Mathematical simulation

Mathematical simulations let learners perform math in a fun, visual, intuitive fashion.

This example lets learners manage the finances of a training department by dragging sliders and twisting knobs.

Another example lets learners develop better investment habits by repeatedly making risky investments until they discover the dangers of treating investment as gambling. Learners decide what percentage of their net worth they want to invest and by how much they want to leverage it.

Here a learner has decided to invest a quarter of his net worth and to leverage it by 5X, that is, to borrow $5 for every dollar of his own money invested. The learner then clicks Invest now.

The game shows the fluctuations of the stock price. At any time the learner can click the Sell button to sell the stock and reap the gain or loss. The game then reverts to the earlier screen where the learner’s net worth is revised to show the gain or loss. The learner can then try again and again.

About the Examples

The first example was built using Crystal Xcelsius and Microsoft Excel. The investment game was built in Adobe Flash.