Candy Computer

As a follow-up to Intelligent Paper, students get to build a computer out of candies that learns to play a simple game with six pawns (Hexapawn). At first, the “computer” is completely clueless — making random moves and sometimes missing an easy win — but as it learns from its mistakes, it gradually becomes unbeatable.

This hands-on activity is a bit of work to set up, but it’s always a hit with students. While they play, it naturally sparks discussions about how learning happens. Where is intelligence? Is each candy — or each cup of candies — becoming more intelligent with each game? These questions can even lead to bigger debates, like: can a machine truly be intelligent?

The activity comes from CS4FN: The Sweet Learning Computer, part of the CS4FN project started by Paul Curzon and Peter McOwan at Queen Mary University of London.