Rapid Math Tricks & Tips: 30 Days to Number Power

by Edward H. Julius

Book Overview

Demonstrates a slew of time-saving tips and tricks for performing common math calculations. Contains sample problems for each trick, leading the reader through step-by-step. Features two mid-terms and a final exam to test your progress plus hundreds of exercise problems ranging from simple to more sophisticated. Also includes sections on ''Mathematical Curiosities'' and ''Parlor Tricks'' for math lovers.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471575631
• ISBN13: 9780471575634
• Release Date: July 1992
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.98 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.0" x 9.9"

Customer Reviews

Some neat tricks

I love this book! Well... At least parts of it. But those parts are enough to give it a five star rating. You will learn quite a few tricks that will speed up you head calculations enormously. However, they only applies to certain calculations, so while you sometimes will impress your friends and colleagues, you will still find problems that takes as long as before.

A Entertaining Book for Anyone who Wants to Make Quick Calculations - Without a Calculator !!

In an easy to read and entertaining way the author shows you tricks and shortcuts that will enable you to perform quick arithmetic calculations. Following the book you will learn two tricks or methods, each one illustrated with step-by-step explanations. There are about 2000 exercises that will help you master arithmetic. Through easy and fun techniques you will be able to perform seemingly difficult problems in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, maybe even faster than if you were to enter the number in a calculator. Once you start reading this book, you will be hooked with it, and with your recent ability to make fast simple calculations. But lets keep it real, this is just a collection of tricks and shortcuts for arithmetic operations (+, -, x, /) you won't become an expert mathematician, but you will enjoy math a lot more.

new ways to think about math

I read this book about once a year. It turns arithmatic inside-out, showing quick tricks to do calculations in your head, or ways to transpose number problems to view them in new ways that make them easier to solve. For example, using the power of reciprocals, multiplying by 5 is equivalent to dividing by 2 and moving the decimal point to the right spot through a test of reasonableness. I apply many of the tips in this book regulaly in my job during the day, and the more times I review the book the more they've become intuitive. I highly recommend for anyone interested in math or numbers, or deals regularly with simple math problems.

Title Somewhat Deceptive

I am a long retired teacher and supervisor of mathematics. In addition to having taught math for many years, I have also written and published materials covering the same subject. I am now using this book with an eight year-old math whiz and find it valuable to introduce him to rapid calculation and then an analysis of why it works (largely based on our place-value system of numbers. The various methods are interesting but most of them are not very practical for everyday calculation since most are special cases rather than general applications. For successful use they also require instant recall of the basic number facts and there is no hint as to how this can be accomplished. Barring that prior requirement not many math phobes will become highly skilled arithmeticians in 30 days using this or any other book.

Cool Tricks

This book has some very cool tricks. It really helps out a lot on tests. It is fun to show my dad them (he is really interested in math). In math class we are reading this book and doing the problems. I don't see how Mr. Julius figured out these tricks. You should get this book!