24 is a wicked fun card game for
math nerds. It is made by Suntex International, Inc. The purpose of the game is to build math skills by making people think quickly about possible formulas.
Each card is square and has combinations of four numbers on it. The purpose is to add, subtract, multiply and/or divide the numbers in order to make the number 24. For example, if a card has the numbers 4, 4, 9 and 1 a possible solution is:
9 - 4 = 5;
5 + 1 = 6;
6 x 4 = 24.
Each card has either one white dot, two red dots, or three yellow dots in the corner to gauge the difficulty of the particular card. A white-dot card might have the combination of 6, 6, 6, and 6 (the solution being to add them together) and a yellow-dot card might have 8, 4, 6 and 2 (one of the possible solutions:
8 / 4 = 2;
2 + 2 = 4;
6 x 4 = 24;
don't be fooled into thinking it's easy; it was the first card on the stack and took me three tries. I'm out of practice.)
The game can be played by one person or by multiple people competing against each other to find the solution the fastest. In some school enrichment math programs, 24 is used as a math game and there are regional and state-level tournaments.
Players of 24 also frequently enjoy the card game
Set or pursue childhood pastimes such as
Science Olympiads or
Odyssey of the Mind.