Parithmetic

About Parithmetic

Parithmetic mixes the numbers round from a TV quiz with a round of golf. Each day there are six number tiles and a target. You pick two tiles and an operation, add, subtract, multiply or divide, and the result replaces them as a new tile. Results must be positive whole numbers, and you do not have to use every tile. Hit the target exactly and the hole is done.

The scoring is where the golf comes in. Every move you submit costs a stroke, you have ten at most, and each puzzle has a par, the number of strokes the shortest solution needs. Finish in par for a perfect round or beat it for a birdie. Some moves lead into dead ends, which you only discover when you reach them, and the summary afterwards marks each move as on pace, a detour or a dead end.

If you give up, the day is recorded as a DNF and an optimal line is shown; there are no retries. The stats page charts your strokes per round as a rolling average, and a share card lets you post your round without spoiling the numbers. A new puzzle arrives at midnight.

Parithmetic suits players who like mental arithmetic and want a short daily puzzle where efficiency matters as much as getting the answer.

How to play Parithmetic

1. Open parithmetic.com and look at the six tiles and the target.
2. Pick two tiles and an operation: add, subtract, multiply or divide.
3. Submit the move; it costs one stroke and the result becomes a new tile.
4. Keep combining tiles until one of them equals the target exactly, using ten strokes at most.
5. Compare your strokes with the day's par, and share your round.

Tips

• Work backwards from the target: look for a product or sum of two tiles that lands close to it.
• Results must be positive whole numbers, so divisions only work when they divide evenly.
• Every submit costs a stroke, so plan the whole line before you start.
• You do not need every tile; leaving one or two unused is often the shortest route.

Questions