Mathemagics adds to Mac App Store offerings

The makers of an iPhone app that teaches “math tricks” to aspiring mathletes have brought the program to desktop computers.

Mathemagics for Mac launched last week in the Mac App Store. Like itsiPhone predecessor from Blue Lightning Labs in Austin, Texas, the app claims to teach users 60 tricks for muliplying, dividing, and calculating square numbers “at lightning-fast speed.” The program is pitched at students preparing for the SAT and other standardized tests, as well as competitors in math contests.

Mathemagics lets users learn lessons at their own pace, learning its techniques through game-playing and with the aid of a stats tracker that monitors a “mathemagician’s” progress. Users can hide answers to problems until they’re ready to see if they’ve conjured the correct answer to the challenges posed by the program.

Mathemagics for Mac costs $5, and is compatible with computers running OS X 10.6 or later.