Introduction To Vedic Math Principles
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Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2011 Time: 6:00 AM
Vedic Math is an Indian system of mathematics developed in the 20th century by Sri Bharati Krishna Tirtha. It is based on 16 basic 'sutras' or principles. These sutras are based on the way the mind works, so complex calculations can be done mentally just as easily as simple ones, without having to write them down or use a calculator.
The word Vedic implies that the system has been derived from ancient Hindu scripts called the Vedas, which are in the Sanskrit language. Whether that is true is a matter for debate, but it is undeniable that this mathematical model is extremely flexible. All the methods are part of a system that interconnects, so the formulae can go back and forth for different purposes.
So multiplication can be reversed into one-line divisions. The method for calculating the square of a number when reversed offers a one-line square root formula. This makes it extremely simple to use and quite and enjoyable too, once a person grasps the concept and the sutras.
An example illustrating the use of a sutra should clarify how it works in practice. One of the sixteen sutras is called 'All from 9 and the last from 10' and one of its uses is for subtracting numbers from 100, 1000, 10000, etc. For example, the answer for 1000-267 can be calculated easily by removing 2 from 9 for the first digit, 6 from 9 for the second one, and 7 from 10 for the third one.
That's 9-2=7 as the first digit of the answer, 9-6=3 as the second one, and 10-7=3 as the last digit. So the answer to 1000 - 267 is 733. Yes, that was ridiculously easy and yes - it always works. Calculations for methods based on this sutra, and for all methods based on all 16 sutras, can similarly be done in the mind without having to write it down or use a calculator.
All the methods based on all 16 sutras can be done mentally, same as the above example. It's fair to say that it makes otherwise complex calculations look straight-forward. The reason this is so is because everything is based on things the mind can do easily. The icing on the cake is that even learning these sutras and methods is very easy.
But how is it really more fun, considering it is still mathematics? That's because there is usually more than one way to arrive at the right answer in Vedic Math. Once they get the hang of it, students usually have a blast devising their own methods. It will still work so long as the methods are based on the sutras.
In ordinary mathematics, students would have to necessarily start from the right and move left digit by digit. But as shown in the example above, a calculation can begin from left to right and operations can be performed simultaneously on multiple digits. This kind of freedom allows students to follow a path their mind is comfortable with and it ensures they like it and will not forget it.
Once the student develops a personal style of performing mental calculations using Vedic Math, it starts to look a lot easier and more fun. It won't replace what's being taught in school, of course. But it will sharpen the student's mind and remove the fear and distaste for mathematics that many young people tend to have and then carry all their lives.
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