Mathman
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| Mathman | |
|---|---|
 Mathman Titlecard. |
|
| Genre | Educational Segment |
| Presented by | Jim Thurman (as the unseen Introduction Narrator)[1] |
| Starring | Mathman Mathdog Mr. Glitch |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | PBS |
| Original run | January 26, 1987[2] – November 6, 1991[3] |
Mathman was a cartoon segment on the PBS show Square One TV.
Contents |
[edit] Segment Format
A parody of Pac-Man, 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.
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.
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.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Mathman
Mathman was a green creature with a big mouth, a football helmet patterned after the University of Michigan's football team (the Wolverines), and a single foot on which he hopped around the game maze.
[edit] Mathdog
Mathdog was like Mathman, with a football helmet.
[edit] Mr. Glitch
Mathman's nemesis was Mr. Glitch, a cranky tornado 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 thunder bolts and thunder crashing) and chase after Mathman, and then eat him.
[edit] The Announcer
At the beginning of each sketch, an off-screen voice told either Mathman or Mr. Glitch what his mission would be. He also congratulated Mathman and awarded him a free game if he finished the game perfectly.
[edit] Common categories used in the game
- Polygons (e.g., Symmetrical Polygons[4], Pentagons, etc.)
- Multiples or factors of a certain number.[5][6]
- Inequalities (either with numbers or formulas)[7]
- Even numbers or Odd numbers
- True or False questions.[8]
[edit] References
Various recorded tapes of Square One TV programs used for educational purposes.
- ^ Square One TV Cast Pictures - Square One TV Cast and Crew TV.com
- ^ Square One TV Episode 101
- ^ Square One TV Episode 428
- ^ MATHMAN: SYMMETRYSquareonetv.org]
- ^ MATHMAN: MULTIPLES OF 3 SquareOneTV.org
- ^ Square One TV: Episode 144 TV.com
- ^ MATHMAN: INEQUALITY 20 > A+5 SquareoneTV.org
- ^ MATHMAN: MATH MYTHS #1 SquareOneTV.org
