Sunday, January 15, 2012

Modern Logic - WFF 'N Proof style!

What is a WFF?????

A Well-Formed Formula of course ;)

Huh? You're asking?

Well here is a Wikipedia article on it, but if you're like me and still saying, "Huh!?" here is a short answer:

In mathematical logic, a well-formed formula, shortly wff, often simply formula, is a word (i.e. a finite sequence of symbols from a given alphabet) which is part of a formal language.

A formal language can be considered to be identical to the set containing all and only its formulas.

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And the better answer is: it's a statement that follows a set of rules. Think of A=B, B=C, therefore A=C. If certain things are true, then other things are true based on sets of given information. Both our language of words and our language of numbers (mathematics) are based on these principles.

We love this game from WFF 'N Proof: Games for Thinkers:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="254" caption="WFF: The Beginners Game of Modern Logic"]WFF: The Beginners Game of Modern Logic[/caption]

Details from their website:
WFF includes the first two games from the complete WFF ?N PROOF series. Two engaging speed games allow players to learn to recognize WFF's (Well Formed Formulas) in symbolic logic. Both Shake-a-WFF and Count-a-WFF are fast-paced, exciting games dealing with a unique symbolic system. They are an appealing exercise for all ages.

There are two games within this one (actually a few more if you count the other variations): Shake-a-Wff which is a competition - both players play at the same time and grab a coin in the middle when they have a WFF first. And there is Sequential WFF where the players take turns, so there is no "race."

My 7 year old really, really, really wants to play competition WFF, but he's so into the time-racing component he makes a LOT of mistakes and neither does he proceed nor does anyone else have the opportunity to proceed forward.
So we do a lot of Sequential WFF (players take turns, using as much time as they need to create a Well-Formed-Formula).

If you're looking for a really good LOGIC program or curriculum, this is the way to go. The basic game is $3.50. The next step up is only $35, can be played by a 6 year old and still be challenging for a 60 year old math genius: WFF 'N PROOF: The Game of Modern Logic.
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