I once heard of instant human calculators rattling off the product of two three-digit numbers in the blink of an eye.

With my passion for mathematics and things unexplained, I was instantly curious.

How do they do this?

Can I master fast mental arithmetic techniques too?
 

I'm the author of this article and I'm a qualified abacus teacher, answering questions from around the world online abacus and various questions from online-soroban.com students.

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Apart from being absolutely useful in day-to-day life, learning mental calculation will build your confidence in yourself and your skills.

Math-phobia is a thing of the past when you start down the road towards mental proficiency with numbers.

Not to mention the fame and notoriety included when you morph into a human calculator.

Trust me, you will be the star of your entire school.

It feels good being able to blurt out the correct answer before anyone else in your immediate social circle.

Family and friends will treat you like the resident Einstein and the girl next door will soon be knocking at your door.

A real-life superstar.

Anyone can learn quick mental arithmetic techniques- you don’t need to have any aptitude in math or even love it in the first place.

You see, the trick is that we use an Abacus with both our right and left hands.

This helps in coordinating the left and right hemispheres of our brain.

With dedication and frequent practice, we are able to visualize and internalize the image of the abacus which in turn helps to enhance various aspects of the brain.

 

1-1.Understanding More About Fast Mental Arithmetic Techniques

I hopped on YouTube and saw young kids barely in their teens solving advanced math problems without writing anything down.

They would listen to the question, do some funny movement with their fingers, and instantly get correct answers every single time.

After a session with my dear friend Google, I learned that the students would visualize the abacus tool in their mind (using the right brain for imagination) and with this mental image locked in their mind, they proceed to move the beads up and down as needed to solve the math problem (using the left brain for logical calculations).

As the students use their index finger and thumb to move the beads on the abacus, there is a lightning-quick, almost imperceptible exchange of information between the finger movements and the brain.

After a sufficient length of time, a mental picture is introduced - soon they have no need for the physical abacus and start visualizing abacus beads in their mind.

In place of the physical abacus – the students learn how to visualize a mental one.

With time, as the students keep practicing mental tabulation using an abacus, they naturally get quicker and more precise in their calculations.

This helps in whole brain development, mental computing skills as well as concentration, memory, application, reasoning, and logic in children.

Using the abacus, one learns to manipulate beads up and down to perform arithmetic calculations like addition, multiplication, subtraction, and division.

Not many tools can claim to teach math while strengthening your brain at the same time, even in this age of technological marvels.

 

1-2.Where Can Fast Mental Arithmetic Techniques Be Used?

With the help of the abacus, a child can learn to calculate mathematical operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, decimals, square, square root, cube roots, percentage, fractions, digit sum, BODMAS, and negative numbers mentally with accuracy and massive speed.

This is particularly useful at the checkout counter to figure out how much your shopping totals to.

Mental calculation is essential when traveling.

You hand the conductor $50 to pay $3.5 for each of your 4 friends, it is mental arithmetic that lets you know how much change to expect as no one likes to get short-changed.

Even pilots need mental arithmetic to keep the plane steady on course by constantly double-checking their heading and altitude.

No matter your field of expertise, mental calculation is arguably one of the most useful skill-sets to have – right up there with multi-linguistics.

Thanks to the few months you spent learning the abacus as a child in grade school, the payoff, mental math, will have you breezing through life.

 

1-3. Finding Fast Mental Arithmetic Techniques and Classes Online

There are quite a few institutions of learning that offer abacus classes and zeroing in on the one that suits you may take a fair bit of time.

Thanks to huge strides in technological development we are able to do almost everything from the comfort of our home via the internet.

This includes taking the abacus curriculum.

There are a variety of abacus training schools closest to you.

Take your time going through them and zero in on one that you feel will help you achieve your goal.

Choose a program that progresses at a pace you are comfortable with.

Get in touch with the institution via phone or email and ask them for more information.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Find out what resources you will need to begin the program.

There are paid and unpaid abacus programs and I highly advise you to opt for the paid centers.

They have qualified staff, are licensed, and have a standardized curriculum with a certificate granted on completion.

Most schools will have been reviewed and rated by previous clients so take the time to read the reviews, they may elaborate on something you previously missed.

Also, it is important to know that there are different kinds of abacus out there.

Find out what kind of abacus they teach at the center - is it the sun pan Chinese abacus, Western abacus, or Japanese soroban?

I highly recommend reputable abacus programs as they are standardized no matter the location.

Their tutors are well trained and will take you through the coursework at a pace that you are comfortable with.

Take your time and do your due diligence before settling on any one abacus training school.

Do not rush into making this important decision as it will affect not only your near-immediate future but your life 40 years later will recall this moment.

 

Overall  
You have taken the first step towards your goal by being curious enough to sit down and research mental math and its techniques.

That has led you to this paper which you are currently reading.

The benefits described above are REAL.

This technique has changed the lives of REAL people like you and me.

Consider this, you are applying for a sales position in a well known well paying organization.

The job of your dreams. When granted an audience you are asked the usual questions and you answer in the usual manner.

Just before you leave though you work in that you have a unique skill, you perform mental calculation, and this can help you save time calculating sales reports and balancing commissions and payout. Suddenly all eyes are on you.

You said the keyword everyone wants to hear – SAVE TIME.

You see time is money, and if you prove to your potential employer that you can save them time, you become valuable.

Now that was just a hypothetical situation, but it doesn’t have to be.

You can decide to make it your reality.

Take control of your future and sign up for an abacus class near you.

It is the next step on your ladder to success.
 

 

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