The 5 best mental math methods in the world
Today you can define mental mathematics in several different ways. Some would say that memorizing the multiplication table and remembering the solutions can be part of mental math. Some would say that the ability to perform simple calculations in your head may be mental math.
The web dictionary defines mental math as “Calculate an exact answer without using pencil and paper or other physical aids. “
Today there are five methods available to learn and practice mental math.
Let’s start with the first one called ‘Rote Learning’ or better known as the rote memorization method in which your teachers ask you to mess with boring multiplication tables. It not only kills the child’s interest in mathematics, but also ensures that he develops hatred for the subject during the rest of the years he studies it. This system gives its ardent devotee some degree of success at first, as it is capable of responding to easy problems, but then when the supposedly bigger application problems arise, the steam is almost done.
The second gives it a good degree of success and I would recommend it to the younger ones. It comes from China and is popular under the name The Abacus (also known as Soroban in Japan). An abacus is a calculating tool, often constructed as a wooden frame with beads that slide over wires. With the use of this tool you can perform calculations related to addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with ease. Little by little you practice with the tool in hand and later, when you have experience, you learn to do it without the tool. Then this tool mentally adapts to mind and then you can add, subtract, multiply and divide in seconds. This tool also improves a child’s concentration levels.
The main drawback of this system is that it only focuses on the 4 mathematical operations. Concepts beyond these operations, such as Algebra, Square Roots, Cubes, Squares, Calculus, and Geometry, etc., cannot be solved using it at all. Also, it takes more time to be able to fully understand the system, therefore courses are seen on the abacus that span more than 2 years, leading the child to boredom and then dropping out of the course.
Another Chinese set collected mainly from the book. The nine chapters on mathematical art presents an approach to mathematics that focuses on finding the most general methods of solving problems. Entries in the book generally take the form of a problem statement, followed by the solution statement and an explanation of the procedure that led to the solution.
The methods explained in this system can hardly be called mental, and they lack speed to top it all off. The Chinese were definitely the most advanced of civilization thanks to the Yangtze and Yellow rivers, but if I had to choose between the two methods given by this culture, it would be the abacus.
If wars are 99.99% disadvantageous, they can sometimes also have an advantage, giving rise to stories of hope and creativity. The following mental mathematical system was developed during World War II in the Nazi concentration camp by a Ukrainian mathematician Jakow Trachtenberg to keep his mind occupied. What resulted is now known as the Trachtenberg Speed System of Mathematics and consists of Fast Mental Methods for doing Mathematics.
The system consists of a series of patterns that are easily memorized and that allow you to perform arithmetic calculations very quickly. It has wider applications than the Abacus and, apart from the four basic methods of operation, it covers squares and square roots.
The method mainly focuses on multiplication and even gives patterns for multiplication by a particular number, say 5, 6, 7 and even 11 and 12. Then it gives a general method for quick multiplication and a special two-finger method. After practicing the method myself I realized that multiplication was a very applicable mental method, but the other methods covered for solving division and square roots were not very friendly and were impossible to do mentally. I was looking for a much better and healthy method in which I could easily perform other operations as well. Another drawback of this system was that, like the abacus, it did not manage to have a broader scope, that is, to cover other fields such as Algebra, Calculus, Trignometry, Cube roots, etc.
A recommendation from a friend of mine in the United States introduced me to what is known as the Kumon mathematical method. It was founded by a Japanese educator Toru Kumon in the 1950s, and by 2007, more than 4 million children were studying with the Kumon Method in more than 43 different countries.
Students do not work together as a class, but instead advance through the curriculum at their own pace, moving to the next level when they have mastered the previous level. This sometimes implies repeating the same set of worksheets until the student achieves a satisfactory score within a specified time limit. At the Kumon Centers of North America, the math program begins with very basic skills, such as pattern recognition and counting, and progresses to increasingly challenging subjects, such as calculus, probability, and statistics. The Kumon Method does not cover geometry as a separate topic, but it does provide enough geometry practice to meet the prerequisites for trigonometry, which is covered within the Kumon math program.
I was very impressed with the glamor around Kumon, but one look at its curriculum deeply disappointed me. It is not mental at all. It does not offer any special method of doing math and one does not improve speed by doing Kumon Math. There is an established curriculum of worksheets that is done until mastery of the subject is achieved. So, let’s say, for example, a sheet in Division: one would continue to divide by the conventional method until a satisfactory score is obtained and then move to a higher level. This certainly does not speed up the division and the process is certainly not mental.
Deep thought about the reason for its tremendous popularity in America led me to conclude that it was the lack of a franchise business model of the Abacus and the Trachtenberg speed system in the 1950s. The franchisee model was critical to realizing the course from one country to another. This is where Toru Kumon thrived.
Disappointed with other cultures in the world, my search made me search my own Indian culture. What I found amazed and astonished me so much that I fell in love with the system and started training neighborhood students on it.
This is easily the fastest mental math system in the world called High Speed Vedic Mathematics. It has its roots in ancient Indian scriptures called Vedas, which means “the source of knowledge”. With it you can not only add, subtract, multiply or divide which is the limiting factor of the abacus but you can also solve complex mathematics such as algebra, geometry, calculus and trigonometry. Some of the more advanced, complex and arduous problems can be solved using the Vedic Maths method with extreme ease.
And all this with formulas of only 16 words written in Sanskrit.
High speed Vedic mathematics was founded by Swami Sri Bharati Krishna Tirthaji Maharaja who was the Sankaracharya (Monk of the Supreme Order) of Govardhan Matha in Puri between 1911 and 1918. They are called “Vedic” because the sutras are contained in the Atharva Veda – a branch of mathematics and engineering in ancient Indian scriptures.
High speed Vedic mathematics is much more systematic, simplified and unified than the conventional system. It is a mental tool for calculating that encourages the development and use of intuition and innovation, while giving the student a lot of flexibility, fun and satisfaction . For your child, it means giving them a competitive edge, a way to optimize their performance and give them an edge in math and logic that will help them shine in the classroom and beyond.
Therefore, it is straightforward and easy to implement in schools, a reason behind its huge popularity between academics and students. It complements the Mathematics curriculum conventionally taught in schools by acting as a powerful verification tool and goes to save precious time In the exams.
Trachtenberg’s method is often compared to Vedic mathematics. In fact, even some of the multiplication methods are strikingly similar. The Trachtenberg system is closer to the Vedic system in comparison and ease of methods. But the ease and mental solving ability of the other method, especially division, square roots, cube roots, algebraic equations, trigonometry, calculus, etc., clearly give the Vedic system an advantage. NASA is even said to be using some of these method applications in the field of artificial intelligence.
There are only 16 Vedic math sutras or word formulas that one needs to practice in order to be efficient in the Vedic math system. Sutras or mathematical formulas of words such as vertical and transversal, everything from nine and last from ten help to solve complex problems with ease and a single formula can also be applied in two or more fields at the same time. The vertical and transverse formula is one of those gems by which one can multiply, find squares, solve simultaneous equations, and find the determinant of a matrix, all at the same time.
If any of these methods are learned at a young age, a 14-year-old student can easily perform ultra-fast calculations during their exams and pass them.
Vedic mathematics is rapidly gaining popularity in this millennium. It is being considered as the only mental mathematical system suitable for a child, as it helps to develop their numerical and mental abilities. The methods are new and practical and teach only Quick Mental Math.
The system does not focus on repetition learning as in the Kumon Method. The system focuses on improving intelligence by teaching fundamentals and alternative methods. The purpose is not limited to improving performance in school or tests, but to provide a broader perspective that results in better mathematical intelligence and mental acuity.
To learn more about the Sutras of Vedic Mathematics – The Fastest Mental Mathematics System in the World, you can visit http://www.vedicmathsindia.org
This article is from Gaurav Tekriwal, the president of the Vedic Maths Forum India who has been conducting high-speed Vedic mathematics workshops for the past five years and has trained more than seven thousand students around the world in this field. He is the author of the best-selling DVD on the subject that contains more than 10 hours on the subject. He is an expert in the field and revolutionizes the way children learn math.