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Another twist on how to multiply two 3-digit numbers mentally

There is given that how two three-digit numbers can be multiplied. This trick is:
===============================
Lets start with 123 * 456.

^Step 1--- arrange the numbers in order (one on top of the other) your pick.

123
456
----------

start by first multiplying 6*3=18. write down the 8 and carry the 1 mentally.

123
456
---------- CARRY 1
----8

^Step 2---- attempt to form an invisible X


It may not sound simple at first but I'll explain.

Start by observing the 6 & 2, then the 5 & 3. Make a line between those numbers and you will get an X.

Now multiple 6*2=12 PLUS(+) 5*3=15


so 12 + 15 = 27
27 + 1 (the carry)= 28
Now write down the 8 and carry the 2 mentally.

123
456
---------- CARRY 2
---88

^Step 3--- now examine the numbers 6 & 1, 4 & 3, then in the middle 2 & 5.

Multiply them and add em' all up:


6*1=6 + 4*3=12 + 5*2=10
so 6 + 12 +10 = 28 PLUS carry 2 = 30.

Write down the 0 and carry the 3.

123
456
---------- CARRY 3
--088

^Step 4--- Now we will attempt the invisible X for the last time. This time take notice of the numbers 5 & 1, 4
&2
multiply them and add em' all up:
5*1=5 + 4*2=8
so 5 + 8 = 13 PLUS carry 3 = 16.
Write down the 6 and carry the 1.

123
456
---------- CARRY 1
--6088

^Step 5 (final step)--- In the beginning we started by multiplying 6 & 3. Now we will multiply 4 & 1.
so 4*1=4 + carry 1 = 5

Write it down and the behold the FINAL ANSWER!

123
456
----------
56088
===============================
Now I tell you what modification I did on it. If we have two two-digits numbers, we can apply this trick.

EXAMPLE:

Consider 12 and 13. Proceed as:

012
013
Apply above mentioned trick and you will get correct answer.
===============================
Best of Luck!!

The trick I am going to explain is called the cross-multiplication technique... but not the one you know.

Lets start with 123 * 456.

^Step 1--- arrange the numbers in order (one on top of the other) your pick.

123
456
----------

start by first multiplying 6*3=18. write down the 8 and carry the 1 mentally.

123
456
---------- CARRY 1
----8

^Step 2---- attempt to form an invisible X


It may not sound simple at first but I'll explain.

Start by observing the 6 & 2, then the 5 & 3. Make a line between those numbers and you will get an X.

Now multiple 6*2=12 PLUS(+) 5*3=15


so 12 + 15 = 27
27 + 1 (the carry)= 28
Now write down the 8 and carry the 2 mentally.

123
456
---------- CARRY 2
---88

^Step 3--- now examine the numbers 6 & 1, 4 & 3, then in the middle 2 & 5.

Multiply them and add em' all up:


6*1=6 + 4*3=12 + 5*2=10
so 6 + 12 +10 = 28 PLUS carry 2 = 30.

Write down the 0 and carry the 3.

123
456
---------- CARRY 3
--088
^Step 4--- Now we will attempt the invisible X for the last time. This time take notice of the numbers 5 & 1, 4
&2
multiply them and add em' all up:
5*1=5 + 4*2=8
so 5 + 8 = 13 PLUS carry 3 = 16.
Write down the 6 and carry the 1.

123
456
---------- CARRY 1
--6088

^Step 5 (final step)--- In the beginning we started by multiplying 6 & 3. Now we will multiply 4 & 1.
so 4*1=4 + carry 1 = 5

Write it down and the behold the FINAL ANSWER!

123
456
----------
56088

Nothing in this world is easy to learn at first shot, so give it some time like I did and become a master at the
skill. It just might help you in the long run because I myself can multiply any two 3-digit numbers in my head
in less than 5 seconds (using the method I just explained) and I'm getting better. Good luck!

This trick is quite simple. All you have to know is to square a number (multiple articles on that here at
CuriousMath.com) and basic subtraction.

If the numbers are two numbers apart, you square the number in the middle (e.g. for 19*21, you square 20).
Afterwards, you simply need to subtract 1.

Examples:
19*21=20*20-1=400-1=399
24*26=25*25-1=625-1=624

For number 3 apart, you take the product of the middle numbers, and subtract 2.

Example:
19*22=20*21-2=420-2=418

With numbers more than 3 apart, you need to take the outer 2 numbers, and subtract the number of the two
numbers being multiplied (higher number-lower number). Take the sum of the outer numbers, and from that
the number you got as the end product.

If you find that confusing, here are a couple of examples:

71*62=(63*70)-(70-63-1)=4410-8=4402
104*138=(105*137)-(138-104-1)=14385-33=14352
Here's an interesting method for squaring any two digit number.

"a" is a digit in tens place. It is replaced by digits from 1-9.

Proccedures:
The number being Number subtracted (From ten's place
subtracted digit)

1 a(a+1)01 8a
2 a(a+1)04 6a
3 a(a+1)09 4a
4 a(a+1)16 2a
Endin
5 a(a+1)25
g
The number being added Number added (To ten's place digit)
6 a(a+1)36 2a
7 a(a+1)49 4a
8 a(a+1)64 6a
9 a(a+1)81 8a

Note: The numbers that are stacked to a(a+1) are easily found by squaring the digit in the ones place. a1,
(12) then 01 is the number that will stack. a2, (22) then 04 is the number that will stack. a3, (32) then 09 is the
number that will stack. a4, (42) then 16 (Not 016) is the number that will stack . a5, 25; a6, 36; and so on.. up
to a9 in which 81 will be the number to stack on a(a+1).

Example:

1(1+1)01 = 201, subtract 8 from ten's place(20-8) to


1 11*11 get 121
1(1+1)04 = 204, subtract 6 from ten's place(20-6) to
2 12*12 get 144
1(1+1)09 = 209, subtract 4 from ten's place(20-4) to
3 13*13 get 169
Ending 4 14*14 1(1+1)16 = 216, subtract 2 from ten's place(21-2) to
get 196
5 15*15 1(1+1)25=225
6 16*16 1(1+1)36 = 236, Add 2 to ten's place(23+2) to get 256
7 17*17 1(1+1)49 = 249, Add 4 to ten's place(24+4) to get 289
8 18*18 1(1+1)64 = 264, Add 6 to ten's place(26+6) to get 324
9 19*19 1(1+1)81 = 281, Add 8 to ten's place(28+8) to get 361

How do we remember what number to add or subtract ?

If the ending digit of your two digit number is between 1-4, the operation is subtraction. To know what
number to subtract from the ten’s digit, add the digits in one’s place and subtract the result from ten.
[Don't forget to multiply the last result by "a"].

If the ending digit is between 6-9, the operation is addition. To know what number to add to the ten’s digit,
add the digits in one’s place and subtract ten from the result.[Don't forget to multiply the last result
by "a"]

Remeber, use this method only for the square of two digit numbers.
You may have heard the recent news of Dr. Gert Mittring, who correctly extracted the 13th
root of a 100-digit number in less than 12 seconds...in his head. This article shows you how
to accomplish the same feat in the same amount of time using an ordinary calculator.

This math article was inspired by the news article posted by our site administrator, Clay, who was
kind enough to encourage me to resubmit my post as this present article for the interest of our
readers.

The posted article reported how Dr. Gert Mittring, who has mastered mental calculations to a
unimaginable level, managed to give the correct answer to extracting the 13th root of a 100 digit
number in front of an audience and 2 umpires who selected the number at random. It was also
reported that: "Spectators using electronic calculators were left minutes behind. "

If you read on, you will find out how you could outperform the spectators, calculator in hand! Just
imagine the time it takes to input a 100 digit number is already more than 12 seconds!

If we were to be requested to count the number of grains of sand at a beach, most of us would
stare on the white sand and say, how would I know. This is perfectly normal. For those of us who
believe that it is possible, we will TRY and develop a method. Perhaps not the exact number,
perhaps not even nearly exact, but it will be an approximation. From the approximation, we refine
our method, and get even closer. This is how geniuses like Dr. Mittring work.

Now let us look at how we can solve the problem, with or without a calculator.

First, looking at the 13th root, by very simple calculations, we understand that:
ANY NUMBER RAISED TO THE 13TH POWER WILL HAVE THE LAST DIGIT OF THE RESULT EQUAL TO
THAT OF THE ORIGINAL NUMBER.

That settles the last digit of the answer, simply by copying the last digit of the number to be
extracted 13th root as the last digit of our answer!

Next, we would like to find out within what range the answers should be, given that the original
number has to be a 100 digit number. Therefore the logarithm (to base 10) of the original number
must be between 99.000 and 99.9999999...

Using an ordinary calculator, we calculate the numbers

99/13=7.61538462.. and 7.69230769230...

Raising 10 to these powers gives us the lower and upper limits as:
41246264 and 49238826.

In fact, the answers are as follows:

41246264 **
13=100000005389153126506223874707790756069080437441055972239249987191358730162
1661365915461814157574144

49238826 ** 13
=99999991628809505076446889185248145223472426272392431893761154378574507585909
78444820365074927230976

So we know that the answers are 8 digit figures, starting with 4, in fact, between 41246264 and
49238826, with the last digit equal to the last digit of the given number!

We are already getting somewhere!


With this information in mind, now we are going to find the 13th root of a given 100-digit number
using a calculator:

234581345257396545099012102742110530191700658567537243055239515249262820892020
1161613694616524029952

If you are a mathematician, you probably have access to superior software such as Mathematica
that will let you get the 13th root in a flash. If you are like the rest of us, with at best a good
calculator in hand, this is how we could proceed:

We will find the logarithm (to base 10) of the number using the calculator. We won't be able to
enter the complete number into most calculators, but we can do it approximately by noting that
the number is nothing more than

2.3458134525739..*10^99 (that makes a number of 100 digits)

The logarithm is simply 99+log10(2.3458134525739)=99.3702934725

Divide the number by 13 to get 7.643868729

Calculate 10^(7.643868729) to get 44042172, which is the correct answer, noting that the last
digit corresponds with the last digit of the original number!

So here it is, if you were with Dr. Mittring at the performance, with a calculator in hand, you could
have beaten him with your answer in less than 11.8 seconds! For those of you who can
preprogramme the calculator to do the task, the time it takes is what it takes to enter 10 digits.

44042172 ** 13
=23458134525739654509901210274211053019170065856753724305523951524926282089202
01161613694616524029952

Happy Mental Calculations!

Note: The above calculations for raising to the power of 13 are thanks to a multi-digit calculator
available at the following site:

http://www.mathpath.net
look under Arbitrary Precision Arithmetic.

That link takes you to a calculator that can do calculations of thousands of digits. The number of
digits of precision is YOUR choice.

Editor's Note: mathmate is so modest. MathPath.net is actually mathmate's web site! I suggest you
visit and bookmark. Wonderful site.

If you want more practice (to compete with Dr. Mittring!), you could raise numbers between
41246264 and 49238826 to the 13th power and try your hand with the above method.

Now the big challenge: What does it take to do the calculations MENTALLY?

With the help of logarithms, you can do some pretty amazing mental calculations. This article
shows you how.
Okay, for this method to work you will first have to be able to calculate the log in base 10 of any
number. I suggest reading the article about computing any log mentally. Once you understand how
this works, you should learn or find a list of logs of the numbers 1-10 to about two decimal places.
Once you are able to find the log of a number prettly accurately, the remaining steps are simple.

Take your base and power, ab, and follow the steps below:

1. Take the log of the base a.


2. Multiply that number by the power. If the power is a root, you multiply the number by the
fraction. For the square root, multiply the number by 1/2 or 0.5, for the cube root multiply
by 1/3 or 0.333, and so on.
3. Do the opposite of what you did to compute the log by taking the number, and from your
table or memory, find the number which would produce that product when taking the log.
That is your answer.

Example 1
Suppose I want to find the square root of 36275. From the steps above...

1. I start by taking the log of 36725. I see that it is four decimal places to get to 3.6275 so the
first number in the log is four. Using a log sheet or from my head. I know that the log of
3.63 is about 0.56 and so my answer is 4.56.
2. I multiply 4.56 by 1/2 (because I'm taking the square root) which equals 2.28. On to the last
step...
3. I now wish to find the number that when I take the log will be 2.28. Ignoring the integer 2 at
the begining I look at 0.28 and know that the log of 1.91 equals about 0.28. Then by moving
the decimal to the right 2 times because that was the integer, I finally have my answer of
191. By checking with this with a calculator, I see that my estimation wasn't far off. The
square root of 36725 is 191.6377... which is very close to 191.

Example 2
Find the 5th root of 2837 and raise it to the 7th power.

Although this seems more difficult, all you are calculating is 28371/5*7 = 1.4

1. Take the log of 2837 which is about 3.453


2. Multiply 3.453 by 1.4 = 4.834
3. Find what number would yield 0.834 when the log is taken, or log10x and multiply it by 104.
log 6.82 = 0.834 so 6.82*104 = 68200. The real answer, 68234.351..., is quite close
considering it's accurate to two digits which is how many decimals we used!

Example 3
If you want to impress your friends, have them calculate a power of a number and ask you what
the number was. For example, tell them to raise a 2-digit number to the 5th power and have them
give you the result. Let's say they plug in (a random number)5 and give you 184528125. You are
computing this number to the 1/5 power now, or 0.2.

1. The log of 184528125 is about 8.27.


2. 8.27 multiplied by 0.2 = 1.65.
3. You know from a log table (or hopefully from your head) that the log of 4.5 is very close to
0.65, you multiply by 10 because of the 1 in 1.65, and guess that the answer is 45. Your
friends confirm that 455 = 184528125.

You have successfully found the fifth root of a 9-digit number without ever touching a calculator!

Remember that the more precisely you memorize the logs, the more accurate your answers will
be. The numbers we are computing here are rounded and so they are more towards estimations
but they are still very useful when you don't have a calculator or simply want to impress your
friends!

To explain this method you have to understand a few properties of logarithms. You start with ab
and take the log. The log10ab = b*log10a. From here you know that 10b*log10a equals your answer, x,
and so log10x = b*log10a. You then solve for your answer x by finding the number which would give
an exponent of b*log10a when the log is taken. I know this explanation is a little wordy and unclear
so I will leave it up to comments to criticize and hoperfully improve or clarify my method.

I think this formula will appeal to everyone (well I hope it will!) It was inspired by the story of Freidrich
Gauss and his teacher.

It's written without sigma or x squared etc. Here it is:

where:
S=Sum of all number's
F=First number in sequence
L=Last number in sequence
T=number of Terms in sequence

S=(F+L)(T)/2 with this you can do:

1) consecutive number's :-
Sum,1,2,3,4,5 etc; or 12.13,14,.......

2) consecutive EVEN numbers


Sum,2,4,6,8,etc; or 12,14,16,...........

3) consecutive ODD number's


Sum,3,5,7,9,etc; or 13,15,17,...........

4) consecutive negative number's


Sum,neg numbers,-1,-2,-3,etc; or -11,-12,-13......

5) consecutive (EVEN) negative numbers


Sum,-2,-4,-6 etc; or -12,-14,-16.........

6) consecutive (ODD) negative numbers


Sum,-3,-5,-7,etc; or -13,-15,-17,...........

Examples (using above formula):

1) 1 to 5....S=(1+5)(5)/2=15
1a) 11 to 15....S=(11+15)(5)/2=65

2) 2 to 8....S=(2+8)(4)/2=20
2a) 12 to 18....S=(12+18)(4)/2=60

3) 3 to 9....S=(3+9)(4)/2=24
3a) 13 to 19....S=(13+19)(4)/2=64

4) (-1 to -3)...S=(-1+(-3))(3)/2= (-6)


4a) (-11 to -13)...S=(-11+(-13))(3)/2=(-36)

5) (-2 to -6)...S=(-2+(-6))(3)/2=(-12)
5a) (-12 to -16).....S=(-12+(-16))(3)/2=(-42)

6) (-3 to -7).....S=(-3+(-7))(3)/2=(-15)
6a) (-13 to -17)....S=(-13+(-17))(3)/2=(-45)
This method is a very simple way to find the sum of numbers.

First write down the number series from smallest to largest.


Ex. 1 2 3 4 5 ... 16 17 18 19 20

Now, write down the number series from largest to smallest directly under the original series.

Ex.
1 2 3 4 5 ... 16 17 18 19 20
20 19 18 17 16 ... 5 4 3 2 1

Find the sum of the numbers above and below each other and note how many of these sums there are.

Ex. 1+20 = 21, 2+19 = 21, 3+18 = 21, ... , 20+1 = 21.

In this example, there are 20 pairs of numbers (numbers 1 through 20) whose sums are 21.

Now, let n = how many numbers we have in the original number series. m = the sum of the numbers above
and below each other. Since we have two rows of numbers and want only one row, we can divide by 2 to get
rid of the second row. Our final equation is this:

(n*m)/2

This formula can work with the sum of most number patterns such as the evens, odds, or other patterns
where you start at a number other than 1.

Ex. 2 4 6 8 10
10 8 6 4 2

sum is: how many numbers (5) * sum of top and bottom (12) divided by 2 (to cancel second row).

Answer to above example: (5*12)/2 = 30

This method is extremely easy to see and doesn't necessarily require the memorization of a formula (which is
great for teaching!!). I believe this technique was originally used by Leonard Euler at a very young age.

If you want to find a nth power of a two- digit number, you can modify the Binomial Theorem as follows.

Suppose that you want to find the n th power of the number ab.
...................................................................................
Symbols
* denotes the multiplication
^ denotes the power
nCr =(n,r) - combination

(a,b)^n= (n,0)*a^n, (n,1)*a^(n-1) *b, ................, (n,n)*b^n

Ex:

(a,b)^2= a^2, 2*a*b, b^2

(2,5)^2=a^2, 2*a*b, b^2

(Refer to the article " Method for finding the square of any two-digit number" posted on August 09,2004 and
extend it to n th power of the number ab.)

Similar method can be used to find cube of 25.

(2,5)^3 =[ (2^3 )+ carry], [(3* (2^2)*5) + carry] , [(3* (2)*(5^2) )+ carry], (5^3).

A method for squaring two digit numbers.

Well this might be a very high expectation..but if you expect to learn the squares from 1 to 100 you would
need to learn the squares from 1 to 50 to be safe....On an average majority of you math geniuses know the
squares from 1 to 35 so i assure you that it is pretty simple to get the squares from 65 to 100.The formula
goes like this:

First, let's agree the max number of digits in the square of a two digit number is four. Now, let's split the
answer in two blocks of two digits each.

1.The first block = (100-2d)+c

2.The second block is d^2.

c = indicates any carry from the second block

d = 100 - number

Alright check this out:


92^2='(100-2*8)+c(0)' '8^2'
92^2='84' '64'=8464

82^2='64+3' '24'=6724

series of observations and tricks regarding the square.

PART 1
A square number is one of the intergers in the series 1,4,9,16,25... It is not very difficult to see the relation
between consecutive members of this series. Thus 3, added to the first square, gives the second; 5 added to
the second square gives the third, etc. Generalizing, we see that if to the square of x, twicw x plus one is
added, the next succeeding square is obtained, that is:

X x X + (2X+1) = ( X+1) x (X+1)

For example : 5 x 5 + 2 x 5 + 1 = 6 x 6

If we know the value of a certain square to next one is thus easily obtained.
Knowing 18 x 18 = 324 , we have:

19 x 19 = 18 x 18 + 2 x 18+1=

324+36+1= 361

PART 2
By another rule, the square of a number ending in 5, such as 35, may be written immediately by multiplying
together the first digit , 3 , and the next consecutive integer , 4 , and affixing 25 after the product so that the
answer is 1225. Similarly 65 x 65 = 6 x 7 and 25 = 4225.
Also 15 x 15 = 1 x 2 and 25 = 225, etc.

For more than two digits, 115 x 115 = 11 x 12 and 25 = 13225

PART 3
Within limited ranges very simple methods can often be used for obtaining the squares of numbers. For
squares between 40 and 60, add algebraically to 25 the excess or deficiency from 50, and annex the square
of the excess or deficiency to the result.

Thus for 54 x 54, the excess is 4; add to 25, giving 29. Annex the square of the excess, 16, to 29, and 2916 is
the square of 54. Similarly for 57, we have 25 + 7 = 32 and 7 x 7 = 49 so that 57 x 57 = 3249. If the square
of the excess has only one digit, make it two digits by prefixing a zero; thus 53 x 53 = 25 + 3 and 09 = 2809.
For 46 x 46, the dificiency is 4, and 25 - 4 and 4 x 4 gives 2116, and for 48 x 48 we have 25 - 2 and 04, giving
2304.

This simple method is credited to Professor James McGiffert of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

PART 4
A curious fact among squares states that the sum of (n+1) consecutives squares, beginning with wth the
squares n(2n+1), is equal to the sum of the squares of the next n consecutives integers.

Tabulating for a few values, we have:

n - Like sum of consecutive squares

1 - 3*3 + 4*4 = 5*5


2 - 10*10 + 11*11 + 12*12 = 13*13 + 14*14
3 - 21*21 + 22*22 + 23*23 + 24*24 = 25*25 + 26*26 + 27*27

1995. I was tutoring a friend for her MCAT exams and a question involving pH and pKa values struck my
interest. Although we were able to arrive at a suitable answer without actually needing a calculation, I still
wanted a quick way of determining logarithms in the event that I found myself without a calculator (and just
as a mental challenge for myself).

Here is how I do it:

1. When someone gives you any positive number, you should immediately 'write' that number in scientific
notation in your head.

2. Next, focus only on the exponent of the number (written in scientific notation). This number will be the
basis of you answer.

3. Estimate the logarithm of the abscissa in your head (thats the number between 1 and 9.999999..., not part
of the exponent). Note: you'll need to memorize the table below (its not that hard).

4. Add the logarithm of the abscissa to the exponent you found in step 2.

What follows are the values for the logs you'll need to have memorized for step 3...

log[1]= 0
log[2]= .30
log[3]= .48
log[4]= .60
log[5]= .70
log[6]= .78
log[7]= .85
log[8]= .90
log[9]= .95

As an example, lets find the logarithm of 29,012. Written in scientific notation, that would be 2.9012 X 10^4.
So, the exponent is 4. Now, we need to concentrate on the abscissa (2.9012 is very very close to 3). From our
table above (which we have memorized for the trick), the logarithm of 3 is 0.48. So, we add the exponent (4),
to the log of the abscissa (0.48), to get a value of 4.48. A calculator reveals how good this method is (4.46 out
to two decimal places).

This method works because scientific notation is a base 10 system for writing out numbers. With some
practice, you'll get a feel for how to massage your guesses for numbers that aren't exactly in the table (for
instance: 2.5).

If someone cubed a two-digit number on a calculator and gave you the result - but not the original number -
could you extract the cube root? With this trick, you'll be able to do just that - instantly!

A bit of homework is required for this trick, but it's worth the effort if you like to show off.

First, memorize the cubes of the digits 1 through 9:

1, 8, 27, 64, 125, 216, 343, 512, 729.

Next memorize the "endings" of the cubes. For example, the ending of 93 is 9, because 93 = 729. The
"ending" (or last digit) is 9.

So let's make a list. "1 cubed ends in 1" is abbreviated "1 --> 1".

1 --> 1
2 --> 8
3 --> 7
4 --> 4
5 --> 5
6 --> 6
7 --> 3
8 --> 2
9 --> 9

These are easily memorized. 1 and 9 (at the extremes) are "self-enders", as are the 4, 5, and 6 (in the
center). The others involve "a sum of 10": 2 ends in 8, 8 ends in 2, 3 ends in 7, and 7 ends in 3.

Now how to do the trick!


Tell a friend to secretly pick any two-digit number and then have him or her use a calculator to cube it. Let's
say he picks 76. So using the calculator he computes 76 x 76 x 76 . He then tells you the cube: 438,976.

To instantly determine his original number (ie, compute the cube root), follow these easy steps:

1. Drop the last three digits and find the largest cube contained in 438. This is 73 = 343, so the tens-digit
is 7.
(This is why you had to memorize the cubes of the digits 1 through 9)
2. Now go back to the last three digits. Look at the last digit, 6. That's the same ending as 63, so your
units-digit is 6.
(This is why you had to memorize the "endings" of the cubes for digits 1 through 9)

So the cube root of 438,976 is 76

Another example:
Let's say your friend chooses a secret two-digit number whose cube is 79,507. How do you instantly
determine the cube root?

1. Drop the last three digits and find the largest cube in 79. This is 43 = 64, so the tens-digit of the cube
root is 4.
2. Now go back to the last three digits. Look at the last digit, 7. That's the same ending as 3-cubed. So
the units-digit of your cube root is 3.

Therefore, the cube root of 79,507 is 43.

A very special thanks to Bob Kurosaka, retired math professor, for generously sharing this trick!

Ever wonder how to determine the square root of a number without the aid of a calculator? Believe it
or not, people used to do this. Here's one method for doing so.

If you're good with long division, here's a quick way to find pretty accurate square roots without the aid of a
calculator. Let's try 24.6.

1. Make a guess. It can be a very bad guess. It doesn't matter. You can even guess 1. Let's try 5 since 52
is 25, which is pretty close to 24.6.
2. Divide 24.6 by 5. 24.6 / 5 = 4.92.
3. Now, comes the trick: Pick a new guess between 5 and 4.92 and divide it into 24.6 again.
Let's try 4.95. 24.6 / 4.95 = 4.96. 4.96 is pretty close to 4.9598 which is the actual square root of
24.6.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to any desired level of accuracy. The further you go, the harder the long division
becomes. But the first few cycles yield a pretty close answer.
The reason this works is because n*n = 24.6 and n = 24.6 / n. Therefore, the real square root will always be
somewhere between 24.6 / n and n.

Click here to see another method described by Dr. Math at the Math Forum.

Using your fingers to perform math computations is known as Chisenbop. Why it's called "Chisenbop", I have
no idea. But it works. So loosen up your fingers and give it a try.

Multiplying by 9

Hold out your hands in front of you so that your thumbs point toward one another.

Visualize that your left pinky finger represents 1, the next finger 2, and so on left to right, until your right
pinky finger represents 10. Those fingers represent the number you wish to multiply by 9. To do so, simply
put the finger down you wish to multiply by 9. All fingers to the left of the down finger represent the tens digit
of the answer while all fingers to the right represent the ones digit.

Example: 6 x 9. Put the finger representing 6 down (the right hand thumb). To the left of the down finger, you
have 5 fingers up. That's your tens digit. 5. To the right, you have 4 fingers up. There's your ones digit. 4.
Put those together and you have your answer: 54.

Multiplying by 6-10

This one is a little tricky. I'll try my best to explain it.

Hold out your hands in front of you so that your thumbs point toward one another.

Visualize that both thumbs represent 6, both index fingers 7, and so on until both pinky fingers represent 10.
In other words, imagine that each thumb has a 6 written on it, each index a finger a 7, etc., so that you have
6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 on the left hand and 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 on the right hand. This set up will allow us to multiply
any combination of those numbers, for example 7 x 8.

Here's how it works. Let's do 7 x 8. Take your index finger representing 7 on your left hand and touch the
middle finger representing 8 on your right hand. As you do this, keep your thumbs pointing down.

Add all the fingers BELOW, and including, the two fingers touching. In this case, your total is 5 - your index
finger and thumb on your left hand plus your middle finger, index finger and thumb on your right hand.
Multiply that number by 10. We get 50.

Now count all the fingers on each hand ABOVE, but NOT including, the two fingers touching. In this case you
have 3 on the left hand and 2 on the right. Multiply these two numbers. We get 6.

Add the two numbers toegther for your answer: 50 + 6 = 56. That's the answer!

Granted, most people don't need to use their fingers to do common multiplications such as 7 x 8 or 6 x 9. But
trying to figure out why these finger methods work is pretty fun to ponder!

Visit this site for more info on Chisenbop.

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