“Calculated Words” Instructions

The Concept: The players will try to find words made by turning a calculator upside down after completing a math problem.

Items Needed: Calculators or pens and paper.

Instructions: This game is easiest if you have calculators. You might try to gather as many as you can from your house, your other workers’ houses, etc. Or you could tell the kids that next time you meet you will be playing a game with calculators and they need to bring one with them. Knowing kids, about 5% of them will remember, but it’s worth a shot. If you have enough for one per team, you’re good to go. If you can’t get calculators for the kids, throw them some pens and paper and let them do it the old-fashioned way. It will be more difficult this way; not only because of the math problems, but also because they will have to work out what the numbers would look like on a calculator so they can turn their answer upside down to figure out the word.

Some of the numbers on a calculator look like letters when turned upside-down. For your reference, the number/letters that were used in this game are:
0 = O, 1 = I, 3 = E, 4 = h, 5 = S, 7 = L, 8 = B
Each question is a three-part math problem. Once the kids find the answer, they then would turn the answer upside down to reveal the word we are looking for. The problems will need to be completed as though the first two numbers were in a bracket.

Example: Q5. is 892 x 3 + 2641
(892 x 3) + 2,641 = 5,317 [upside down reads: LIES]
but 892 x (3 + 2,641) = 2,358,448 [good luck making a word out of that]

So basically, do each problem in order as the operations appear.

If you break the group into teams and they’re using a calculator, make sure a different person is using the calculator for each question to get everyone involved. Since there are 14 questions, try not to have groups of more than 14 people so that each player is able to punch the buttons at least once. You can have them shout out the answer, run to the front with the calculator, or however you want to work it.

Scoring: One point for each correct answer.

Any questions or problems please email: service@pointmangames.com