7 Cool Math Tricks I Learned While Being a Parent
What once was, is now lost — unless dad spends fun time with kids
Math has dimensions — academic pursuit is one thing, life skill is quite another.
I am quite interested in the fun and life skills part — with that in mind, I traded quite a few patterns with my daughters.
Some of the ones below deeply resonated with my two daughters. I wanted to share them here ( along with my personal observations
1. Multiply a number by 11
Let’s say multiply 25 by 11. 25x11.
Write the 2 and leave a space and write the 5. In between, in that space, add the two digits to write 7. The answer is 275!
Try 36 X 11 — it’s 396.
Three digits — similar idea — 263 X 11 is 2893. where there are two spaces in between where 8 is 2+6 and 9 is 6+3
If you think deeply about it, it’s the same math you would do by the traditional method. It just skips the writing steps.
Personal observation: Many kids check the answers the same way they do the problem. Tricks like these help them check answers differently. It also is a life skill when a calculator/phone is not handy.
