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Math Maze

Navigate a small arithmetic maze and apply all four basic operations to reach exactly 10.

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How to use

  1. 1.Start at 8 and move through connected operation tiles with the arrow keys.
  2. 2.Apply each operation in travel order; walls, closed passages, and visited tiles cannot be crossed.
  3. 3.Reach the bottom-right goal with exactly 10; the clean Right, Right, Down, Down route scores 800.

About Math Maze

Math Maze is a fixed three by three route puzzle that combines navigation with the four basic arithmetic operations. Start with 8, follow connected operation tiles, and reach the bottom-right goal with a final value of exactly 10.

This page does not claim an external standardized maze ruleset or embed a factual lookup table. The tile layout, connections, arithmetic sequence, target, dead end, and scoring are disclosed Lizely product choices derived from the pipeline's four-operations maze concept.

Use only the arrow keys to move. A move succeeds when the adjacent tile shares a declared maze passage, has not already been visited, and carries an operation. Walls and cells without a passage do nothing. Visited tiles cannot be revisited, so route choice matters.

The winning route is Right, Right, Down, Down. Starting from 8, divide by 2 to get 4, add 3 to get 7, multiply by 2 to get 14, then subtract 4 to reach the goal at exactly 10. Four successful moves use division, addition, multiplication, and subtraction once each and score 800.

The first Down move is a deliberate trap. It subtracts 3 from 8 and leaves 5 in a cul-de-sac whose only neighbor is the already visited start. The browser recognizes that no unvisited connected tile remains and reports a deadlock immediately instead of leaving an apparently active but unwinnable board.

The pure logic also rejects a nonfinite or noninteger result, reaching the goal with the wrong total, and movement through walls or absent passages. Completion requires both the goal position and exact target value; merely producing 10 on an earlier tile is not enough.

The independent test simulates the complete four-operation keyboard route, asserts each final state and score, follows the wrong branch into a reachable deadlock, proves movement stops after deadlock, and confirms that an off-board move leaves the start unchanged.

The maze is a semantic CSS grid with text tiles rather than a canvas. Each square announces its operation, wall state, visit state, and current position. All surfaces, paths, warnings, and focus cues use site CSS variables. There is no random generation, timer, audio, account, hardware requirement, or pointer-only action.

Restart returns to Start 8, erases the route, restores 1,000 points, and clears completion or deadlock. A completed best score stays only in this browser. Double-press Escape for the shared spreadsheet boss cover, then repeat the gesture to resume the same maze.

Methodology & sources

The state stores current cell, visited path, running integer total, action count, score, completion, and deadlock. An accepted arrow move must follow one of five declared undirected edges to an unvisited operation tile. Completion is cell 8 with total 10. Deadlock means noninteger/nonfinite arithmetic, wrong goal total, or no unvisited neighbor. Score is max(0, 1000 minus 50 times successful moves).

Frequently asked questions

Why does moving Down first end the game?
That branch ends at 5 with no unvisited connected neighbor, so the remaining route is mathematically and physically blocked.
Do blocked arrow presses reduce the score?
No. Only successful moves onto a new operation tile count as actions and subtract 50 points.
Must I use all four operations?
The winning route uses division, addition, multiplication, and subtraction once each.
Is reaching 10 before the goal enough?
No. Completion requires arriving at the bottom-right goal tile with a final value of exactly 10.

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