Mathematical Bingo

Plan the project | Design the project | Programming | Assignments

We will make

• to find sums that the computer generates, to wait for the Bingo

• to work with the buttons, to define events on them

• to create a square game board of the buttons, to put various Captions on the buttons, to check the fulfillment of the more difficult condition.

Plan the project

Mathematical Bingo is quite interesting game for one player or for a player and a computer: on the board of 5x5 boxes there are 25 numbers of the range, e.g. from 2 to 20 (for older children we can choose bigger numbers). Then the computer generates examples to add (for older pupils we can use other mathematical operations.) The player's task is to find the result for this example on the board or to press the button pass, if there is not the result on the board. If the player finds the result correctly, this number disappears from the board. The game will finish if all numbers in any line or column or diagonal are "disappeared". If the player does not determine the result correctly or he or she does not notice the result on the board, the number of his or her errors will increase.

The game board for Bingo is 5x5 sized and it consists of the buttons - it could consist of the turtles, but the solution with the buttons is easier.

On each of them there will be the number generated by the computer written in its Caption (command in the context menu Change).

The button New game is for starting the new game. The button Pass passes the example if its result is not on the board.

There are several texts on the page:

• text1, is the generated example e.g. to add two numbers of the range from 1 to 10
• text2 with the notice Errors
• text3 to count the errors, there is the value 0 at the beginning
• text4 with the red notice BINGO, if the player wins

Programming

At the beginning cancel the turtle t1 formed at the beginning of Imagine - select Erase t1 in its context menu.

The game board could be created by copying through Clipboard, but after previous project we can create the class.

What is common for all buttons - bingo?

• size, select e.g. 40x40 pixels
• the event onPush, that finds out whether the player solve the correct number that is the solution of generated example and then it finds out whether there is bingo - we can define the command checkBingo
• procedure checkBingo, that finds out if there is bingo in any line or column or diagonal, i.e. if all buttons in this shape have an empty Caption

• position
• value in Caption

? newClass "Button "Bingo [size [40 40] onPush [checkBingo]]

Browse the Explore window, double click on the class Bingo and in the Procedure tab define one simple procedure checkBingo ; we clear its item Caption of the button where the event onPush became – the procedure is so simple that we cannot imagine what to type in yet.

to checkBingo
 setCaption "||
end

To create the buttons of the game board we use the global procedure gameButtons that is able to create all 25 buttons – Bingo:

? ed "gameButtons

to gameButtons
 let "x -140
 let "y 110
 let "randomNumber 2+random 19
 repeat 5
  [let "r repc
   repeat 5
    [let "s repc let "randomNumber 2+random 19
     new "Bingo
      [name (word :r :s)
       pos (list :x :y)
       Caption (:randomNumber)] make "x :x+40]
     make "x -140 make "y :y-40]
end

Create the game board and try to click on individual buttons:

? gameButtons

There are 25 buttons in 5 lines; there is a number up to twenty on each of them. If we click on the button, the number disappears.

Insert the new button on the page, change its name to newGame, change Caption to New game and define the event onPush to call the procedure gameButtons, try the button.

Insert another button on the page, change its name to pass, change Caption to pass.

Note: We use the same term for the buttons' name and caption; so it is easy to remember.

Insert the textBox on the page, the example will appear in there - notice that its name is text1, change its font, size and colour as you like.

When is the new example to appear?

• at the beginning of the new game,
• at right or wrong result of the example, i.e. at the event onPush of any button –Bingo of the game board,
• at pressing the button pass

? ed "genExample

to genExample
 let "add1 1+random 10
 let "add2 1+random 10
 make "mySum :add1+:add2
 text1'setValue (word :add1 "+ :add2 "=)
end

Note: Variables add1 and add2 are local, but the variable mySum is global – we will need this variable to check the value on the pressed button - Bingo.

Now complete the calls of the procedure in all three mentioned situations:

• open the dialogue Change of the button newGame and type in the call of the command genExample after the call of the command gameButtons

• press the Explore Project Window and change the command checkBingo so that the Caption empties only if the value in global variable mySum is equal to value on that button. After checking this value, call the command for generating a new example again:
  to checkBingo
   if Caption=:mySum [setCaption "||]
   genExample
  end

• Open the dialogue Change of the button pass and in its event onPush also type in the call of the command for generating a new addition example

• Try all the buttons.

What else do we need?

The command checkBingo is expected to find out whether

there is an error after a player's turn; i.e. a player clicked the button with the wrong result. Then we need to increase the number of the player's errors. They could be stored e.g. in the text or

whether at this click on the button there is bingo, i.e. if all the buttons - Bingo in any line, column or diagonal have an empty Caption. Then the notice BINGO will be shown, that can be prepared in the text too

We could check whole the game board, but because we well named the buttons ( similarly as we name matrixes in Mathematic), we can check just the line or the column where the bingo could really appear according to the last player's click. We divide the checking of lines, columns and diagonals into three parts:

the line, where bingo could appear is determined by the first element of the clicked turtle's name, i.e. we need to check whole line by checking if the buttons in this line have an empty Caption

the column, with the bingo is determined by the second element of the name of the clicked button. i.e. we need to check whole column by checking if the buttons in this column have an empty Caption

There are only two diagonals so we can either check them always or we can find out if the button is in this diagonal and check it only in that case put another three texts on the page to know which texts should be shown at described situations. Edit their font, size and colour as you like:

• notice Errors
• nearby text3 with initial value 0 that will add player's errors 
• text4 with the notice BINGO that is hidden at the beginning of the game and it is shown at the moment when bingo appears

In context menu select Change, Appearance tab and hide text4 by removing the tick in the item Shown. In the context menu of the button newGame complete hiding the text into the event onPush after previous calls: gameButtons genExample text4'hideMe

Finish the command checkBingo of the class Bingo:

to checkBingo
 ifElse Caption=:mySum [setCaption "||][text3'setValue text3'value+1]
 ; are there 5 empty Captions in the line?
 let "r first myName
 let "isBingo "true
 repeat 5 [if ask word :r repc [Caption]<>"|| [make "isBingo "false]]
 if :isBingo [text4'showMe stop]
 ; are there 5 empty Captions in the column?
 let "s last myName
 let "isBingo "true
 repeat 5 [if ask word repc :s [Caption]<>"|| [make "isBingo "false]]
 if :isBingo [text4'showMe stop]
 ; is there the button on the main diagonal?
 if (first myName)=(last myName)
  [let "isBingo "true
   repeat 5 [if ask word repc repc [Caption]<>"|| [make "isBingo "false]]
   if :isBingo [text4'showMe stop]]
; is there the button on the second diagonal?
 if (first myName)+(last myName)=6
  [let "isBingo "true
   repeat 5 [if ask word repc 6-repc [Caption]<>"|| [make "isBingo "false]]
   if :isBingo [text4'showMe stop]]
 genExample
end

The command is quite long - it is evidently the longest command typed in our tutorial – but it seems to be clear after previous analysis.

Assignments

1. Complete the project and assign 0 in text3 at the beginning of the game – We will count errors only for one game.
2. At pressing the button pass view the result next to command in text1 for a while.
3. If the player commits an error, view the result next to command in text1. Simultaneously view the button with the notice understand instead of the button pass. The player presses the button, realises the right result, the button pass appears again and a new example will be generated.
4. While viewing the button understand let not work the pressing of the buttons of the class "Bingo. use the command ask allOf "Bingo [setEnabled "false] . Of course after pressing the button understand do not forget to return responsing of these buttons.
5. If the player press the button pass and the right result was on the game board, alert him or her by some sound - realize that you have to go through all buttons and find out if there is the same value as in the variable mySum.
6. If the button's Caption is empty, let it not to response on another pressing, i.e. this will not count as the player's error.
7. Insert the computer's game into our game – the player and the computer alternate: the example is generated also to the computer. If the result is on the game board, the program finds this button automatically and empties its Caption. Then the example for the player will generate as in the previous variants of the game. If the computer gets bingo - i.e. if 5 empty boxes in any line or column or diagonal will appear, the notice BINGO for COMPUTER will be shown. Edit this notice and view it if the player gets bingo.
8. Count the number of the player's and computer's wins.