Mental arithmetic
With the development of computer technology, the desire of people to perform operations on numbers in the mind is reduced to a minimum. Nowadays, the mental arithmetic has become almost archaic: we get to know it at elementary school and here we say goodbye, preferring to use not mental abilities, but “brains” of computers.
Sparing neither time, nor energy, nor investment, we are increasingly developing “machines”, forgetting our own superpower potential. At the same time, the ability to perform counting operations in the mind with high speed and accuracy remains a useful skill for the modern person.
Whether you buy groceries in a store, put savings into a bank, or take a loan — it is beneficial for you to do rough calculations in your mind to prevent human error or machine error. When negotiating, the ability to calculate the result a few moves ahead, to make quick calculations in the mind gives a significant advantage over the opponent. As the famous mathematician-inventor Sergey Rachinsky said, “you will not run from the field for a pencil and paper. Problems must be solved mentally."
The ability to live without special devices and at the right time to solve the arithmetic problem quickly is not the only use of this skill. Verbal counting is a must in today’s society. Mental counting techniques develop concentration, volume and switching of attention, strengthen memory. A person who masters the methods of such calculations learns how to work simultaneously with several mental constructions, develops the ability to search for patterns, repetitions, finds non-standard approaches to solving problems and learns to organize himself in various life situations. Moreover, a well-developed counting ability will undoubtedly have a positive effect on your image in both daily and professional life.
The mental account is perfected in only one way – you need to count, count, and once again count. It is nice that the possibilities for this in the modern world are endless. We are surrounded by numbers everywhere, it is important to just pay attention to them. When going shopping, add up the price of the purchases on the way to the till and, paying, check the correctness of the calculations. When you meet any group of numbers (car numbers on cars, ticket numbers for airplanes, trains, steamboats, buses, bank and discount numbers, etc.), do all kinds of arithmetic operations (add / subtract / multiply / divide numbers, included in them).
Spend time with your family and friends: train mental counting skills together using “arithmetic dictations” - name the numbers and operations on them consistently, and compare the results of the calculations as a result. Start with a sequence of 5-7 numbers, gradually increasing their number and dictation speed.
There are available resources for the development of speed and accuracy of oral counting on online simulators. Wikium provides a wide range of training exercises with the ability to change the complexity of tasks. Pay attention to the simulators "Mathematics", "Calculations", "Addition", "Subtraction", "Multiplication", "Division", "Logical comparison".