Mathman

Mathman
Mathman Titlecard.
Genre	Educational Segment
Created by	Jim Thurman
Presented by	Jim Thurman (as the unseen Introduction Narrator)
Starring	Mathman Mathdog Mr. Glitch
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
Production
Producer(s)	Chris Wedge
Running time	1 to 2 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	PBS
Original run	January 26, 1987 – November 6, 1991

Mathman was a cartoon segment on the PBS show Square One TV.

Segment Format

A parody of Pac-Man, Mathman was a fictional arcade game starring a character of the same name. Mathman's objective was to run around a Pac-Man-like maze board (the traditional dots were replaced with + and - signs) and eventually encounter a number or polygon. He would then have until the count of three to determine if that number/polygon was consistent with a given category (see examples below), and if so, eat it. If he made a mistake, his enemy Mr. Glitch would eat him, ending the game.

During the later seasons, the format of the game was changed so that Mathman would have to decide if a certain statement (read aloud by the game's announcer) was true or false, and then eat the letter T or F. These were usually general-knowledge statements about math (e.g., "True or false: Math and arithmetic are the same thing") rather than questions that required actual problem-solving skills.

If Mathman was able to eat all the correct numbers/polygons or answer his questions correctly, he was awarded a free game. However, Mathman accomplished this feat only a handful of times. On at least one such occasion, a giant Mr. Glitch ate Mathman as soon as the free game began.

Occasionally Mathman did not play the game himself, making Mr. Glitch the contestant. If he answered incorrectly, he would be eaten by Mathman (or on one occasion, Mathman's dog Mathdog.) Interestingly, on one occasion, Mr. Glitch got away with an incorrect answer, but on the SECOND incorrect answer, he was eaten by a giant Mathman.

The segments were made with CGI (Computer-generated imagery) and computer animation.

Characters

Mathman (left) and Mr. Glitch (right).

Mathman

Mathman was a green creature with a big mouth, a winged football helmet patterned after that of the University of Michigan Wolverines, and a single foot on which he hopped around the game maze. When he moved around the maze, he would repeat the phrase "Mathman, Mathman, Mathman," similar to Pac-Man's familiar "wakka-wakka-wakka".

Mathdog

Mathdog was like Mathman, with a football helmet. When he went around the maze, he would say "Mathdog, Mathdog, Mathdog."

Mr. Glitch

Mathman's nemesis was Mr. Glitch, a cranky tornado who was always described with a different adjective (the "inconsiderate" Mr. Glitch, the "ill-tempered" Mr. Glitch, the "frumious" Mr. Glitch, etc.) He would appear whenever Mathman had to make a decision. If Mathman ate an incorrect number/polygon, answered a question incorrectly or used up too much time, Mr. Glitch would "power up" (with lightning bolts and thunder crashing) and chase after Mathman, and then eat him.

The Announcer

At the beginning of each sketch, an off-screen voice told either Mathman or Mr. Glitch what his mission would be. Then, a warning was issued to the playing character stating "He will eat you if you are wrong." He also congratulated Mathman and awarded him a free game if he finished the game perfectly.

Common categories used in the game

• Polygons (e.g., Symmetrical Polygons, Pentagons, etc.)
• Multiples or factors of a certain number
• Inequalities (either with numbers or formulas)
• Even numbers or Odd numbers
• True or False questions

References

Various recorded tapes of Square One TV programs used for educational purposes.

External links

• SquareOneTV.org