# Papy's minicomputer



## Juan Pablo González (Jun 15, 2005)

Does anyone know what this is, and more importantly, do you know/remember how to multiply or divide with it ? I'm just trying to remember how that thing works...


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## milesUK (Jun 16, 2005)

Juan, Not much on Google for this. Can you provide any more info please? Is it a physical device or a method/process?


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## Juan Pablo González (Jun 16, 2005)

It's a 2x2 "board" I guess, that works basically in binary.  This is the one thing that I've found so far:

http://www.nativelab.it/software/MenuPapy.htm

http://www.nativelab.it/software/FilmPapyda1a9.html

It was invented by Frédérique Papy (Belgium).  But I just can't remember how they taught us to use it for math operations...


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## starl (Jun 16, 2005)

http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~jwww/
scroll down some - there's a lesson on Papy.. dont' know if that's what you're looking for .. or more?


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## bethhentges (Mar 5, 2010)

See this site:
http://mengelberg.home.comcast.net/~mengelberg/CSMP/csmp.html


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## mvptomlinson (Mar 9, 2010)

Every time I look at "alternative" methods to teach kids math it seems to only make me want to slap more people upside the head.  If a kid can't learn long division the real way, take away his PSP or iPod for a few weeks until he can.  :P


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## bethhentges (Mar 9, 2010)

More information can be found here:
http://ceure.buffalostate.edu/~csmp/


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## snowblizz (Mar 11, 2010)

OMG, "new maths". My mom showed me an old text book from the 70s  when they attempted to bring that into the school system around here that she has kept . That experiment lasted a couple of years, tops.

I am (well, was ) a straight A student. And I couldn't make any sense of that textbook. I swear, it would have destroyed a generation worth of people's ability to do math.



mvptomlinson said:


> Every time I look at "alternative" methods to teach kids math it seems to only make me want to slap more people upside the head.  If a kid can't learn long division the real way, take away his PSP or iPod for a few weeks until he can.  :P


Verily this is the truth. There's no methods that can make teach kids math, or anything else for that matter, if they lack the motivation to do so. Trying to disguise learning won't work. People seem to fail to realise kids are too smart to fall for that.


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## hatman (Mar 11, 2010)

Turn on your speakers, and enjoy Tom Lehrer: New Math


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## bethhentges (Feb 11, 2011)

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SemiHidden="false"    UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>   <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"    UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>   <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>   <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>  </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>  /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-priority:99; 	mso-style-qformat:yes; 	mso-style-parent:""; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:11.0pt; 	font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; 	mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; 	mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; 	mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 	mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; 	mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; 	mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]-->  *The Four Basic Operations on the Papy Minicomputer*

*To add a+b*

  Note:   The two numbers _a_ and _b_ can each be positive or negative.

  1.   Put the number _a_ on the board.    
  2.   Put the number _b_ on the board.    
  3.   Do robot moves and/or remove zero pairs until you have the standard configuration of the result.

*To subtract a-b*

  Note:   The two numbers _a_ and _b_ can each be positive or negative.

  1.   Put the number _a_ on the board.
  2.   Put _b _sets of zero pairs on the board.
  3.   Remove _b_ from the board.
  4.   Do robot moves and/or remove zero pairs until you have the standard configuration of the result.



*To multiply a*b*

  Note:   If the number _a_ is positive, the number _b_ can be positive or negative.
              If the number _a_ is negative and the number _b_ is positive, use the Commutative Property to think of _a*b_ as _b*a_.
              It is difficult to use the board if both of the numbers _a_ and _b_ are negative.

  1.   Put _a_ groups of _b_ on the board.
  2.   Do robot moves until you have the result in the standard configuration.


*To divide a/b*

  Note:   If the number _b _is positive, the number _a_ can be positive or negative.
              If the number _b_ is negative and the number _a_ is positive, then rewrite the fraction by multiplying by -1/-1 first.
              It is difficult to use the board if both of the numbers _a_ and _b_ are negative.

  1.   Put the number _a_ on the board.
  2.   Do backwards robot moves until every square that has a checker on it has _b_ checkers on it. (There might be some remainder left-overs.)
  3.   Read the answer off of the board by thinking of only one checker being in each occupied space rather than _b_ checkers being in each occupied space.


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## Domski (Feb 12, 2011)

mvptomlinson said:


> Every time I look at "alternative" methods to teach kids math it seems to only make me want to slap more people upside the head.  If a kid can't learn long division the real way, take away his PSP or iPod for a few weeks until he can.  :P



Long division along with most things to do with mathematics is a mystery to me.

Dom


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## xenou (Feb 12, 2011)

Interesting story, on a side note:
The Feeling Of Power - Isaac Asimov


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## Peter_SSs (Feb 12, 2011)

xenou said:


> Interesting story, on a side note:
> The Feeling Of Power - Isaac Asimov


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## cornflakegirl (Feb 14, 2011)

This seems like a really strange mix of binary and decimal. I can see how the binary is very intuitive. But to then suddenly have (8+2) on one board be the same as 1 on a board to the left doesn't seem intuitive at all. Not really sure what the point of it is.

My son is learning basic arithmetic at school at the moment. They do simple addition and subtraction using number lines - understanding what is physically happening before learning the shorthands of column addition etc. Multiplication and division are repeated addition / subtraction. It takes a couple of minutes to learn the techniques that he's using - but they basically involve writing down the stuff that you normally do in your head and it's clear how they can progress into "normal" calculation methods. Not sure how that happens with Papy's methods?


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