  Press ENTER.

QUESTION No. 3
  144 X 114 = 16514
   Wrong.  Answer is 16416
   Press ENTER.