Dr Shohreh Blank, the creator of cZeus, says that we all can be more confident about numeracy and having fun with numbers is a great way to start.
The recent Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) report on international numeracy levels makes depressing reading. In a league table of 24 countries, England appears at 21; the report concludes that England has some of the least numerate young adults in the western world.
The creator of cZeus, a new maths based game, says that the trick is to identify the fun in playing with numbers. “From our research we’ve discovered that not only are people not confident with maths, they are actually scared of quite basic mathematical concepts. Too many people consider good numeracy to be a talent rather than something that can be learnt. We’re trying to change that attitude and bring some fun into being confident with numbers; cZeus entertains while it trains,” commented Dr Shohreh Blank.
The driving force behind cZeus, Dr Blank has over 20 years of experience in the investment industry. Having worked in an environment dependant on good numeracy and memory skills she knows the value of having a good grasp of basic arithmetic. She believes too many young adults leave school without a credible understanding of maths and, as a result, are unable to carry out simple daily functions such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The OECD report says that there are 8.5 million adults in the UK with numeracy skills of a 10yr old. Dr Blank says “even those who have been good with maths at school can lose their numeracy skills due to lack of practice. When you don’t use it, you lose it.
Jon Greenman, a retired Maths Professor at Stirling University has spent a career convincing students that mathematics is to be enjoyed and not feared, “This task has been made easier, not only for students but also for those who want to keep their brain in trim, by the recent development of a range of computer games that test numerical agility. A recent addition to this market is cZeus which takes the concept much further by introducing players to more complex concepts without them realising it. cZeus is a thoroughly absorbing game based on a smart idea and has the potential to take the player further along the path to a deeper appreciation and enjoyment of mathematics.”
cZeus App has two modes, sprint or marathon providing different challenges to the player.
Dr Blank believes attitudes towards maths need to change. “cZeus shows both children and adults alike that maths is not only fun, but something that can be learned. A few hours with cZeus can really improve confidence in tackling basic and more advanced maths questions, tasks and equations”.
After a successful launch on iOS, cZeus is now on Android, providing another large community of players with the chance to improve numerical confidence, memory and logic skills needed in everyday life.
