| XTiles demo! |
Thinking GamesContrary to popular opinion, scientific thinking is not an arcane art practiced only by those who lack social lives. The same mental processe used to peer into the Depths of Life’s mysteries are at work in many common amusements. Indeed, any rational decision making process includes these same elements. To emphasize this point and to exercise your facilities, here are a couple of games of logic. Enjoy yourself, but also take note of your procedures, and seek to hone your skills. The goal here is to make you more comfortable and adept at confronting problems by generating hypotheses and testing them, as well as thinking with ‘new symbols’ about novel problems. Here’s the list (I'll cheerfully add to it if you have any suggestions; I'm looking for things that require generation and testing of hypotheses, regardless of the nature of the game): |
| MasterMind
(requires java-enabled browser): A game where you try to guess the colors
of a set of marbles. To play, just follow the link (you will travel away
from this site). For instructions, go HERE.
For the suggested version of the game, go here. Another version can be found at lizardpoint.com For an AWESOME downloadable Shareware version go to Freeverse (note—this one has some twists and is listed for your pleasure only—NOT part of the course. Please pay shareware fees if you keep the game) |
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QuantumMine
(requires Quicktime
4): I copied the basic ideas here from an old Parker Brother’s
game called Black Box. You try to deduce the location of gems in an
8x8 grid. You ‘fire’ beams of light into the grid (which is
hidden from you) and are given feedback in terms of where the beams
emerge (if at all). To play, just follow this link;
for instructions, go HERE. If you are desirous of studying more complex configurations specifically, there is now a variant available that offers exclusively 4 and 5 ball situations. QMine45! But wait—there’s MORE! QMinePu introduces a second and third kind of gem into the works.This version is unsupported and is not part of the course. It’s just here to challenge you if you enjoy this kind of thing. Learn the rules and play HERE. A non-RBP version of the game (called Black Box) and instructions can be found HERE (link takes you offsite). |
| JumbleAya: You are given a scrambled word; it's your job to sort out what the actual word is. Doesn't 'know' a huge number of words, but I think it's working correctly. Go HERE for instructions or go PLAY. |
| Hangman: a simple word game where you guess letters
in a word; correct guesses are placed into their proper locations, incorrect
ones represent steps toward your ultimate demise. A fast but simple version |
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Symbolic logic: A rigorous way of determining the truth value of such statements as “If you cannot run, then you cannot hide”, and complex beasts like ((A & B) … C). I have yet to finish this section...
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