I’ve always enjoyed math, but once I got to calculus, it quit being “fun” and became WORK. I had a great teacher, though, and he stretched me to learn it, anyway. (I promptly purged it, I am reluctant to admit … I couldn’t tell you the difference now between a sin and cosine curve!) Come to think of it, I did develop a brave (or dumb) streak in college and decided to take Economic Statistics as an elective – which nearly killed me and my stellar GPA, but I digress. Anyway, I still like math, and I especially enjoy watching the lightbulb-moments when my guys learn something new.

 

I read two articles recently that highlighted new [to me] ways of multiplying and dividing. I was so excited to share the tricks with my 11yo! We sat down after dinner tonight and tried out the techniques. It tickled me pink that he was eager to learn; he even tried a few problems on his own. We took turns with the calculator to verify our work and waited to press the equal sign until the other person came up with an answer, then we hooped and hollered and high-fived each other when we were right. 😉

 

The multiplication method includes a demo on YouTube and attributes the technique to the Japanese. (I don’t know if it is part of their standard curriculum or not; I admit that I haven’t taken the time to validate it one way or the other.) It relies on a grid and simple arithmetic, and although we had some difficulty with larger numbers, we grasped the basics and were able to do some 3-digit by 3-digit calculations.

 

The division method is called Partial Quotient Algorithm, and it’s fascinating! I wish I’d known about this technique when I was in middle and high school. We divided numbers as large as 4-digits by 2-digits!

 

I don’t often have reason to multiply and divide without the convenience of a calculator (like the one built-in to my phone), but if/when I do, I’ll be ready!