Shareware Direct/Shareware Direct.iso/firstmag/msamp/manual.doc

Text File | 1993-08-19 | 16KB | 386 lines

            ----------  Math Sampler  ----------
                        Version 1.00


Program and documentation copyright John M. Gallant, 1993





WELCOME TO MATH SAMPLER  . . .

    Here are a few additional topics to supplement the
instructions contained in the program.



DISCLAIMER - AGREEMENT

Users of Math Sampler must accept this disclaimer of warranty:
Math Sampler is supplied as is.  The author disclaims all
warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation,
the warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose.
The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or
consequential, which may result from the use of Math Sampler.
Liability is limited to refund or replacement.

BACKUP YOUR DISK!

    Make a backup copy of Math Sampler before starting. If you
have a two floppy drive system, place the disk with Math Sampler
and all its files on it into drive a. Place a new formatted disk
into drive b and type

    copy a:*.* b:

All commands are ended by pressing the <Enter> key. If drives a
and b are not the same on your system and the Math Sampler disk
only fits in the b drive then just reverse the above
instructions. Put the original disk in a safe place and use the
copy to run Math Sampler.

    To copy Math Sampler to a hard drive, make a directory on the
hard drive. Go to the hard drive and type

        md msamp

or any other directory name. Change to that directory with

        cd msamp

and copy all of the files on the original disk to the hard disk
with the command


        copy a:*.*

(or "copy b:*.*" if the disk containing Math Sampler is in
drive b).

RUNNING Math Sampler

    To start Math Sampler, go to the drive and directory
containing the program and type "ms1 <Enter>". You may
optionally start the program in the silent mode with "ms1 -s".

    Once inside the program at the main menu, press h or F1 for
more instructions. Each menu has its own help message. Be sure to
read them all.


USING THE MOUSE

    You will need a mouse to run Math Sampler. If you have used a
mouse before then you will have no trouble with Math Sampler. If
you have never used a mouse before then you are in for some fun.
(We will assume you have a two-button Microsoft compatible
mouse.) Move the mouse around and watch the little arrow go the
same way you push the mouse. Move the arrow over one of the
things that looks like a button or keyboard key. Press the left
mouse button when the arrow is on a button on the screen. This is
called "clicking on an option." Either mouse button may be used.
The things on the screen that look like buttons are buttons,
click on them to select options or to answer questions.


    In general, each screen or popup message has a button in the
upper left corner to exit the screen or remove the popup. Many
popups can be cleared by pressing any key on the keyboard or
clicking the mouse anywhere. Some popups present you with options
and you will need to press one of a few specific keys on that
popup to continue.

    Some options can be selected by typing the first
letter of the name on the key. Unfortunately, sometimes two names
will start with the same letter so it is usually easier to use
the mouse. You MUST use the mouse to answer the problems.


MAIN MENU

    The first screen (after the credits and copyright notice) is
the main menu. It looks like a piece of cross-stitch needlework.
The "keys" are cross-stitched rectangles. The one marked "help"
is important. Push it and read what it says. Most screens have a
"help" button. Each message is different and applies to the
current screen.

    You cannot answer the problems on the main menu screen. They
are just there to identify what the game for that key does. For
example, the key with "2+3=?" is for the addition game. You may
also type a number from one to six to start the games. Other keys
may do nothing or may display a help message explaining how to
start the game or other related function. For example 'q' will
ask if you want to quit the game.

    All of the setup is controlled from the main menu. Press one
of the keys 's', 'm', or 'f' to make the action slow, medium, or
fast. Press one of the keys 'e', 'm', or 'h' to make the
questions easy, medium, or hard. The bell is the sound key. Try
it.

GAMES

  Although each game offers something different, they all have
elements in common. For example, they all use a mouse to press
keys or pickup and move objects. The screens are arranged so that
the "game" part is on the right side and the problem part
is on the left side. There is usually a scoreboard to keep track
on the number of questions answered so far. Usually, when a
problem is answered incorrectly, a small window will pop up to
show the error. If the problem is missed a second time, the
correct answer is displayed.

    Five of the games consist of sets of problems to be answered.
If the student scores at least 80% correct, a trophy or ribbon is
awarded as follows:

        100%    Gold trophy
         95%    Silver trophy
         90%    Gold medal
         85%    Silver medal
         80%    Bronze medal

Trophies earned are displayed at the bottom of the screen.
Trophies are not saved when you exit the program. Prizes are
awarded but scores are not displayed at the easy level.

    All of the games have similar control panels in the upper
left corner. On these control panels are at least a red "quit"
key to return you to the main menu and a light blue "help" key to
give instructions on how to play the game. We have tried hard to
make the games simple and similar. This allows the student to
spend his or her time solving problems and playing the game
instead of learning the instructions. We spent a lot of time
testing these games on children (of all ages). We tried to make
them so that, with a little experimentation, the student could
easily figure out how to play the game even without reading the
instructions. But, since we went through the trouble of writing
the help instructions, we would like you to read them anyway.
They are all brief.

    In the games where the student must catch a number, addition
and multiplication, the cursor is sticky when it is on the left
side of the screen. That means the numbers will stick to the
cursor. Catch one of the numbers by moving the cursor to a
number. Once the number sticks, move the number and cursor to the
right side of the screen. Unless you are pressing a mouse key,
the number will fall off and move to a small blue rectangle. That
is where it is supposed to go. If the wrong number sticks to the
cursor, press and release the mouse button to drop it. If a wrong
number gets into the answer box, catch the correct number and
drop it over the old one.

    You can also drag a number out of the box. Place the cursor
over the number. Press the mouse button and (with the button
still down) drag the number back to the right side of the screen.
Release the mouse button and the number should return to play.
This is called "drag and drop." Use this method to remove extra
fish from the small tank. Drag-and-drop the numbers in the
subtraction game to solve the problem.


Counting  (the key with a 2 and two fish)

    This game teaches counting. The student is asked to catch a
given number of fish in the big tank and bring them to the small
tank. (See the instructions above for how to use the mouse to
catch and move objects.) Use the 's', 'm', or 'f' keys in the
main menu to make the fish move slow, medium, or fast. Use the
'e', 'm', or 'h' keys in the main menu to change the maximum
number of objects to count. At the easy level, only five
questions are asked per set and the maximum number of fish to
count is five.


Addition  (the key with 2+3=?)

    The first addition game teaches single-digit addition (to 10)
with sets of counting object and simple written instructions. If
the student cannot read these instructions, go through the game
once or twice with the student and read the instructions aloud.


    At the easy level, the problems are presented horizontally
and the maximum sum is five. At the medium level, sums are done
vertically and horizontally and the sums are up to ten. The hard
level does not use the counting objects.


Subtraction  (the key with 5-4=?)

    Multidigit subtraction problems are presented with this game.
The left side of the screen has a multidigit subtraction problem.
The right side has a set of cages set into bricks. Steel doors
close over the numbers in the cage when the cursor comes near
them. The student must look at the problem, decide which numbers
will be needed to solve the problem, and try to get the numbers
out of the cages before the door closes. This will take a little
practice but it is fun. If the doors are a problem then go to the
main menu and select the 's' key. This will stop all the doors.

    The student should solve the problem one column at a time,
from ones column to tens, and so on. This is a more natural
method than is used in almost all other math games.

    The boxes above the problem are for regrouping (borrowing).
They do not need to have numbers in them to get the problem
correct. They are only there as an aid. For example, if you want
to borrow one from the six in the tens column, catch a five and
place it in the box above the six. The computer will strike
through the six and place a small one near the upper number in
the ones column. Remove the five and the computer will put
everything back.

    When a problem is answered incorrectly, the computer will
change the color of the box containing the error from blue to
red. The regrouping boxes are ignored unless the difference is in
error. The student only needs to correct the numbers in the red
boxes. This helps the student quickly identify the error and
correct it.

    There is no borrowing at the easy level and only two digit
problems are given. Borrowing is introduced at the medium level.
The hard level includes double borrowing (borrowing through a
zero) and three digit numbers.

Multidigit Addition Instructions  (the box with 12+34)

    This is a set of lessons on how to solve multidigit addition
problems. The student is not required to answer any questions.
Select one of the problems with the mouse and press the 'go' key.
The computer will go through step-by-step instructions on how to
solve the problem. If you want to pause at any point, press the
'pause' button. Press 'go' again and the computer will continue
from where it left off. The 'fast', 'medium', and 'slow' keys
change the speed of the lesson.


Multiplication  (the box with 7x8=?)

    Catch the numbers as they pop up from behind the wall. One is
the correct answer to the problem. Put it in the box and press
"check" to check your answer. The easy level covers the 1, 2, and
3 tables. Medium covers the 0 through 6 tables. The hard level
covers the 0 through 9 tables and also includes missing-factor
problems. These are problems of the type ?x2=6 and 4x?=20.


Division  (the box with 9÷3=?)

    This game is a timed division test. The challenge is to
answer the questions within two minutes. Each time a question is
answered the green frog hops. Race the other frog across the
screen. The 's', 'm', and 'f' keys in the main menu select 5, 10
or 20 questions per set. The easy level uses the 1, 2, and 3
tables. The medium level uses the 1 through 6 tables. The hard
level uses the 1 through 9 tables and also uses missing-factor
problems.


IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE PROGRAM

    We hope you never have any problems but if you do, the
program will try to print a message to the screen. Here are some
examples.


"Could not find an EGA or VGA card"

    This message will be displayed when you try to run the
program on a computer without the proper display driver card.
Earlier CGA monitors do not have sufficient resolution for the
text that accompanies the instructions and are not supported.
Monochrome systems are also not supported. The program will work
fine on true EGA and VGA systems.


"Not enough memory"

    Although the program will work with systems with less than
512K of memory, most of that memory must be available to the
program. Some computers have memory set aside for RAM Disks or
TSR programs. TSR (Terminate and Stay Resident) programs include
such popup or background programs as Borland's Sidekick. These
subtract from the memory available to the program. You may have
to remove one or more of these to run Math Sampler. You will find
them in a file called AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS. If you are not
familiar with these, seek out a friend who is or read the manuals
that came with your computer. Another good place to get
information on AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS is in a book on DOS.
There are usually several in the library.


"Could not find file"

    This would most likely be caused by trying to run the program
from a directory that does not include the "extra" files used by
Math Sampler. These files typically contain graphic images that
are loaded as needed. It is easiest to go to the drive and
directory containing a copy of the complete set of programs that
came on the distribution disk (the one you bought) and run from
there.


"Could not read file"

    This is more serious than not finding the file. It says the
file was found but the computer was not able to read all of the
information in the file. It is possible that the file has become
corrupted. In that case, just replace the corrupted file with the
one from your backup disk. (It is just as easy to start over and
replace all of the files). It is also possible that the disk
drive is having trouble reading the disk. Remove the disk from
the drive and tap the disk on the table. Then reinsert the disk
into the drive and try again. This does not work all the time but
it is so simple that it is worth a try.


The program runs but there is a bunch of junk flickering on the
screen.

    If this happens, press the F1 key. If the flickering stops
then you probably have an old EGA driver with less than a full
complement of memory. True EGA has memory for two complete
screens (called "pages"). Math Sampler needs both. Although many
EGA programs will run on these cards, others will not. You might
check with your hardware dealer about an upgrade.


Program does not run at all.

    Hmm? Never heard of that happening. Try the disk on another
IBM compatible. You should at least get a message in text
identifying the program (before the First Magnitude screen). If
you do not, then the disk or program has been corrupted or your
disk drive may have an alignment problem.


None of the above.

    Even though I tried very hard to make a foolproof program,
there is still a chance that something could go wrong. When that
happens, I would like to know about it. Be sure to get as much
information ready before calling as possible. I need such
information as type of computer, type of display, DOS version,
TSR's that might be running, and a detailed explanation of the
symptoms. The more complete the information the easier it will be
to solve the problem.


TELEPHONE SUPPORT

    If you have read and tried all of the above and still need
help, you can call the following number [phone]. It will
help if you have all of the information ready and you are sitting
in front of your computer when you call.