Fun Finds: Math Scale!

As a math instructor, I totally love this baby!  It's a vintage math teaching tool set up like a little scale.

Sweet 1950's kid graphics always make stuff more fun!

"Add-A-Count"  I love it!

Here you can see the base of the scale is marked off as "Right" or "Wrong."  That's not a moral judgement, mind you, but speaks to the accuracy of your math.

Dare you face the judgement of the Add-A-Count???

Only when there is balance is there also right.

You can put as many numbers as you want on either side of the scale to perform your calculations, but there's a catch!

Each letter is weighted a little differently, and the scale will only balance when the total on each side is the same.

Let's start with a seven.

TILT!

Now let's add a four.

Now a two.  Still not balanced.

But, if I add a one, then everything is hunky-dory!

7 = 4 +2 +1

That is right.  

Balance Restored!

The scale has spoken!

Let all heed the Add-A-Count!