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Chapter 1
MULTIPLICATION: GETTING STARTED
How well do you know your multiplication tables? Do you know them up to the 15 or 20 times tables? Do you know how to solve problems like 14 × 16, or even 94 × 97, without a calculator? Using the speed mathematics method, you will be able to solve these types of problems in your head. I am going to show you a fun, fast and easy way to master your tables and basic mathematics in minutes. I’m not going to show you how to do your tables the usual way. The other kids can do that.
Using the speed mathematics method, it doesn’t matter if you forget one of your tables. Why? Because if you don’t know an answer, you can simply do a lightning calculation to get an instant solution. For example, after showing her the speed mathematics methods, I asked eight-year-old Trudy, “What is 14 times 14?” Immediately she replied, “196.”
I asked, “‘You knew that?”
She said, “No, I worked it out while I was saying it.”
Would you like to be able to do this? It may take five or ten minutes of practice before you are fast enough to beat your friends even when they are using a calculator.
WHAT IS MULTIPLICATION?
How would you add the following numbers?
You could keep adding sixes until you get the answer. This takes time and, because there are so many numbers to add, it is easy to make a mistake.
The easy method is to count how many sixes there are to add together, and then use multiplication to get the answer.
How many sixes are there? Count them.
There are eight.
You have to find out what eight sixes added together would make. People often memorize the answers or use a chart, but you are going to learn a very easy method to calculate the answer.
As multiplication, the problem is written like this:
This means there are eight sixes to be added. This is easier to write than 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 = .
The solution to this problem is:
THE SPEED MATHEMATICS METHOD
I am now going to show you the speed mathematics way of working this out. The first step is to draw circles under each of the numbers. The problem now looks like this:
We now look at each number and ask, how many more do we need to make 10?
We start with the 8. If we have 8, how many more do we need to make 10?
The answer is 2. Eight plus 2 equals 10. We write 2 in the circle below the 8. Our equation now looks like this:
We now go to the 6. How many more to make 10? The answer is 4. We write 4 in the circle below the 6.
This is how the problem looks now:
We now take away, or subtract, crossways or diagonally. We either take 2 from 6 or 4 from 8. It doesn’t matter which way we subtract—the answer will be the same, so choose the calculation that looks easier. Two from 6 is 4, or 4 from 8 is 4. Either way the answer is 4. You only take away one time. Write 4 after the equals sign.
For the last part of the answer, you “times,” or multiply, the numbers in the circles. What is 2 times 4? Two times 4 means two fours added together. Two fours are 8. Write the 8 as the last part of the answer. The answer is 48.
Easy, wasn’t it? This is much easier than repeating your multiplication tables every day until you remember them. And this way, it doesn’t matter if you forget the answer, because you can simply work it out again.
Do you want to try another one? Let’s try 7 times 8. We write the problem and draw circles below the numbers as before:
How many more do we need to make 10? With the first number, 7, we need 3, so we write 3 in the circle below the 7. Now go to the 8. How many more to make 10? The answer is 2, so we write 2 in the circle below the 8.
Our problem now looks like this:
Now take away crossways. Either take 3 from 8 or 2 from 7. Whichever way we do it, we get the same answer. Seven minus 2 is 5 or 8 minus 3 is 5. Five is our answer either way. Five is the first digit of the answer. You only do this calculation once, so choose the way that looks easier.
The calculation now looks like this:
For the final digit of the answer we multiply the numbers in the circles: 3 times 2 (or 2 times 3) is 6. Write the 6 as the second digit of the answer.
Here is the finished calculation:
Seven eights are 56.
How would you solve this problem in your head? Take both numbers from 10 to get 3 and 2 in the circles. Take away crossways. Seven minus 2 is 5. We don’t say five, we say, “Fifty ...” Then multiply the numbers in the circles. Three times 2 is 6. We would say, “Fifty ... six.”
With a little practice you will be able to give an instant answer. And, after calculati...
