Mathrix review #2

[Ron Hale-Evans <rwhe@...>]

Had some time to kill in a Starbucks while waiting for Marty to pick
me up after work today, so I took out my piecepack and played Mathrix,
by Clark Rodeffer, this time with the correct rules (removing one coin
from an equation instead of removing the full equation, as I did
before by mistake).

Mathrix is certainly fun.  It is refreshing, a mind-stretcher rather
than a mind-bender.  (Marty calls it "brain yoga".)  The rules are
easy to understand and remember, but interesting strategies and
tactics emerge from them -- my favourite kind of game.  Understanding
the relationships among small integers is key here.  I would recommend
Mathrix for anyone who likes puzzles, wants a math refresher, or
wishes to teach math to kids.

I have a reservation about the game that is itself a puzzle of sorts.
It seems that some numbers in Mathrix can be treated as completely
identical to other numbers.  For example, 4 can always be treated as
equivalent to 2 when necessary, because sqrt(4)=2.  Similarly, a null
coin can always be treated as an ace coin as well, because cos(0)=1.
It seems to me that a 6x6 "mathrix" of such equations (leaving out the
cases 0=0, 1=1, etc., thus 30 equations in all) would render Mathrix
trivial, since you could always remove any coin from the board.  Can
such a table be constructed?  How abstruse would the math have to be
to show 4 can be converted to 5?  I'm interested to hear opinions on
this.  Barring the creation of such a table, of even most of one, by
piecepacking spoilsports :), Mathrix is plenty fun.

By the way, I was able to get the coins in my first game down to the
following 3:

1 2 0

I could take one further coin away by treating this as the equation
1=2-cos(0), but that would leave either '1 2' or '2 0'. Removing the
'2' coin would be suicidal, because the '1' and the '0' coins would no
longer be adjacent and couldn't be used to form an equation.  Can
anyone create equations for '1 2' or '2 0'?  I couldn't find one, even
after breaking out my scientific calculator.

In sum, a fine game at root, Clark, modulo my reservations that would
subtract from the game.  More power to you.

Ron

p.s. Next game I hope to try: Galaxy Express.

-- 
    Ron Hale-Evans ... rwhe@... ... http://ron.ludism.org/
	 Center for Ludic Synergy, Seattle Cosmic Game Night,
Kennexions Glass Bead Game & Positive Revolution FAQ: http://www.ludism.org/