Equal rows for prime or composite
Firefly Factors
Each garden shows a count of fireflies and asks whether that count is prime or composite. The player taps Try 2 rows, then any later count the feedback names. When the step line says 2. Choose a home, they tap Prime, Composite, or, for 1 firefly, Neither. Score changes after every garden, from Garden 1 / 8 through Garden 8 / 8.
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How to Play Firefly Factors
- 1
Test equal rows
Read Garden 1 / 8 and the task, 6 fireflies · prime or composite? The equation asks, Can 6 fireflies make 2 equal rows? The step line says 1. Test equal rows. Tap Try 2 rows.
- 2
Read the leftovers
The equation prints the rows, how many are in each, and how many are left over. On 9 fireflies, Try 2 rows shows 2 rows × 4 in each + 1 left over, and the feedback says 1 left over. Next, try 3 rows. None left over brings Equal rows, no leftovers → Composite. The last count, if some are still left over, brings Only 1 and itself → Prime.
- 3
Choose a home
Tap Prime or Composite to match the clue, Equal rows, no leftovers → Composite, or Only 1 and itself → Prime. On the garden with 1 firefly, tap Neither. A tap before the tests says First, tap the big button to test equal rows.
- 4
Next garden
The feedback says The lantern is glowing! and a pop adds the points to Score. Tap Next garden. After Garden 8 / 8 the screen says Garden aglow! and 8 / 8 gardens lit. Tap Play again, or tap Restart during a game, to open a new set at Score 0.
Key Features
One row count at a time
Gardens with 1 or 2 fireflies hide the row button. On the others it starts at Try 2 rows and advances only while fireflies are left over, stopping at the first count that divides them or at the largest whole number whose square is not larger than the count.
Prime, Composite, or Neither
Prime means exactly two factors: 1 and itself, and Composite means more than two factors. Neither is the cottage, shown only for 1, because 1 has only one factor, and the lanterns take a tap once the step line says 2. Choose a home.
Points on Score
With no miss on that garden, the pop is 60 plus 10 for each garden solved in the run, including this one, and the extra 10s stop at 50, so a clean run pops +70, +80, +90, +100, then +110. A miss makes that pop +40 and leaves the run at one solved garden, and eight gardens with no miss total 780.
Eight gardens, then a new set
The round line runs from Garden 1 / 8 to Garden 8 / 8, and the first visit is 6, 7, 1, 2, 9, 11, 10, and 13 fireflies, in that order. Play again and Restart build a new eight, and they always keep 1 and 2 as the third and fourth gardens.
What is Firefly Factors?
Firefly Factors sorts eight counts of fireflies. Equal rows with none left over mean the count is composite. If the only factors are 1 and the count itself, it is prime. The count 1 is neither, and its home is the cottage, because 1 has only one factor. Garden 1 has 6 fireflies. The opening line asks, Can 6 fireflies make 2 equal rows? Try 2 rows shows 2 rows × 3 in each + 0 left over. The clue says Equal rows, no leftovers → Composite. After the Composite lantern, the equation says No leftovers! 2 × 3 = 6. That makes 6 composite.
Why Play Firefly Factors?
- 1
Leftovers stay in view
Fireflies that do not fill a row sit in a dashed box under the rows, and each full row prints its count. The equation uses those same numbers: rows, in each, and left over.
- 2
The clue matches a lantern
The Prime lantern says Exactly two factors: 1 and itself. The Composite lantern says More than two factors. A wrong lantern leaves the garden open, and the line says Look at the clue above, then choose the matching home.
- 3
1 and 2 need no row test
The step line opens on 2. Choose a home. For 1, the line says 1 has just one factor: 1. It belongs at the cottage. For 2, the line says 2 has exactly two factors: 1 and 2.
- 4
Every garden can be finished
There is no timer and no life count, so a miss only shakes the meadow and sets that garden's pop to +40. The right lantern still lights, and Next garden still moves on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which numbers appear in the eight gardens?
The first visit is 6, 7, 1, 2, 9, 11, 10, then 13. Play again and Restart pick one number from 4, 6, 8, 10, 12; one from 5, 7, 11, 13; then 1; then 2; one from 9, 15, 21, 25; one from 11, 13, 17; one from 10, 14, 18, 20, 22, 24; and one from 13, 17, 19, 23. A refresh returns to the first list and sets Score to 0.
What happens if the wrong lantern is tapped?
The meadow shakes. The feedback says Look at the clue above, then choose the matching home, and adds that garden's clue. The garden stays open. That garden adds 40 to Score when the right lantern lights, and the run goes back to one solved garden, so the next garden with no miss adds 80. Tapping a lantern before the row tests shakes the meadow too, and the line says First, tap the big button to test equal rows.
Why does 1 go to Neither?
1 has only one factor. Prime needs exactly two factors, 1 and itself. Composite needs more than two. The Neither cottage shows only on the garden with 1 firefly. The other gardens show the Prime and Composite lanterns.
How does a game end?
All eight gardens are played. There is no timer and no lives. The screen then says Garden aglow! and 8 / 8 gardens lit, with Score and the total. Play again, and Restart during a game, both start a new set at 0. The highest Score is saved in this browser.
What grade is Firefly Factors for?
Fourth grade and fifth grade. Each garden is a factor check: equal rows, leftovers, and a choice of prime, composite, or neither.
