Table of Contents
Our world is very hard to imagine without mathematics. Everything around us is a byproduct of maths, and maths is all about numbers. We come up against some kind of mathematical calculations every day, from buying groceries from a shop to giving an exam. Nowadays, most people have developed this habit of doing even simple calculations through a calculator. The calculator app in mobile phones has made it a reliable option to such an extent that even students are using it. Being able to do fast calculations in our mind or using just pen and paper and not relying on a calculator helps enhance our real-life problem-solving skills. Doing calculations in mind is also a very fun thing to do, and it also develops this instinct of making quick decisions even in a stressful environment. No one has to be born a maths genius or extraordinary to be able to do simple maths calculations quickly manually, and all one needs is to acquire themselves with some of the basic tricks and follow some strategy. So it becomes more vital for us to learn the art of doing quick calculations, which will not only save us a lot of time but will also help in sharpening our minds.
Secrets to improve maths calculation speed:
1. The first and foremost thing is to get rid of the habit of using a calculator now and then for even calculations involving simple addition and subtraction. Try to do it in your mind or pen and paper, even if it takes a bit of time.
2. Start with small numbers, and once you are comfortable with basic calculations, then you can challenge yourself with each passing day by moving to large numbers.
3. Memorise mathematical tables up to 20, squares up to 25, cubes up to 10, Pythagoras triplets so that whenever there is a use of any of these, you would not have to think a lot, and you can directly use them for calculations. You can memorize them by writing them every day on paper.
4. Many Vedic maths tricks that are pretty easy to memorize can help you do many mathematical operations and get to your result very quickly.
5. Practice makes a man perfect. Try to solve a few maths problems daily, and then you can use a calculator to check whether you got it right or not because it is important to get your mind to develop a habit of doing calculations.
6. Whenever you buy multiple items in a store, try to calculate the prices by yourself in your mind. This is one of the best real-life ways to brush up your skills.
7. Focus more on accuracy than speed while doing the calculations in the beginning, and then you will eventually develop the speed because there is no point in speed if you can’t get your calculation right.
8. Learn the divisibility rules different multiplication shortcuts ways that can further save your time doing calculations.
9. There is nothing you cannot find on the internet. There are plenty of resources on the internet from where you can learn the tricks and patterns of maths. Watch the tutorials that make complex solving calculations very easy and master those tricks by practicing lots of questions.
10. Get a notepad and write down all the different formulas and tricks you learn or come across in that notepad and take a look at it every day as it is the best way to memorize.
11. Some complex problems are made to look intimidating, but if we break them down into pieces, they become pretty easy to solve.
12. Play with numbers whenever you are sitting idle try doing random additions, subtractions, or multiplication in your mind. With time you will come up with your techniques to do certain types of calculations.
13. Keep a stopwatch while doing the calculations as it will help you monitor your progress but do not take any unnecessary pressure of a timer while solving.
14. Games are one of the best ways to develop this ability. There are a lot of brain-training games available on the play store based on maths that you will enjoy playing and can make learning both fun and productive.
15. You can challenge yourself by taking addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division skills tests available on different platforms across the internet.
There is no secret to success. Anything you want to master requires hard work and as well as patience. This is not something you can develop in a day. At first, you might not see immediate results, but you will eventually learn the art of doing fast mathematical calculations by being consistent.
Also read: How to Overcome Exam Fear?
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. I commit very silly mistakes in exams while doing calculations. What should I do?
Ans. There is no way you can get rid of silly mistakes; that is why it is called “silly.” All you can do is reduce them by practicing as much as you can by doing simple calculations consistently.
Q. I am not good at remembering formulas, so how can I do fast calculations?
Ans. Just write down formulas and tricks in a notebook and look at them every day. It might take some time, but soon you will begin to realize that your retention power has enhanced.
Q. How do I maintain accuracy while doing fast calculations?
Ans. There is nothing you cannot master if you practice. Speed would mean nothing if you do not get your answer right. Focus on accuracy and keep practicing, and with regular practice, you will develop speed as well.
Q. I find it difficult to solve complex maths problems. How can I overcome this?
Ans. Some questions might look difficult, but if you try to break down your calculations into small parts and then try to solve them, it will start to look solvable to you.
