F.A.Q.

What is Printl?

Printl is not so much a game in and of itself but rather a tool to generate mathematical checks that can offer satisfactory hints akin to a regular, online Wordle game, in print form, without an internet connection.

The checks have been designed to be easy enough to work out by hand if absolutely necessary but difficult enough that exploiting the formulas to find the correct solution without making any guesses becomes tedious. All should be possible to perform on a regular 8-digit pocket calculator. A more difficult mode, which likely requires working out by hand, is made available to offer 5-letter puzzles like Wordle.

How does it work?

Generating a Printl puzzle with the button above produces a corresponding cypher, which lets players know which numbers correspond to the letters of the alphabet for that puzzle.

When a player guesses a word, they should find the number corresponding to each letter and perform the correctness checks suggested for that puzzle in its player instructions. On the surface, these checks involve dividing integers and substituting numbers into formulas, nothing more.

Who is this for?

Printl was designed as a pedagogical tool for Math Education first and foremost. Depending on a student's level of mathematical knowledge, there's a range of topics that could be covered, such as:

• Arithmetic Operators and Order of Operations,
• Prime Numbers and Divisibility,
• Cyphers and Permutations,
• Factoring Polynomials,
• Systems of Linear Equations and Gaussian Elimination

However, it's perfectly serviceable for what it says on the tin! If you run a publication and wish to print a puzzle generated with the help of Printl feel free!

In any case, I'd appreciate if you got in contact at editorial@albertrg.me to let me know where it's getting used.