Teens Create 'Primes' Card Game that has Math Professors & Kids Working the Numbers at the Chatham Borough Farmers' Market

CHATHAM, NJ -- It started out as way to help the elderly keep their minds sharp and has since spread to become an award-winning card game that exercises the mathematical minds of all ages.

No one wants to think about going back to school in July. Still, teenage sisters Aria and Oma Makhija had people of all ages and intellects solving math problems with the "Primes" card game they created on display Saturday at the Chatham Borough Farmers' Market.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE FREE TAPINTO.NET NEWSLETTER

From 10-year-old Hudson DePre to Seton Hall University Mathematics Professor John Saccoman , "Primes" had everyone stopping by the "Primes" booth to exercise their mental math skills.

The idea is to use a combination of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of all four numbers in the corners of the card so that the answer matches the prime number in the middle. Aria and Oma explain Primes in the video below.

There are 52 cards like a regular deck, but this one is designed for people to "Discover the first 25 prime numbers and build mental math" skills. If anyone gets stuck along the way, the QR code that comes with "Primes" will allow the player to get a hint on how to solve the problem or the solution.

The National Museum of Mathematics awarded the Makhija sisters the Steven H. Strogatz Award for Math Communication .

DOWNLOAD THE FREE TAPINTO APP FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS. AVAILABLE IN THE APPLE STORE AND THE GOOGLE PLAY STORE .

Aria came up with the idea while volunteering at a retirement home and she reports that it helped with the cognitive ability of those who tried it. Oma came up with the design for the cards and the logo that represents "Your eye into the beautiful world of mathematics," she said.

Oma, 16, has a love for "geometric probability" and attends the Academy of Math, Science and Engineering in Rockaway. Aria, 18, enjoys "problem-solving" and attends the Academy of Finance and International Business in Denville.

All proceeds gained from the sale of "Primes" will be used to benefit middle school math programs.

For more local news, visit TAPinto.net