---
key: mechanic/education--family-17
type: mechanic
id: education--family-17
lang: en
title: Quantity and number relationships
summary: >-
  The learner works with quantity, order and numerical relationships by
  counting, comparing and finding equivalent groups.
updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/education--family-17/'
jsonUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/education--family-17.json
markdownUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/education--family-17.md
aliases: []
tags:
  - Educational games
  - 'Quantity, investigation and systems'
sourceIds:
  - source-19446e425a9a00b3
  - source-5b737ba9e639da22
sources:
  - id: source-19446e425a9a00b3
    title: '2048'
    url: 'https://github.com/gabrielecirulli/2048'
    verifiedAt: null
  - id: source-5b737ba9e639da22
    title: '2048'
    url: 'https://play2048.co/'
    verifiedAt: null
relations: []
placements:
  - catalogId: education
    id: family-17
    title: Educational games
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/education/#family-17'
    categoryIds:
      - systems
supersededBy: []
attributes:
  preview:
    updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
    title: Quantity and number relationships
    description: >-
      The learner works with quantity, order and numerical relationships by
      counting, comparing and finding equivalent groups.
    image:
      src: images/mechanics/systems-2048-original.webp
      width: 500
      height: 694
      game: '2048'
      sourceUrl: 'https://github.com/gabrielecirulli/2048'
      originalUrl: 'https://github.com/gabrielecirulli/2048/blob/master/index.html'
      credit: >-
        Gabriele Cirulli; screenshot of the unmodified original game, captured
        2026-10-22
      rights: >-
        © 2014 Gabriele Cirulli, MIT License. Screenshot converted to WebP on
        2026-10-22. License copy: images/mechanics/2048-license.txt.
      caption: The original 2048 after a sequence of normal moves
      alt: The original 2048 after a sequence of normal moves
      markers:
        - x: 86
          'y': 55
          label: Adjacent twos can be merged into a four
    tips:
      - Link number symbols to observable quantities or transformations.
    examples:
      - title: '2048'
        url: 'https://play2048.co/'
      - title: Original source
        url: 'https://github.com/gabrielecirulli/2048'
endsAt: null
provenance: >-
  Educational reference expanded from all 64 families and 749 variants of the
  original children-education taxonomy, with original editorial additions dated
  2026-10-20. Sources support specific methods and examples, not the entire
  classification or its effectiveness.
license: CC-BY-4.0
codeLicense: MIT
attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors
catalogKey: catalog/education
---
# Quantity and number relationships

id: education--family-17
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/education--family-17
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/education--family-17/

The learner works with quantity, order and numerical relationships by counting, comparing and finding equivalent groups.

## At a glance

![The original 2048 after a sequence of normal moves](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/systems-2048-original.webp)

[2048](https://github.com/gabrielecirulli/2048) · © 2014 Gabriele Cirulli, MIT License. Screenshot converted to WebP on 2026-10-22. License copy: images/mechanics/2048-license.txt.

1. Adjacent twos can be merged into a four

- Link number symbols to observable quantities or transformations.

- [2048](https://play2048.co/)
- [Original source](https://github.com/gabrielecirulli/2048)

## How it works

Count objects individually

## Variants

### Variants

<a id="family-17-branch-1"></a>

- Count objects individually <a id="family-17-variant-1"></a>
- Count groups <a id="family-17-variant-2"></a>
- Recognize small quantities without counting <a id="family-17-variant-3"></a>
- Establish one-to-one correspondence <a id="family-17-variant-4"></a>
- Count out a required quantity <a id="family-17-variant-5"></a>
- Compare sets <a id="family-17-variant-6"></a>
- Find number compositions <a id="family-17-variant-7"></a>
- Move along a number line <a id="family-17-variant-8"></a>
- Work with place value <a id="family-17-variant-9"></a>
- Represent fractions <a id="family-17-variant-10"></a>
- Relate fractions, decimals and percentages <a id="family-17-variant-11"></a>
- Work with negative numbers <a id="family-17-variant-12"></a>

## Design example

Give each character one item and identify the remainder.

## Context and limits

A mechanic map for games with explicit learning goals, from first encounters with a topic to professional practice. It covers children, teenagers and adults; choose subject, difficulty, context and controls for the learner. Player actions, subject content, instructional support and assessment are distinct layers. Scores and game completion alone do not establish mastery or skill transfer.

## Connected materials


## Sources and provenance

Educational reference expanded from all 64 families and 749 variants of the original children-education taxonomy, with original editorial additions dated 2026-10-20. Sources support specific methods and examples, not the entire classification or its effectiveness.

- [2048](https://github.com/gabrielecirulli/2048) (id: source-19446e425a9a00b3)
- [2048](https://play2048.co/) (id: source-5b737ba9e639da22)

CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors