How to do math faster in your head
Almost all quick mental math is built on a few tricks you can practice.
- Round and correct: 19 × 6 is 20 × 6 minus 6, which is 114.
- Break multiplications apart: 17 × 6 is 10 × 6 plus 7 × 6, that is 60 plus 42.
- Estimate before calculating: if you expected a result near 100 and the equation says 64, something is off and you can discard it.
- Look at the last digit: in a multiplication, the last digit of the result depends only on the last digits of the factors.
- For subtractions, think of the distance to the next ten: for 83 − 38, go up 2 to reach 40 and then 43 more to reach 83; the answer is 45.
Practice your times tables until you don't have to think about them: that's where most of the time is won.
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Practical tips for the game. They are not medical advice and don't promise to improve your health or intelligence.