FLASH COUNT

Learn foreign numerials on your atari

by JAMES ADAMSON

You no sooner step on forergn soil than you discover the importance of knowing your numbers in the local language - for telling time, spending money, understanding addresses and directions. Yet number drill, especially calculating, is one of the most neglected parts of foreign language education.

Now, Flash Count can be used on your Atari to build this skill. Anyone who can read can learn to associate foreign number words with their correct sponding values, and then add, subtract multiply, and divide these numbers. (This program only uses zero to twelve. )

The screen display presents a problem which is written in the spelled version of the foreign numbers. The program user presses the number key (or keys) that corresponds to the correct answer. If the answer is indeed correct, the program goes to the next problem.

If you don't understand the foreign words, you can type 200 to see the value of the first term in the problem. To see what the second term is, type 400. However, if you need this kind of aid, the computer adds to your "wrong score" to deter you from using this method to answer the problem. You have 180 seconds to work as many of these problems as you can. The screen displays a ranking (novice to expert) based on your score, after your time has expired. This gives you a mark to compete against the next time you try the program.

The program as listed presents problems in Spanish, but French or other foreign words can be substituted easily. All you have to do is change the words assigned to B$ and D$ on lines 170 to 290. Foreign word equivalents to numbers in French and German follow.

NUMBER           FRENCH         GERMAN
  0               zero           null
  1               un             eins
  2               duex           zwei
  3               trois          drei
  4               quatre         vier
  5               cinq           funf
  6               six            sechs
  7               sept           sieben
  8               huit           acht
  9               neuf           neun
 10               dix            zehn
 11               onze           elf
 12               douze          zwolf

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