Mathman
Encyclopedia
Mathman was a cartoon segment on the PBS show Square One TV.
, Mathman was a fictional arcade game
starring a character of the same name. Mathman's objective was to run around a Pac-Man-like maze board (the traditional dots were replaced with + and - signs) and eventually encounter a number or polygon. He would then have until the count of three to determine if that number/polygon was consistent with a given category (see examples below), and if so, eat it. If he made a mistake, his enemy Mr. Glitch would eat him, ending the game.
During the later seasons, the format of the game was changed so that Mathman would have to decide if a certain statement (read aloud by the game's announcer) was true or false, and then eat the letter T or F. These were usually general-knowledge statements about math (e.g., "True or false: Math and arithmetic are the same thing") rather than questions that required actual problem-solving skills.
If Mathman was able to eat all the correct numbers/polygons or answer his questions correctly, he was awarded a free game. However, Mathman accomplished this feat only a handful of times. On at least one such occasion, a giant Mr. Glitch ate Mathman as soon as the free game began.
Occasionally Mathman did not play the game himself, making Mr. Glitch the contestant. If he answered incorrectly, he would be eaten by Mathman (or on one occasion, Mathman's dog Mathdog.)
The segments were made with CGI (Computer-generated imagery) and computer animation.
football
helmet patterned after that of the University of Michigan
Wolverines
, and a single foot on which he hopped around the game maze. When he moved around the maze, he would repeat the phrase "Mathman, Mathman, Mathman," similar to Pac-Man's familiar "wakka-wakka-wakka".
who was always described with a different adjective (the "inconsiderate" Mr. Glitch, the "ill-tempered" Mr. Glitch, the "frumious
" Mr. Glitch, etc.) He would appear whenever Mathman had to make a decision. If Mathman ate an incorrect number/polygon, answered a question incorrectly or used up too much time, Mr. Glitch would "power up" (with lightning bolts and thunder crashing) and chase after Mathman, and then eat him.
Segment Format
A parody of Pac-ManPac-Man
is an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution in the United States by Midway, first released in Japan on May 22, 1980. Immensely popular from its original release to the present day, Pac-Man is considered one of the classics of the medium, virtually synonymous with video games,...
, Mathman was a fictional arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
starring a character of the same name. Mathman's objective was to run around a Pac-Man-like maze board (the traditional dots were replaced with + and - signs) and eventually encounter a number or polygon. He would then have until the count of three to determine if that number/polygon was consistent with a given category (see examples below), and if so, eat it. If he made a mistake, his enemy Mr. Glitch would eat him, ending the game.
During the later seasons, the format of the game was changed so that Mathman would have to decide if a certain statement (read aloud by the game's announcer) was true or false, and then eat the letter T or F. These were usually general-knowledge statements about math (e.g., "True or false: Math and arithmetic are the same thing") rather than questions that required actual problem-solving skills.
If Mathman was able to eat all the correct numbers/polygons or answer his questions correctly, he was awarded a free game. However, Mathman accomplished this feat only a handful of times. On at least one such occasion, a giant Mr. Glitch ate Mathman as soon as the free game began.
Occasionally Mathman did not play the game himself, making Mr. Glitch the contestant. If he answered incorrectly, he would be eaten by Mathman (or on one occasion, Mathman's dog Mathdog.)
The segments were made with CGI (Computer-generated imagery) and computer animation.
Mathman
Mathman was a green creature with a big mouth, a wingedWinged Football Helmet
The winged football helmet is a helmet bearing a distinctive two-toned painted design that typically has sharp outward curves over the forehead forming a wing. It is worn most popularly by the University of Michigan Wolverines.-History:...
football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
helmet patterned after that of the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 27 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo, which...
, and a single foot on which he hopped around the game maze. When he moved around the maze, he would repeat the phrase "Mathman, Mathman, Mathman," similar to Pac-Man's familiar "wakka-wakka-wakka".
Mathdog
Mathdog was like Mathman, with a football helmet. When he went around the maze, he would say "Mathdog, Mathdog, Mathdog."Mr. Glitch
Mathman's nemesis was Mr. Glitch, a cranky tornadoTornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
who was always described with a different adjective (the "inconsiderate" Mr. Glitch, the "ill-tempered" Mr. Glitch, the "frumious
Jabberwocky
"Jabberwocky" is a nonsense verse poem written by Lewis Carroll in his 1872 novel Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, a sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland...
" Mr. Glitch, etc.) He would appear whenever Mathman had to make a decision. If Mathman ate an incorrect number/polygon, answered a question incorrectly or used up too much time, Mr. Glitch would "power up" (with lightning bolts and thunder crashing) and chase after Mathman, and then eat him.
The Announcer
At the beginning of each sketch, an off-screen voice told either Mathman or Mr. Glitch what his mission would be. Then, a warning was issued to the playing character stating "He will eat you if you are wrong." He also congratulated Mathman and awarded him a free game if he finished the game perfectly.Common categories used in the game
- Polygons (e.g., Symmetrical PolygonPolygonIn geometry a polygon is a flat shape consisting of straight lines that are joined to form a closed chain orcircuit.A polygon is traditionally a plane figure that is bounded by a closed path, composed of a finite sequence of straight line segments...
s, PentagonPentagonIn geometry, a pentagon is any five-sided polygon. A pentagon may be simple or self-intersecting. The sum of the internal angles in a simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagram is an example of a self-intersecting pentagon.- Regular pentagons :In a regular pentagon, all sides are equal in length and...
s, etc.) - MultiplesMultiplesMultiples is an album by electronic musician Keith Fullerton Whitman, released in 2005 on the Kranky label. The album was recorded at Harvard University where Whitman was lecturing at the time, and uses the university's supply of vintage synthesizers and other electronic instruments.-Track...
or factorsDivisorIn mathematics, a divisor of an integer n, also called a factor of n, is an integer which divides n without leaving a remainder.-Explanation:...
of a certain number - Inequalities (either with numbers or formulas)
- Even numbers or Odd numbers
- True or False questions