SPEED MATH PEED MATH for Kids

How well do you know your multiplication tables? Do you know

them up to the 15 or 20 times tables? Do you know how to solve

problems like 14 × 16, or even 94 × 97, without a calculator? Using

the speed mathematics method, you will be able to solve these types

of problems in your head. I am going to show you a fun, fast and

easy way to master your tables and basic mathematics in minutes.

I’m not going to show you how to do your tables the usual way. Th e

other kids can do that.

Using the speed mathematics method, it doesn’t matter if you forget

one of your tables. Why? Because if you don’t know an answer, you

can simply do a lightning calculation to get an instant solution.

For example, after showing her the speed mathematics methods, I

asked eight-year-old Trudy, “What is 14 times 14?” Immediately she

replied, “196.”She said, “No, I worked it out while I was saying it.”

Would you like to be able to do this? It may take fi ve or ten minutes

of practice before you are fast enough to beat your friends even

when they are using a calculator.

I asked, ‘“You knew that?”

WHAT IS MULTIPLICATION?

How would you add the following numbers?

6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 = ?

You could keep adding sixes until you get the answer. Th is takes

time and, because there are so many numbers to add, it is easy to

make a mistake.

Th e easy method is to count how many sixes there are to add together,

and then use multiplication to get the answer.

How many sixes are there? Count them.

Th ere are eight.

You have to fi nd out what eight sixes added together would make.

People often memorize the answers or use a chart, but you are going

to learn a very easy method to calculate the answer.

As multiplication, the problem is written like this:

8 × 6 =

Th is means there are eight sixes to be added. Th is is easier to write

than 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 = .

Th e solution to this problem is:

8 × 6 = 48

THE SPEED MATHEMATICS METHOD

I am now going to show you the speed mathematics way of working

this out. Th e fi rst step is to draw circles under each of the numbers.

Th e problem now looks like this:

For the last part of the answer, you “times,” or multiply, the numbers

in the circles. What is 2 times 4? Two times 4 means two fours added

together. Two fours are 8. Write the 8 as the last part of the answer.

Th e answer is 48.

8 × 6 = 48

Beating the calculator

To beat your friends when they are using a calculator, you only have

to start calling the answer before they fi nish pushing the buttons.

For instance, if you were calculating 96 times 96, you would ask

yourself how many to make 100, which is 4, and then take 4 from

96 to get 92. You can then start saying, “Nine thousand, two

hundred . . .” While you are saying the fi rst part of the answer you

can multiply 4 times 4 in your head, so you can continue without a

pause, “. . . and sixteen.”

You have suddenly become a math genius!

Did you get them all right? If you made a mistake, go back and

fi nd where you went wrong and try again. Because the method is so

diff erent, it is not uncommon to make mistakes at first.