Secrets of Mental Math

by BENJAMIN, ARTHURSHERMER, MICHAEL

• ISBN13: 9780307338402
• ISBN10: 0307338401
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2006-08-08
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press

Summary

These simple math secrets and tricks will forever change how you look at the world of numbers. Secrets of Mental Mathwill have you thinking like a math genius in no time. Get ready to amaze your friendsand yourselfwith incredible calculations you never thought you could master, as renowned "mathemagician" Arthur Benjamin shares his techniques for lightning-quick calculations and amazing number tricks. This book will teach you to do math in your head faster than you ever thought possible, dramatically improve your memory for numbers, andmaybe for the first timemake mathematics fun. Yes, even you can learn to do seemingly complex equations in your head; all you need to learn are a few tricks. You'll be able to quickly multiply and divide triple digits, compute with fractions, and determine squares, cubes, and roots without blinking an eye. No matter what your age or current math ability,Secrets of Mental Mathwill allow you to perform fantastic feats of the mind effortlessly. This is the math they never taught you in school. Also available as an eBook

Author Biography

Arthur Benjamin is a professor of mathematics at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California. He is also a professional magician and performs his mixture of math and magic all over the world.

Michael Shermer is host of the Caltech public lecture series, a contributing editor to and monthly columnist of Scientific American, the publisher of Skeptic magazine, and the author of several science books. He lives in Altadena, California.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Bill Nye (the Science Guys)	xi
Foreword by James Randi	xvii
Prologue by Michael Shermer	xix
Introduction by Arthur Benjamin	xxiii
Chapter 0 Quick Tricks: Easy (and Impressive) Calculations	1	(10)
Chapter 1 A Little Give and Take: Mental Addition and Subtraction	11	(18)
Chapter 2 Products of a Misspent Youth: Basic Multiplication	29	(24)
Chapter 3 New and Improved Products: Intermediate Multiplication	53	(27)
Chapter 4 Divide and Conquer: Mental Division	80	(28)
Chapter 5 Good Enough: The Art of "Guesstimation"	108	(23)
Chapter 6 Math for the Board: Pencil-and-Paper Math	131	(20)
Chapter 7 A Memorable Chapter: Memorizing Numbers	151	(12)
Chapter 8 The Tough Stuff Made Easy: Advanced Multiplication	163	(36)
Chapter 9 Presto-digit-ation: The Art of Mathematical Magic	199	(23)
Chapter infinity Epilogue by Michael Shermer: How Math Helps Us Think About Weird Things	222	(11)
Answers	233	(38)
Bibliography	271	(2)
Index	273