Mental Calculation - Introduction

We need to make calculations on a daily basis. Checking an invoice, evaluating a promotion, declaring taxes, timing certain tasks, in addition to the many situations in professional life that require calculations.

Often, the need is to do calculations without the help of a machine or pen and paper. On the other hand, mental calculation relies on memory to retain intermediate values.

Memory development is an ability that is acquired with regular practice. However, the ability to memorise intermediate values remains limited. For this reason, in mental arithmetic, we use a set of tricks that make the calculation less complicated, faster, and easier to remember.

These tricks or methods are what we will develop in the following sections. Before describing the practice of a method, we will describe the formula or mathematical equality on which it is based. This is useful for a better understanding of the method, especially for parents who want to help their children with the course.

I also point out that an operation can be performed using a multitude of methods. Mental calculation requires an analysis for the implementation of the most efficient method.

Mental calculation practice is interesting for children for another reason. Juggling with numbers develops the child's mental ability. Mental arithmetic improves the ability to analyse and synthesise and develops memory. Mental arithmetic could also become an enjoyable game that will give children a passion for the field of mathematics.

The mental calculation course consists of the following sections:

Mental Calculation - Introduction

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