Table of Contents
Introduction
Welcome
Addition Techniques
Subtraction Techniques
Successive Subtraction
Multiplication Techniques
The 2x2 Cross
99 - A Special Case of the 2X2 - and Extensions
2x2 on a Difference of Two Perfect Squares
2x2 Perfect Square Cross
Computations with Decimals
3x2 Cross Multiplication Technique
Perfect Square Root Method for Integers
Perfect Cube Root Method
Conclusion
Introduction
As you read Wiz Kid, imagine traveling through a mathematical universe of
fantastic proportions. Picture yourself moving through an endless star field
with meteors, shooting stars, and a host of other galactic entities intruding
on your senses. Imagine that while traveling through this cosmic realm,
various mathematical formulas are floating by in space, such as the ones
below:
E = mc²
G = km1m2/r2,
y = ax + b,
f(x,y) = x2 + y2
f'(x) = lim f(x+?x)-f(x) , ?t = n(n+1)
If(x) = F(b) - F(a)
Every now and then a shooting star passes you by and then explodes
around you to reveal the answer to certain problems. In the background, a
musical piece with space-like overtures is playing. Also pretend that a
special animated character named Wiz Kid is reading and teaching you the
material. Wiz Kid has the appearance of being a bright young boy
dressed in a colorful spacesuit. Wiz Kid will be your tour guide as you
navigate through this phantasmagorical journey. Having said this, let us begin this wonderful
journey. May you never be the same again.
Welcome. You are about to enter on an enterprising journey: a journey
which will lead and conduct you through a universe in which numbers and
mathematical computations will be viewed in a new way: a universe which,
once having been visited and passed through, will leave you with a power
of mathematical computation that you may never have before dreamed
could be possible or within your realm of ability: a power which will enable
you to dispatch with quickness and ease mathematical calculations which
previously would have been considered difficult and time consuming even
with pencil and paper: a power which once learned will be capable of being
increased and self-extended through applications of the principles which
underlie and support this power: a power which will open your mind to new
dimensions in thinking and the thought process so that through practice
and cultivation this power will open the door to a secret: a secret which will
teach you to look at and view not only numbers and mathematical
calculations in a new and fascinating way but also to observe other things
in general, whether these be ordinary everyday things in your life or other
school disciplines, with a new and penetrating perspective.
The techniques you are about to learn will amaze—even astound—not
only the so called student who just "can't do math" but also the student
who finds himself at home with mathematical computations. The
methodologies taught here will afford you the ability to dispatch with most
routine mathematical calculations and provide you with a means of
estimating the answers to many more. Indeed such methods as the
Successive Addition Principle, the Cross Multiplication Technique,
and the Perfect Square Root Method will be a welcome addition to even
the most well versed student's warehouse of knowledge. And such
methods will give you new insights into the nature of numbers and
mathematics in general.
Imagine yourself in possession of an extraordinary power of computation.
Imagine yourself being able to add series of numbers effortlessly. Imagine
yourself being able to square numbers such as 91 and 79 with ease;
imagine even being able to square such numbers as 1014. Picture
yourself as a Wiz Kid who can calculate the product of any two 2-digit
numbers, and with a little additional, or should I say multiplicational
practice, the product of any 3-digit number times any 2-digit number. Thus
112 x 53 and 205 x 79 become routine computations.
Imagine yourself, moreover, of being able to handle a multitude of decimal
multiplications in your head that otherwise would seem impossible to do
without pencil and paper or a calculator. Thus examples such as 5.6 x
0.64 and 100.14 x 0.9986 are easily disposed of with the Wiz Kid
techniques you will learn here.
Hey, can you multiply large numbers that yield products in the millions or
even billions range? Sure you can, once you master the techniques
outlined in Wiz Kid. Do you know how to compute 9990 x 246? This is
2,457,540. How about 1,000,014 x 999,986? No problem. This is
999,999,999,804.
Sure. In order to master these techniques, you will have to spend some
time studying the examples and practicing the methods, but will it not be
worth it? Realize that when these techniques are demonstrated to
someone they seem like nothing short of sheer magic. And magic they
are indeed. This magic is available to you. Be patient, exercising a little
determination in incorporating these techniques into your warehouse of
knowledge and you will be convinced of their value. You will be exposed to
secrets here that will allow you to become a computational magician and
moreover, even though you will know the magician's secrets, you will still
be amazed at your new found wizardry.
So watch and listen carefully as we begin our journey into the realm of
numbers, and watch for that special secret that will reveal itself throughout;
for as the ancient Greek mathematician Pythagoras said, "Numbers have
a way of taking a man by the hand and leading him down the path of
reason."
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