Smarter ways of doing math sums

Addition made easy

Mathematics – the queen of sciences is developed mainly for calculations as a basic idea. Only with the four basic operations +, -, ´ and / major part of applications in day to day life can be handled. Today most of us are using calculators for even these basic operations and so slowly we are loosing the capacity of even addition, which we had as a child of 2nd standard.

Any one would agree that these operations are very simple and easy to understand. But in repeated process we make silly mistakes. To overcome these we can get back to the tricks discovered by Ancient Indian Mathematicians which can help us to do calculations faster than even a calculator.

These simple tricks learnt and practiced regularly can make us not only master of mathematics but we can master all the competitive exams.

Let us start with the most simplest operation-addition. Every one of us is good at adding two single digit numbers 1 + 1 = 2, 1 + 2 = 3, . …….1 + 9 = 10, 2 + 2 = 4, ……….., 2 + 9 = 11, ……….9 + 9 = 18.

Assuming this as minimum requirement now let us learn how to add two digit numbers much faster and effortlessly.

First rule : If we get addition of two single digit numbers > 10 say 12, 15, 16, 18, etc then we write them as .2, .5, .6, .8, etc. here shuddha, a dot, means tenth place digit 1.

Now to add 28 + 35

28 when we add unit place digits of two numbers 8 + 5 = 13

35 we remember 3 in our mind and put in shuddha for the tenth place digit of the second number. In the next step while adding digits at tenth place first consider 2 + . = 3 and then add 3 + 3 = 6

Now if we extend it to bigger numbers like

For any number of digits this process can be used in the similar fashion. By now we are familiar with this process of using shuddha on the left side digit when addition of two single digits becomes > 9.

Let us see how to extend this to three numbers addition.

Here first we add 3+ 2 = 5, then 5 + 7 = 12 which we write as .2, 2 is written in the unit place of the sum and shuddha is added above the digit 8.

In the next step to add digits of tength’s place 4 + 7 = 11 write as shuddha at hundreds place and 1 + =2, 2+8 = 10 gives 0 in the tenths place of the answer and a shuddha at hundreds place beside 8. At the end add all the in the hundreds place to get the final total as 202

This process can be extended for any number of two digit numbers as gives in the following examples

Advantages of the method:

1. No strain of remembering large numbers as carry because every time we put aside the shuddha.

2. Less possibility of mistakes.

3. one can stop after addition of unit place, do some other work if necessary and little later continue with the addition from the place one had stopped. Here no information is lost.

4. this process is much faster and less streneous than usual addition method learnt in schools today.

Using this method you can do sum of large number of big numbers.

Check out the time you need to do this long long addition with new method. You first ask your friend to do it with usual method and compare the time and strain you experienced. Is it not amazing that your friend following usual method took longer time, had more chances of mistakes and felt strain where as you did it much farter, more accurate and strain less. Is it not being smarter???