Nerdle

 

Nerdle is a new web based math game that has captured the attention of the public.  It is similar to wordles but uses equations.  Instead of finding words, you look for the 8 character equation within the 6 guess limit.  The game is challenging but engaging and maybe it is something we can use for engaging our students.  

There are only a few rules for the game.  There are eight "letters" or spaces to use.  The "letter" represents a number from 0 to 9 or one of the operations, or an equal sign.  The "word is a mathematically correct equation with the equal sign. The number to the right of the equal sign is a number. 

It also assumes that you are following all order of operations so you need to multiply before adding.  The final rule is that order of the answer has to match exactly.  So if 15 + 20 = 35 is what the program is looking for, it won't accept 20 + 15 = 35 because it doesn't see it as correct. In addition, it uses color coding to let you know if your guess is correct.  If the "letter" is correct, it will turn green, if it is correct but in the wrong location, it will turn purple, and black if it is not there at all.  Every guess has to be mathematically accurate such as 25 = 3 * 7 + 4.

Nerdle opened on January 20th of this year.  It was created by a data scientist who came up with the idea during a conversation with his 14 year old daughter who wanted to know why wasn't there a wordles type game for math people. So he and his daughter worked out the rules and name. His son worked out all the possible equations that would work within the situation.  With a bit of help from colleagues and friends, they launched the site.   Since its release it has become wildly popular and used by teachers in their classrooms.  There is also instant nerdle but you only have one chance to get it correct.  

Each day, the site releases one new puzzle out of 17,723 possible combinations which is enough to last 48 years.   For those who get frustrated easily and don't have the patience to work through the whole process, there are sites that work it out and share the solution. They will tell you what one it is such as puzzle 26.  This is something students will discover quickly is let them work it out on line since many of them use "cheat" sites to help them through certain games.

If you have students who need a bit more of a challenge, let your students try the current puzzle to see how they do.  Go check it out, give it a try, let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.