Mental calculation

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Mental calculation comprises arithmetical calculations using

only the human brain, with no help from any supplies (such as
pencil and paper) or devices such as a calculator. People use
mental calculation when computing tools are not available,
when it is faster than other means of calculation (such as
conventional educational institution methods), or even in a
competitive context. Mental calculation often involves the use
of specific techniques devised for specific types of problems.
People with unusually high ability to perform mental
calculations are called mental calculators or lightning
calculators.

Many of these techniques take advantage of or rely on the

decimal numeral system. Usually, the choice of radix is what
determines which method or methods to use.

Methods and techniques

Casting out nines

After applying an arithmetic operation to two operands and

getting a result, the following procedure can be used to
improve confidence in the correctness of result:

1. Sum the digits of the first operand; any 9s (or sets of

digits that add to 9) can be counted as 0.
2. If the resulting sum has two or more digits, sum those
digits as in step one; repeat this step until the resulting
sum has only one digit.
3. Repeat steps one and two with the second operand.
There are two one-digit numbers, one condensed from the
first operand and the other condensed from the second
operand. (These one-digit numbers are also the
remainders you would end up with if you divided the
original operands by 9; mathematically speaking, they are
the original operands modulo 9.)
 4. Apply the originally specified operation to the two
condensed operands, and then apply the summing-of-
digits procedure to the result of the operation.
5. Sum the digits of the result you originally obtained for the
original calculation.
6. If the result of step 4 does not equal the result of step 5,
then the original answer is wrong. If the two results
match, then the original answer may be right, though it is
not guaranteed to be.

Example

Say that calculation results that 6338 × 79 equals 500702

1. Sum the digits of 6338: (6 + 3 = 9, so count that as 0) + 3
+ 8 = 11
2. Iterate as needed: 1 + 1 = 2
3. Sum the digits of 79: 7 + (9 counted as 0) = 7
4. Perform the original operation on the condensed
operands, and sum digits: 2 × 7 = 14; 1 + 4 = 5
5. Sum the digits of 500702: 5 + 0 + 0 + (7 + 0 + 2 = 9, which
counts as 0) = 5
 6. 5 = 5, so there is a good chance that the prediction that
6338 × 79 equals 500702 is right.

The same procedure can be used with multiple operations,

repeating steps 1 and 2 for each operation.

Estimation

While checking the mental calculation, it is useful to think of it

in terms of scaling. For example, when dealing with large
numbers, say 1531 × 19625, estimation instructs you to be
aware of the number of digits expected for the final value. A
useful way of checking is to estimate. 1531 is around 1500,
and 19625 is around 20000, so a result of around 20000 ×
1500 (30000000) would be a good estimate for the actual
answer (30045875). So if the answer has too many digits, a
mistake has been made.

Factors

When multiplying, a useful thing to remember is that the

factors of the operands still remain. For example, to say that
14 × 15 was 211 would be unreasonable. Since 15 is a multiple
of 5, the product should be as well. Likewise, 14 is a multiple of
2, so the product should be even. Furthermore, any number
which is a multiple of both 5 and 2 is necessarily a multiple of
10, and in the decimal system would end with a 0. The correct
answer is 210. It is a multiple of 10, 7 (the other prime factor of
14) and 3 (the other prime factor of 15).

Calculating differences: a − b

Direct calculation

When the digits of b are all smaller than the corresponding

digits of a, the calculation can be done digit by digit. For
example, evaluate 872 − 41 simply by subtracting 1 from 2 in
the units place, and 4 from 7 in the tens place: 831.

Indirect calculation

When the above situation does not apply, the problem can
sometimes be modified:

If only one digit in b is larger than its corresponding digit in a,

diminish the offending digit in b until it is equal to its
corresponding digit in a. Then subtract further the amount b
was diminished by from a. For example, to calculate
872 − 92, turn the problem into 872 − 72 = 800. Then
subtract 20 from 800: 780.
If more than one digit in b is larger than its corresponding
digit in a, it may be easier to find how much must be added
to b to get a. For example, to calculate 8192 − 732, add 8 to
732 (resulting in 740), then add 60 (to get 800), then 200 (for
1000). Next, add 192 to arrive at 1192, and, finally, add 7000
to get 8192. Our final answer is 7460.
Another useful technique is rounding off one of the digits
(Either the larger digit or the smaller digit to the nearest
number preferably containing a single non-zero digit). For
example, to calculate 8192 - 732, round off 732 to 1000 by
adding 268 (We can find the value 268 by quickly subtracting
732 from 1000 mentally. Our brain finds it easier in dealing
with rounded figures.) to it. Then subtract 1000 from 8192
and obtain 7192 as the answer. Now add 268 to 7192 to
obtain 7460 as the answer.
Alternatively exchange numbers to round off figures as in the
given problem. For example, For calculating 8192 - 732 one
 can simply add 268 to both sides resulting in 8460 - 1000,
which is easier to calculate, resulting in 7460.
One needs to be prudent in selecting which number to be
rounded off. For calculating 8192 - 732 we can round off
8192 to 9000 by adding 808. Then calculate 9000-732
resulting in 8268. Then subtract 808 from 8268 to get 7460
as our answer. But as it can observed, this makes the
calculations difficult and lengthy.
We may also perform the calculation in the traditional way
but in a smart manner. For calculating 8192 - 732, eliminate
the 2 in units place i.e. replace them with 0. Then subtract 3
from 9 yielding in 6. Finally subtract 7 from 81 yielding in 74.
Then rearrange the pieces to get 7460 as the answer
It might be easier to start from the left (the big numbers)
first.

You may guess what is needed, and accumulate your guesses.

Your guess is good as long as you haven't gone beyond the
"target" number. 8192 − 732, mentally, you want to add 8000
but that would be too much, so add 7000, then 700 to 1100, is
400 (so far we have 7400), and 32 to 92 can easily be
recognized as 60. The result is 7460.
Look-ahead borrow method

This method can be used to subtract numbers left to right, and

if all that is required is to read the result aloud, it requires little
of the user's memory even to subtract numbers of arbitrary
size.

One place at a time is handled, left to right.

Example:

4075
− 1844
------

Thousands: 4 − 1 = 3, look to right, 075 <

844, need to borrow.
3 − 1 = 2, say "Two thousand".
We are performing 3 - 1 rather
than 4 - 1 because the column to the right
is
going to borrow from the
thousands place.
 Hundreds: 0 − 8 = negative numbers not
allowed here.
We are going to increase this
place by using the number we borrowed from
the
column to the left. Therefore:
10 − 8 = 2. It's 10 rather than
0, because we borrowed from the Thousands
place. 75 > 44 so no need to
borrow,
say "two hundred"

Tens: 7 − 4 = 3, 5 > 4, so 5-4=1

Hence the result is 2231

Calculating products: a × b

Many of these methods work because of the distributive

property.

Multiplying any two numbers by attaching,

subtracting, and routing

Discovered by Artem Cheprasov, there is a method of

multiplication that allows the user to utilize 3 steps to quickly
multiply numbers of any size to one another via three unique
ways.[1][2]

First, the method allows the user to attach numbers to one

another, as opposed to adding or subtracting them, during
intermediate steps in order to quicken the rate of
multiplication. For instance, instead of adding or subtracting
intermediary results such as 357 and 84, the user could simply
attach the numbers together (35784) in order to simplify and
expedite the multiplication problem. Attaching numbers to one
another helps to bypass unnecessary steps found in traditional
multiplication techniques.

Secondly, this method uses negative numbers as necessary,

even when multiplying two positive integers, in order to
quicken the rate of multiplication via subtraction. This means
two positive integers can be multiplied together to get negative
intermediate steps, yet still the correct positive answer in the
end. These negative numbers are actually automatically
derived from the multiplication steps themselves and are thus
unique to a particular problem. Again, such negative
intermediate steps are designed to help hasten the mental
math.

Finally, another unique aspect of using this method is that the

user is able to choose one of several different “routes of
multiplication” to the specific multiplication problem at hand
based on their subjective preferences or strengths and
weaknesses with particular integers.

Despite the same starting integers, the different multiplication

routes give off different intermediate numbers that are
automatically derived for the user as they multiply. Some of
these intermediaries may be easier than others (e.g. some
users may find a route that uses a negative 7, while another
route uses a 5 or a 0, which are typically easier to work with
mentally for most people, but not in all instances).

If one “route” seems to be harder for one student vs. another

route and its intermediate numbers, that student can simply
choose another simpler route of multiplication for themselves
even though it's the same original problem.

The "Ends of Five" Formula

For any 2 digit by 2 digit multiplication problem, if both
numbers end in five, the following algorithm can be used to
quickly multiply them together:[1]

As a preliminary step simply round the smaller number down

and the larger up to the nearest multiple of ten. In this case:

The algorithm reads as follows:

Where t1 is the tens unit of the original larger number (75) and
t2 is the tens unit of the original smaller number (35).

The author also outlines another similar algorithm if you want

to round the original larger number down and the original
smaller number up instead.

The "Borrower's" Formula

If two numbers are equidistant from the nearest multiple of

100, then a simple algorithm can be used to find the product.[1]

As a simple example:

Both numbers are equidistant (33 away) from their nearest

multiple of 100 (0 and 100, respectively).

As a preliminary step simply round the smaller number down

and the larger up to the nearest multiple of ten. In this case:

The algorithm reads as follows:

 
Where u1 is the original larger number's (67) units digit and u2
is the original smaller number's (33) units digit. T1 is the
original larger number's tens digit and T2 is the original larger
number's tens digit multiplied by their respective power (in this
case by 10, for a tens digit).

And so:

Multiplying any 2-digit numbers

To easily multiply any 2-digit numbers together a simple

algorithm is as follows (where a is the tens digit of the first
number, b is the ones digit of the first number, c is the tens
digit of the second number and d is the ones digit of the
second number):

 
 

For example,

 
 800
+120
+140
+ 21
-----
1081

Note that this is the same thing as the conventional sum of

partial products, just restated with brevity. To minimize the
number of elements being retained in one's memory, it may be
convenient to perform the sum of the "cross" multiplication
product first, and then add the other two elements:

 
  [of which only the tens digit will interfere with the
first term]
 

i.e., in this example

(12 + 14) = 26, 26 × 10 = 260,

to which is it is easy to add 21: 281 and then 800: 1081

An easy mnemonic to remember for this would be FOIL. F
meaning first, O meaning outer, I meaning inner and L meaning
last. For example:

and

where 7 is a, 5 is b, 2 is c and 3 is d.

Consider

this expression is analogous to any number in base 10 with a

hundreds, tens and ones place. FOIL can also be looked at as a
number with F being the hundreds, OI being the tens and L
being the ones.

  is the product of the first digit of each of the two

numbers; F.

  is the addition of the product of the outer digits

and the inner digits; OI.
  is the product of the last digit of each of the two numbers;
L.

Multiplying by 2 or other small numbers

Where one number being multiplied is sufficiently small to be

multiplied with ease by any single digit, the product can be
calculated easily digit by digit from right to left. This is
particularly easy for multiplication by 2 since the carry digit
cannot be more than 1.

For example, to calculate 2 × 167: 2×7=14, so the final digit is

4, with a 1 carried and added to the 2×6 = 12 to give 13, so the
next digit is 3 with a 1 carried and added to the 2×1=2 to give
3. Thus, the product is 334.

Multiplying by 5

To multiply a number by 5,

1. First multiply that number by 10, then divide it by 2. The two

steps are interchangeable i.e. you can halve the number and
then multiply it.
The following algorithm is a quick way to produce this result:

2. Add a zero to right side of the desired number. (A.) 3. Next,

starting from the leftmost numeral, divide by 2 (B.) and append
each result in the respective order to form a new number;
(fraction answers should be rounded down to the nearest
whole number).

EXAMPLE: Multiply 176 by 5.

A. Add a zero to 176 to make 1760.
B. Divide by 2 starting at the left.
1. Divide 1 by 2 to get .5,
rounded down to zero.
2. Divide 7 by 2 to get 3.5,
rounded down to 3.
3. Divide 6 by 2 to get 3. Zero
divided by two is simply zero.

The resulting number is 0330. (This is not the final answer, but
a first approximation which will be adjusted in the following
step:)
 C. Add 5 to the number that follows
any single numeral
in this new number that was odd
before dividing by two;

EXAMPLE: 176 (IN FIRST, SECOND THIRD PLACES):

1.The FIRST place is 1, which

is odd. ADD 5 to the numeral after
the first place in our new
number (0330) which is 3; 3+5=8.

2.The number in the second

place of 176, 7, is also odd. The
corresponding number (0 8 3
0) is increased by 5 as well;
3+5=8.

3.The numeral in the third

place of 176, 6, is even, therefore
the final number, zero, in
 our answer is not changed. That
final answer is 0880.
The leftmost zero can be
omitted, leaving 880.
So 176 times 5 equals 880.

EXAMPLE: Multiply 288 by 5.

A. Divide 288 by 2. We can divide each digit individually to get

144. (Dividing smaller number is easier.)

B. Multiply by 10. Add a zero to yield the result 1440.

Multiplying by 9

Since 9 = 10 − 1, to multiply a number by nine, multiply it by 10

and then subtract the original number from the result. For
example, 9 × 27 = 270 − 27 = 243.

This method can be adjusted to multiply by eight instead of

nine, by doubling the number being subtracted; 8 × 27 =
270 − (2×27) = 270 − 54 = 216.
Similarly, by adding instead of subtracting, the same methods
can be used to multiply by 11 and 12, respectively (although
simpler methods to multiply by 11 exist).

Using hands: 1–10 multiplied by 9

Hold hands in front of you, palms facing you. Assign the left
thumb to be 1, the left index to be 2, and so on all the way to
right thumb is ten. Each "|" symbolizes a raised finger and a "−"
represents a bent finger.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
| | | | | | | | | |
left hand right hand

Bend the finger which represents the number to be multiplied

by nine down.

Ex: 6 × 9 would be

| | | | | − | | | |
The right little finger is down. Take the number of fingers still
raised to the left of the bent finger and prepend it to the
number of fingers to the right.

Ex: There are five fingers left of the right little finger and four to
the right of the right little finger. So 6 × 9 = 54.

5 4
| | | | | − | | | |

Multiplying by 10 (and powers of ten)

To multiply an integer by 10, simply add an extra 0 to the end of

the number. To multiply a non-integer by 10, move the decimal
point to the right one digit.

In general for base ten, to multiply by 10n (where n is an

integer), move the decimal point n digits to the right. If n is
negative, move the decimal |n| digits to the left.

Multiplying by 11

For single digit numbers simply duplicate the number into the
tens digit, for example: 1 × 11 = 11, 2 × 11 = 22, up to 9 × 11 =
99.

The product for any larger non-zero integer can be found by a

series of additions to each of its digits from right to left, two at
a time.

First take the ones digit and copy that to the temporary result.
Next, starting with the ones digit of the multiplier, add each
digit to the digit to its left. Each sum is then added to the left of
the result, in front of all others. If a number sums to 10 or
higher take the tens digit, which will always be 1, and carry it
over to the next addition. Finally copy the multipliers left-most
(highest valued) digit to the front of the result, adding in the
carried 1 if necessary, to get the final product.

In the case of a negative 11, multiplier, or both apply the sign to

the final product as per normal multiplication of the two
numbers.

A step-by-step example of 759 × 11:

1. The ones digit of the multiplier, 9, is copied to the

temporary result.
result: 9
 2. Add 5 + 9 = 14 so 4 is placed on the left side of the result
and carry the 1.
result: 49
3. Similarly add 7 + 5 = 12, then add the carried 1 to get 13.
Place 3 to the result and carry the 1.
result: 349
4. Add the carried 1 to the highest valued digit in the
multiplier, 7 + 1 = 8, and copy to the result to finish.
Final product of 759 × 11: 8349

Further examples:

−54 × −11 = 5 5+4(9) 4 = 594

999 × 11 = 9+1(10) 9+9+1(9) 9+9(8) 9 = 10989
Note the handling of 9+1 as the highest valued digit.
−3478 × 11 = 3 3+4+1(8) 4+7+1(2) 7+8(5) 8 = −38258
62473 × 11 = 6 6+2(8) 2+4+1(7) 4+7+1(2) 7+3(0) 3 = 687203

Another method is to simply multiply the number by 10, and

add the original number to the result.

For example:

17 × 11
 17 × 10 = 170

170 + 17 = 187

17 × 11 = 187

One last easy way:

If you have a two-digit number, take it and add the two

numbers together and put that sum in the middle, and you can
get the answer.

For example: 24 x 11 = 264 because 2 + 4 = 6 and the 6 is

placed in between the 2 and the 4.

Second example: 87 x 11 = 957 because 8 + 7 = 15 so the 5

goes in between the 8 and the 7 and the 1 is carried to the 8.
So it is basically 857 + 100 = 957.

Or if 43 x 11 is equal to first 4+3=7 (For the tens digit) Then 4 is

for the hundreds and 3 is for the tens. And the answer is 473

Multiplying two 2 digit numbers between 11 and 19

To easily multiply 2 digit numbers together between 11 and 19
a simple algorithm is as follows (where a is the ones digit of
the first number and b is the ones digit of the second number):

(10+a)×(10+b)
100 + 10×(a+b) + a×b

which can be visualized as three parts to

be added:

1
xx
yy

for example:

17×16

1 = 100
13 (7+6) = 10×(a+b)
42 (7×6) = a×b
272 (total)
Using hands: 6–10 multiplied by another number 6–
10

This technique allows a number from 6 to 10 to be multiplied

by another number from 6 to 10.

Assign 6 to the little finger, 7 to the ring finger, 8 to the middle

finger, 9 to the index finger, and 10 to the thumb. Touch the two
desired numbers together. The point of contact and below is
considered the "bottom" section and everything above the two
fingers that are touching are part of the "top" section. The
answer is formed by adding ten times the total number of
"bottom" fingers to the product of the number of left- and right-
hand "top" fingers.

For example, 9 × 6 would look like this, with the left index finger
touching the right little finger:

=10==
:right thumb (top)
==9==
:right index finger (top)
==8==
 :right middle finger (top)
left thumb: =10== ==7==
:right ring finger (top)
left index finger: --9---><---6--
:right little finger (BOTTOM)
left middle finger: --8--
(BOTTOM)
left ring finger: --7--
(BOTTOM)
left little finger: --6--
(BOTTOM)

In this example, there are 5 "bottom" fingers (the left index,

middle, ring, and little fingers, plus the right little finger), 1 left
"top" finger (the left thumb), and 4 right "top" fingers (the right
thumb, index finger, middle finger, and ring finger). So the
computation goes as follows: 9 × 6 = (10 × 5) + (1 × 4) = 54.

Consider another example, 8 × 7:

=10==
:right thumb (top)
 left thumb: =10== ==9==
:right index finger (top)
left index finger: ==9== ==8==
:right middle finger (top)
left middle finger: --8---><---7--
:right ring finger (BOTTOM)
left ring finger: --7-- --6--
:right little finger (BOTTOM)
left little finger: --6--
(BOTTOM)

Five bottom fingers make 5 tens, or 50. Two top left fingers
and three top right fingers make the product 6. Summing these
produces the answer, 56.

Another example, this time using 6 × 8:

--8---><---6--
--7--
--6--
Four tens (bottom), plus two times four (top) gives 40 + 2 × 4 =
48.

Here's how it works: each finger represents a number between

6 and 10. When you join fingers representing x and y, there will
be 10 - x "top" fingers and x - 5 "bottom" fingers on the left
hand; the right hand will have 10 - y "top" fingers and y - 5
"bottom" fingers.

Let

  (the number of "top" fingers on the left hand)

  (the number of "top" fingers on the right
hand)
  (the number of "bottom" fingers on the left
hand)
  (the number of "bottom" fingers on the right
hand)

Then following the above instructions produces

 
 
 
 
  
 

which is the product we seek.

Multiplying two numbers close and below 100

This technique allows easy multiplication of numbers close

and below 100.(90-99)[3] The variables will be the two numbers
you multiply.

The product of two variables ranging from 90-99 will result in a

4-digit number. The first step is to find the ones-digit and the
tens digit.

Subtract both variables from 100 which will result in 2 one-digit

number. The product of the 2 one-digit numbers will be the last
two digits of your final product.

Next, subtract one of the two variables from 100. Then

subtract the difference from the other variable. That difference
will be the first two digits of your final product. And the
resulting 4 digit number will be the final product.

Example:
 95
x 97
----

Last two digits: 100-95=5 (subtract first

number from 100)
100-97=3 (subtract second
number from 100)
5*3=15 (multiply the
two differences)
Final Product- yx15

First two digits: 100-95=5 (Subtract the

first number of your equation from 100)
97-5=92 (Subtract that
answer from the second number of your
equation)
Now, the difference will
be the first two digits
Final Product- 9215
 Alternate for first two digits
5+3=8 (Add the two
single digits derived when calculating
"Last two digits" in previous step)
100-8=92 (Subtract that
answer from 100)
Now, the difference will
be the first two digits
Final Product- 9215

Using square numbers

The products of small numbers may be calculated by using the

squares of integers; for example, to calculate 13 × 17, you can
remark 15 is the mean of the two factors, and think of it as
(15 − 2) × (15 + 2), i.e. 152 − 22. Knowing that 152 is 225 and 22
is 4, simple subtraction shows that 225 − 4 = 221, which is the
desired product.

This method requires knowing by heart a certain number of

squares:
12 = 1 62 = 36 112 = 121 162 = 256 212 = 441 262 = 676

22 = 4 72 = 49 122 = 144 172 = 289 222 = 484 272 = 729

32 = 9 82 = 64 132 = 169 182 = 324 232 = 529 282 = 784

42 = 16 92 = 81 142 = 196 192 = 361 242 = 576 292 = 841

52 = 25 102 = 100 152 = 225 202 = 400 252 = 625 302 = 900

Squaring numbers

It may be useful to be aware that the difference between two

successive square numbers is the sum of their respective
square roots. Hence if you know that 12 × 12 = 144 and wish to
know 13 × 13, calculate 144 + 12 + 13 = 169.

This is because (x + 1)2 − x2 = x2 + 2x + 1 − x2 = x + (x + 1)

x2 = (x − 1)2 + (2x − 1)

Squaring any number

Take a given number, and add and subtract a certain value to it

that will make it easier to multiply. For example:

4922

492 is close to 500, which is easy to multiply by. Add and

subtract 8 (the difference between 500 and 492) to get

492 -> 484, 500

Multiply these numbers together to get 242,000 (This can be
done efficiently by dividing 484 by 2 = 242 and multiplying by
1000). Finally, add the difference (8) squared (82 = 64) to the
result:

4922 = 242,064

The proof follows:

 
 
 
 

Squaring any 2-digit integers

This method requires memorization of the squares of the one-

digit numbers 1 to 9.

The square of mn, mn being a two-digit integer, can be

calculated as

10 × m(mn + n) + n2

Meaning the square of mn can be found by adding n to mn,

multiplied by m, adding 0 to the end and finally adding the
square of n.

For example, we have 232:

232
= 10 × 2(23 + 3) + 32
= 10 × 2(26) + 9
= 520 + 9
= 529

So 232 = 529.

Squaring a number ending in 5

1. Take the digit(s) that precede the five: abc5, where a,

b, and c are digits
2. Multiply this number by itself plus one: abc(abc + 1)
3. Take above result and attach 25 to the end
Example: 85 × 85
1. 8
2. 8 × 9 = 72
3. So, 852 = 7,225
Example: 1252
 1. 12
2. 12 × 13 = 156
3. So, 1252 = 15,625
Mathematical explanation

(10x + 5)2 = (10x + 5)(10x + 5)

= 100x2 + 100x + 25
= 100(x2 + x) + 25
= 100x(x + 1) + 25

Squaring numbers near 50

Suppose we need to square a number x near 50. This number

may be expressed as x = 50 − n, and hence the answer x2 is
(50−n)2, which is 502 − 100n + n2. We know that 502 is 2500.
So we subtract 100n from 2500, and then add n2. Example, say
we want to square 48, which is 50 − 2. We subtract 200 from
2500 and add 4, and get x2 = 2304. For numbers larger than 50
(x = 50 + n), add n a hundred times instead of subtracting it.

Squaring an integer from 26 to 75

This method requires the memorization of squares from 1 to
25.

The square of n (most easily calculated when n is between 26

and 75 inclusive) is

(50 − n)2 + 100(n − 25)

In other words, the square of a number is the square of its

difference from fifty added to one hundred times the difference
of the number and twenty five. For example, to square 62, we
have:

(−12)2 + [(62-25) × 100]

= 144 + 3,700
= 3,844

Squaring an integer from 76 to 125

This method requires the memorization of squares from 1 to

25.

The square of n (most easily calculated when n is between 76

and 125 inclusive) is

(100 − n)2 + 100(100 − 2(100 − n))

In other words, the square of a number is the square of its
difference from one hundred added to the product of one
hundred and the difference of one hundred and the product of
two and the difference of one hundred and the number. For
example, to square 93, we have:

72 + 100(100 − 2(7))
= 49 + 100 × 86
= 49 + 8,600
= 8,649

Another way to look at it would be like this:

932 = ? (is −7 from 100)

93 − 7 = 86 (this gives us our first two digits)
(−7)2 = 49 (these are the second two digits)
932 = 8649

Another example:

822 = ? (is −18 from 100)

82 − 18 = 64 (subtract. First digits.)
(−18)2 = 324 (second pair of digits. We'll
 need to carry the 3.)
822 = 6724

Finding roots

Approximating square roots

An easy way to approximate the square root of a number is to

use the following equation:

The closer the known square is to the unknown, the more

accurate the approximation. For instance, to estimate the
square root of 15, we could start with the knowledge that the
nearest perfect square is 16 (42).

So the estimated square root of 15 is 3.875. The actual square

root of 15 is 3.872983... One thing to note is that, no matter
what the original guess was, the estimated answer will always
be larger than the actual answer due to the inequality of
arithmetic and geometric means. Thus, one should try
rounding the estimated answer down.

Note that if n2 is the closest perfect square to the desired

square x and d = x - n2 is their difference, it is more convenient
to express this approximation in the form of mixed fraction as
  . Thus, in the previous example, the square root of 15 is
  As another example, square root of 41 is  

while the actual value is 6.4031...

Derivation

By definition, if r is the square root of x, then

We then redefine the root

where a is a known root (4 from the above example) and b is

the difference between the known root and the answer we
seek.
  

Expanding yields

If 'a' is close to the target, 'b' will be a small enough number to

render the   element of the equation negligible. Thus, we
can drop   out and rearrange the equation to

and therefore

that can be reduced to

Extracting roots of perfect powers

Extracting roots of perfect powers is often practiced. The

difficulty of the task does not depend on the number of digits
of the perfect power but on the precision, i.e. the number of
digits of the root. In addition, it also depends on the order of
the root; finding perfect roots, where the order of the root is
coprime with 10 are somewhat easier since the digits are
scrambled in consistent ways, as we shall see in the next
section.

Extracting cube roots

An easy task for the beginner is extracting cube roots from the
cubes of 2 digit numbers. For example, given 74088, determine
what two digit number, when multiplied by itself once and then
multiplied by the number again, yields 74088. One who knows
the method will quickly know the answer is 42, as 423 = 74088.

Before learning the procedure, it is required that the performer

memorize the cubes of the numbers 1-10:

13 = 1 23 = 8 33 = 27 43 = 64 53 = 125

63 = 216 73 = 343 83 = 512 93 = 729 103 = 1000

Observe that there is a pattern in the rightmost digit: adding

and subtracting with 1 or 3. Starting from zero:

03 = 0
13 = 1 up 1
 23 = 8 down 3
33 = 27 down 1
43 = 64 down 3
53 = 125 up 1
63 = 216 up 1
73 = 343 down 3
83 = 512 down 1
93 = 729 down 3
103 = 1000 up 1

There are two steps to extracting the cube root from the cube
of a two digit number. Say you are asked to extract the cube
root of 29791. Begin by determining the one's place (units) of
the two digit number. You know it must be one, since the cube
ends in 1, as seen above.

If perfect cube ends in 0, the cube root of it must end in 0.

If perfect cube ends in 1, the cube root of it must end in 1.
If perfect cube ends in 2, the cube root of it must end in 8.
If perfect cube ends in 3, the cube root of it must end in 7.
If perfect cube ends in 4, the cube root of it must end in 4.
 If perfect cube ends in 5, the cube root of it must end in 5.
If perfect cube ends in 6, the cube root of it must end in 6.
If perfect cube ends in 7, the cube root of it must end in 3.
If perfect cube ends in 8, the cube root of it must end in 2.
If perfect cube ends in 9, the cube root of it must end in 9.

Note that every digit corresponds to itself except for 2, 3, 7 and

8, which are just subtracted from ten to obtain the
corresponding digit.

The second step is to determine the first digit of the two digit
cube root by looking at the magnitude of the given cube. To do
this, remove the last three digits of the given cube (29791 →
29) and find the greatest cube it is greater than (this is where
knowing the cubes of numbers 1-10 is needed). Here, 29 is
greater than 1 cubed, greater than 2 cubed, greater than 3
cubed, but not greater than 4 cubed. The greatest cube it is
greater than is 3, so the first digit of the two digit cube must be
3.

Therefore, the cube root of 29791 is 31.

Another example:
 Find the cube root of 456533.
The cube root ends in 7.
After the last three digits are taken away, 456 remains.
456 is greater than all the cubes up to 7 cubed.
The first digit of the cube root is 7.
The cube root of 456533 is 77.

This process can be extended to find cube roots that are 3

digits long, by using arithmetic modulo 11.[4]

These types of tricks can be used in any root where the order
of the root is coprime with 10; thus it fails to work in square
root, since the power, 2, divides into 10. 3 does not divide 10,
thus cube roots work.

Approximating common logs (log base 10)

To approximate a common log (to at least one decimal point

accuracy), a few log rules, and the memorization of a few logs
is required. One must know:

log(a × b) = log(a) + log(b)

log(a / b) = log(a) - log(b)
 log(0) does not exist
log(1) = 0
log(2) ~ .30
log(3) ~ .48
log(7) ~ .85

From this information, one can find the log of any number 1-9.

log(1) = 0
log(2) ~ .30
log(3) ~ .48
log(4) = log(2 × 2) = log(2) + log(2) ~ .60
log(5) = log(10 / 2) = log(10) − log(2) ~ .70
log(6) = log(2 × 3) = log(2) + log(3) ~ .78
log(7) ~ .85
log(8) = log(2 × 2 × 2) = log(2) + log(2) + log(2) ~ .90
log(9) = log(3 × 3) = log(3) + log(3) ~ .96
log(10) = 1 + log(1) = 1

The first step in approximating the common logarithm is to put

the number given in scientific notation. For example, the
number 45 in scientific notation is 4.5 × 101, but we will call it a
× 10b. Next, find the log of a, which is between 1 and 10. Start
by finding the log of 4, which is .60, and then the log of 5, which
is .70 because 4.5 is between these two. Next, and skill at this
comes with practice, place a 5 on a logarithmic scale between
.6 and .7, somewhere around .653 (NOTE: the actual value of
the extra places will always be greater than if it were placed on
a regular scale. i.e., you would expect it to go at .650 because it
is halfway, but instead it will be a little larger, in this case .653)
Once you have obtained the log of a, simply add b to it to get
the approximation of the common log. In this case, a + b = .653
+ 1 = 1.653. The actual value of log(45) ~ 1.65321.

The same process applies for numbers between 0 and 1. For

example, 0.045 would be written as 4.5 × 10−2. The only
difference is that b is now negative, so when adding you are
really subtracting. This would yield the result 0.653 − 2, or
−1.347.

Mental arithmetic as a psychological skill

Physical exertion of the proper level can lead to an increase in
performance of a mental task, like doing mental calculations,
performed afterward.[5] It has been shown that during high
levels of physical activity there is a negative effect on mental
task performance.[6] This means that too much physical work
can decrease accuracy and output of mental math
calculations. Physiological measures, specifically EEG, have
been shown to be useful in indicating mental workload.[7]
Using an EEG as a measure of mental workload after different
levels of physical activity can help determine the level of
physical exertion that will be the most beneficial to mental
performance. Previous work done at Michigan Technological
University by Ranjana Mehta includes a recent study that
involved participants engaging in concurrent mental and
physical tasks.[8] This study investigated the effects of mental
demands on physical performance at different levels of
physical exertion and ultimately found a decrease in physical
performance when mental tasks were completed concurrently,
with a more significant effect at the higher level of physical
workload. The Brown-Peterson procedure is a widely known
task using mental arithmetic. This procedure, mostly used in
cognitive experiments, suggests mental subtraction is useful in
testing the effects maintenance rehearsal can have on how
long short-term memory lasts.
Mental Calculations World Championship
The first Mental Calculations World Championship took place
in 1997. This event repeats every year. It consists of a range of
different tasks such as: addition of ten ten-digit numbers,
multiplication of two eight-digit numbers, calculation of square
roots, and calculation of weekdays for given dates, calculation
of cube roots plus some surprise miscellaneous tasks.

Mental Calculation World Cup

The first World Mental Calculation Championships (Mental
Calculation World Cup)[9] took place in 2004. They are repeated
every second year. It consists of six different tasks: addition of
ten ten-digit numbers, multiplication of two eight-digit
numbers, calculation of square roots, and calculation of
weekdays for given dates, calculation of cube roots plus some
surprise miscellaneous tasks.

Memoriad – World Memory, Mental

Calculation & Speed Reading Olympics
Memoriad[10] is the first platform combining "mental
calculation", "memory" and "photographic reading"
competitions. Games and competitions are held in the year of
the Olympic games, every four years. The first Memoriad was
held in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2008. The second Memoriad took
place in Antalya, Turkey on 24–25 November 2012. 89
competitors from 20 countries participated. Awards and
money prizes were given for 10 categories in total; of which 5
categories had to do about Mental Calculation (Mental
addition, Mental Multiplication, Mental Square Roots (non-
integer), Mental Calendar Dates calculation and Flash Anzan).

See also
Doomsday rule for calculating the day of the week
Mental abacus
Mental calculator
Soroban

References
1. Cheprasov, Artem (September 3, 2009). On a New Method
of Multiplication and Shortcuts . United States:
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
ISBN 9781448689330.
2. "On the record with ... Artem Cheprasov" . Northwest
Herald. Retrieved 2015-06-01.
3. multiplying two numbers close, below 100
4. Dorrell, Philip. "How to Do Cube Roots of 9 Digit Numbers in
Your Head" . Thinking Hard. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
5. Lambourne, Kate; Tomporowski, Phillip (2010). "The effect
of exercise-induced arousal on cognitive task performance:
A meta-regression analysis". Brain Research. 1341: 12–24.
doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2010.03.091 . PMID 20381468 .
6. Brisswalter, J.; Arcelin, R.; Audiffren, M.; Delignieres, D.
(1997). "Influence of Physical Exercise on Simple Reaction
Time: Effect of Physical Fitness". Perceptual and Motor
Skills. 85 (3): 1019–27. doi:10.2466/pms.1997.85.3.1019 .
PMID 9399313 .
7. Murata, Atsuo (2005). "An Attempt to Evaluate Mental
Workload Using Wavelet Transform of EEG". Human
Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and
Ergonomics Society. 47 (3): 498–508.
doi:10.1518/001872005774860096 . PMID 16435692 .
8. Mehta, Ranjana K.; Nussbaum, Maury A.; Agnew, Michael J.
(2012). "Muscle- and task-dependent responses to
 concurrent physical and mental workload during
intermittent static work". Ergonomics. 55 (10): 1166–79.
doi:10.1080/00140139.2012.703695 . PMID 22849301 .
9. Mental Calculation World Cup
10. Memoriad

External links
Mental Calculation World Cup
Memoriad - World Mental Olympics
Tzourio-Mazoyer, Nathalie; Pesenti, Mauro; Zago, Laure;
Crivello, Fabrice; Mellet, Emmanuel; Samson, Dana; Duroux,
Bruno; Seron, Xavier; Mazoyer, Bernard (2001). "Mental
calculation in a prodigy is sustained by right prefrontal and
medial temporal areas". Nature Neuroscience. 4 (1): 103–7.
doi:10.1038/82831 . PMID 11135652 .
Rivera, S.M.; Reiss, AL; Eckert, MA; Menon, V (2005).
"Developmental Changes in Mental Arithmetic: Evidence for
Increased Functional Specialization in the Left Inferior
Parietal Cortex". Cerebral Cortex. 15 (11): 1779–90.
doi:10.1093/cercor/bhi055 . PMID 15716474 .
Large EEG waves ellicited by Mental Calculation PDF
 Mathletics - train or compete in Mental Math
Mathematical Shortcuts from Vedic Maths

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