Teaching-mechanic library

mimic_chest · general · truth_finder.mimic

Concept: Any concept with a listed misconception

Player does: Several claims, exactly one false; expose the lie

Breaks: Any listed misconception of the concept

Testing each claim against what the source actually says is how you catch a plausible-sounding falsehood.

exponent_mimic · math · truth_finder.mimic

Concept: Exponent rules

Player does: Expose the chest claiming x²·x³ = x⁶

Breaks: Multiply exponents when multiplying powers

When multiplying powers with the same base, exponents add, so x²·x³ = x⁵, not x⁶.

identity_circuits · math · truth_finder.mimic

Concept: Trig identities

Player does: Several routes transform the signal; expose the non-equivalent one

Breaks: Identities only hold at special angles

An identity holds for every angle; one counterexample is enough to expose an impostor.

free_fall_drop · physics · truth_finder.predict_reveal

Concept: Free fall

Player does: In the vacuum chamber, predict whether the boulder or the feather lands first

Breaks: Heavier objects fall faster

Without air resistance, gravity accelerates every object at the same rate regardless of mass.

frictionless_arena · physics · truth_finder.predict_reveal

Concept: Newton's 1st law

Player does: Predict the puck's path after you stop pushing

Breaks: Moving things need a force to keep moving

An object in motion stays in motion at constant velocity unless a net force acts on it.

voltage_height_map · physics · truth_finder.predict_reveal

Concept: Electric potential

Player does: Predict where charges roll on the voltage landscape

Breaks: Voltage flows through a circuit

Voltage is a potential difference between two points, like height on a landscape; current, not voltage, flows through a circuit.

disturb_the_reactor · chemistry · truth_finder.predict_reveal

Concept: Le Châtelier

Player does: Predict the shift, then add reactant or change pressure

Breaks: Adding product speeds the forward reaction

Adding product shifts the equilibrium backward, favoring the reverse reaction, not the forward one.

alternate_route · chemistry · truth_finder.predict_reveal

Concept: Catalysts

Player does: Unlock the tunnel; predict what changes and what doesn't

Breaks: Catalysts change how much energy is released

A catalyst lowers the activation energy path but does not change the overall energy released by the reaction.

seasons_tilt · earth_space · truth_finder.mimic

Concept: Seasons

Player does: Expose the claim that summer is when Earth is closest to the Sun

Breaks: Seasons come from distance to the Sun

Seasons come from Earth's axial tilt changing sunlight angle and day length, not from distance to the Sun.

weather_fronts · earth_space · truth_finder.predict_reveal

Concept: Air masses & fronts

Player does: Predict the weather as the cold front arrives

Breaks: Warm air slides under cold air at a front

Warm air is less dense, so at a front it rises up and over the advancing cold air, not the other way around.

race_switches · cs · truth_finder.predict_reveal

Concept: Race conditions

Player does: Predict the final counter when two agents interleave

Breaks: Two increments always add 2

Without synchronization, interleaved increments can overwrite each other, so two increments may add less than 2.

bug_hunter · cs · truth_finder.error_hunt

Concept: Debugging

Player does: Strike the scroll line that causes the bug

Breaks: The bug is on the line where the error shows

A bug's root cause often sits earlier in the code than the line where the error finally surfaces.

oracle_of_consequence · history · truth_finder.predict_reveal

Concept: Decisions & consequences

Player does: Advise the ruler, then see the documented outcome

Breaks: The outcome was inevitable

Historical outcomes followed from real, contested decisions, not an inevitable script.

credit_card_trap · finance · truth_finder.predict_reveal

Concept: Minimum payments & APR

Player does: Predict the payoff time on minimum payments, then watch

Breaks: Paying the minimum clears debt quickly

Minimum payments are sized to barely cover interest, so they can take years to clear a balance.

syllogism_gate · philosophy · truth_finder.counterexample

Concept: Validity

Player does: Find the counterexample world that breaks the invalid argument

Breaks: True premises and a true conclusion make an argument valid

Validity is about the argument's form, so it needs a conclusion that must follow, not just premises and conclusion that happen to be true.

thesis_forge · writing · truth_finder.mimic

Concept: Arguable thesis

Player does: Expose the "thesis" that's really a statement of fact

Breaks: A thesis announces the topic

A thesis makes an arguable claim about the topic, not just a statement of fact or a restatement of the topic.

grammar_trap · writing · truth_finder.error_hunt

Concept: Grammar & usage

Player does: Find the sentence with the error

Breaks: Commas go wherever you pause

Comma placement follows grammatical rules about clauses and lists, not just where a reader might pause.

false_friends · language · truth_finder.mimic

Concept: False cognates

Player does: Expose the chest whose translation is a false friend

Breaks: Similar-looking words mean the same thing

A false cognate looks similar across languages but carries a different meaning.

contract_elements · law · truth_finder.counterexample

Concept: Contract formation

Player does: Find the scenario missing consideration or acceptance

Breaks: Any promise is a contract

A binding contract needs offer, acceptance, and consideration; a bare promise without exchange is not enforceable.