About True or False
True or False shows a complete equation and asks a single question: is it right? You have 45 seconds to judge as many as you can. Long runs of correct answers earn bonus points, while mistakes break your streak and take time off the clock.
How to play
- Press Start to begin a 45-second round. Each question is a finished equation such as 14 + 9 = 23.
- Roughly half the equations are true. False ones are off by only a small amount, usually 1 to 3, or up to 6 for multiplication.
- A correct answer adds to your streak and scores 1 point, plus 1 bonus point for every 5 in your current streak. Answers 1 to 4 of a streak score 1 point, answers 5 to 9 score 2, answers 10 to 14 score 3, and so on.
- A wrong answer scores nothing, resets your streak to zero and takes 2 seconds off the clock.
- Questions get harder every 6 points. Numbers in addition and subtraction grow, and from 12 points onward multiplication up to 12 x 12 is added.
- Subtraction results and the displayed answers are never negative.
- When the clock runs out your score is final. The timer pauses during ad breaks.
Controls
- Keyboard: press the Left arrow or T for true, and the Right arrow or F for false.
- Mouse: click the True or False button.
- Touch: tap the True or False button.
Tips and strategy
- Use the keyboard if you can. Two keys under resting fingers are far quicker than moving a mouse between buttons.
- Check the last digit first. For addition and subtraction, the ones digit of the answer can be worked out instantly and catches many false equations without doing the full sum.
- Check whether the answer is odd or even. Two odd numbers added always give an even result, for example, so a wrong parity is an instant false.
- Protect your streak. Once you pass 5 or 10 in a row, every answer is worth more, so a moment of care is worth more than a rushed guess.
- For multiplication, rely on known times tables rather than estimating. Wrong answers can be as close as 1 away, so a rough size check is not enough.
Background
Judging whether a given equation is correct is called arithmetic verification, and it is a common task in research on how people do mental arithmetic. Studies have found that people often reject a false equation faster when the answer shown is far from the correct one, and more slowly when it is close, which is why this game uses wrong answers that differ by only a few. Verification can also be helped by quick checks such as parity and the last digit, which let you rule an equation out without fully solving it.
Questions
- How do streak bonuses work?
- Each correct answer scores 1 point plus one extra point for every 5 in your current streak, counting the answer you just gave. So your 5th correct answer in a row scores 2 points and your 10th scores 3.
- What happens when I get one wrong?
- You score nothing for it, your streak goes back to zero and 2 seconds are taken off the clock.
- Can I play with the keyboard?
- Yes. Left arrow or T answers true, and Right arrow or F answers false.