How to Calculate Quickly: Full Course in Speed Arithmetic (Dover Books on Mathematics)

I teach speed-mental math to 4th graders. The class is intended to get students excited about math, and to ready students for STEM tracks. As students advance, many get bogged down by the math, and struggle to understand concepts being taught. I provide the students a base to work problems in their heads, and to not need to be slowed down by a calculator. This book provided a base for many of my lesson plans. The paperback version lessons are outstanding. The lessons increase in difficulty, and are not necessarily organized by subjects such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The topics build as step stones to prepare for the next topics. The successes I have watched are from the students' hard work and study, but they have learned several methods of +, -, x, and /. They have learned their times tables 1-20, and how to square any 2-digit number, in their head and usually faster than a calculator. We are only 3 months into the class! A few caveats are in order. This was originally written in 1945, and has only been slightly updated. It will be up to the reader to translate it to a modern update. I am in the process of re-writing the book for my lessons One of my purchases was a Kindle version, that was less successful. My Paperwhite edition will not show essential lessons in the book. The graphics are simply too small to read and cannot be enlarged.

The author has given us the essential tools to effectively calculate quickly. This is a highly valued and useful book for everyone.

This Takes some time and dedication but it does work. Well written, well presented. Recommend for anyone with an interest.

This book is awesome but do want to mention that one of the answers in the back is wrong. Problem # 19, exercise # 13 is not the correct answer.

The book, listed as "very good" is as good as new . Very nice item .

I've often been frustrated when in the course of my education my professors would make jumps in logic and leave me behind for a moment. How did they get to that point from where we started? There are simple tricks to use in estimating and making calculations that one can employ to do the same thing. Rounding up or down, making a quick calculation, then add or subtract your rounded number and come up with the correct answer. Great fun and good mental excercise.

mome

My son was in 5th grade and his teacher required the book. It last long and had help my son so much. Highly recommend!

Me gusta el método que utiliza el autor para ir avanzando en la destreza del cálculo aritmético.

Simple

Este é um daqueles livros que considero muito interessantes para se ler ao menos uma vez, e talvez nem ler por completo, mas só por uma questão de curiosidade. Não vejo real utilidade para isso, principalmente hoje em dia. Continuo pensando que se trata de um livro interessante e que desperta alguma curiosidade. Quanto a isso, ele me lembra um pouco um livro que apresenta todo um avanço histórico sobre a representação gráfica dos números ao longo da história de diferentes povos pelo mundo. O assunto é muito diferente do abordado neste livro, mas a ideia por detrás do que eu quero passar com o que quero dizer sobre a parte interessante do livro é a mesma, já que aquele é outro livro que, a bem da verdade, também não chega a ser propriamente útil, mas, ainda assim, é um livro muito interessante. Uma das coisas bacanas do livro é o conjunto de diferentes técnicas que o autor traz com o propósito de permitir que cálculos individualmente simples, mas que envolvam muitos dígitos, possam ser realizados em intervalos de tempo bastante curtos. Agora, um problema desse livro é o fato de que ele foca em operações muito simples. Por isso, não o considero tão interessante para quem pensa em aplicações de ensino superior. A qualidade da impressão, por outro lado, é uma lástima. Vale a compra se você for uma pessoa curiosa e que gosta de brincar com números de forma descompromissada, mas só se estiver com preço promocional.

It really takes too long and I am afraid the excercises could be a waste of time. I'll probably go for another book on Mental calculation.

Kaum zu glauben, dass dieses fabelhafte Buch schon 1945 geschrieben wurde. Ich wünschte, ich hätte es früher entdeckt. Auch ich gehöre zu der im Buch beschriebenen Personengruppe: Informatiker, löse als Programmierer die komplexesten Probleme, in der Schule nie Schwierigkeiten mit der höheren Mathematik, aber ein miserabler Kopfrechner, sodass es manchmal schon peinlich wird. Auch ich kenne aus meiner Schulzeit die Mathematiklehrer, die das Kopfrechnen zwar indirekt voraussetzen, indem sie den an der Tafel schwitzenden Schüler unter Zeitdruck setzen bzw. verächtliche Bemerkungen machen, wenn dieser eine Nebenrechnung anschreibt oder, wenn erlaubt, zum Taschenrechner greift - es aber unterlassen, das Kopfrechnen als eigenständige Fähigkeit zu unterrichten oder spezielle Übungen dafür anzubieten. Diese Lücke, die es offensichtlich auch schon vor 60 Jahren gab, versucht Henry Sticker mit seinem Buch zu schließen, und es gelingt ihm vorzüglich. Ich bin erst auf Seite 40 und habe beim Addieren, Subtrahieren und Multiplizieren schon einiges an Schnelligkeit und Sicherheit gewonnen. Auch sehr ungeübte Kopfrechner kommen schnell zu Erfolgserlebnissen, da die ersten Übungen wirklich sehr einfach sind und der Anstieg der Schwierigkeit fast unmerklich kommt. Manche der vorgestellten Techniken sind so einfach, dass man sich fragt, warum man nicht schon früher selbst draufgekommen ist (z.B. beim Addieren von Spalten jeweils Zweier- oder Dreiergruppen von Ziffern zusammenfassen). Hervorzuheben ist auch, dass der Schwerpunkt dieses Buches nicht auf Rechentricks liegt, die nur in ganz speziellen Fällen anzuwenden sind (diesen ist nur ein kürzeres Kapitel am Schluss gewidmet), sondern auf dem Training der allgemeinen Rechenfähigkeit.