Terrific Triangles

This software has two playing modes, both of which involve determining the missing third part of a fact family presented by a triangle. The sum and product are always displayed at the top of the triangle, with the addends and factors in the lower corners.

In Student mode, individuals can practice facts with a running score for correct answers. The player can select difficulty and play against a timer. In Teacher mode, group play is possible. The software presents a problem and the timer spins around once before displaying a student's name, after which the timer spins again. The student whose name appears must try to call out the answer before the timer finishes. This system is effective, encouraging students to pay attention even before knowing whether they will need to answer.

To display a new problem, simply press the "Return" or "Enter" key. The empty corner will be randomly determined or, by clicking the corner with the mouse, the user can choose which corner will be blank. Student mode can be used right away, whereas teacher mode first requires entering names and settings. These will remain saved between uses.

In the Edit menu, there is a preferences window where student names can be typed or pasted. We recommend using only first names, as they are displayed in a large font size and the presentation area is relatively small. The length of time for one clock revolution can also be set, and a difficulty level can be selected. The images are large enough to be seen on most presentation systems, including televisions. Overall, this software offers effective and customizable modes for practicing fact families.