Shakuntala Devi

H I N D POCKET BOOKS
The Number One Bestseller
SHAKUNTALA DEVI
THE MATHEMATICAL WIZARD
FiguringMADE EASY
DISCOVER THE SECRET OF

THIS MATHEMATICAL
SUPER STAR
Shakuntala Devi
Figuring Made Easy

FOR TEENAGERS
Hind Pocket Books

F I G U R I N G MADE EASY
Copyright © Shakuntala DeVi,
Hind Pocket Books
Published by HIND POCKET BOOKS (P) LTD.

G . T. Road, Shahdara, Delhi
110032
P r i n t e d in India a t
I. B. C. PRESS
G. T. R o a d , S h a h d a r a , Delhi 1 1 0 0 3 2
*'What's one and one and one and one and one
and one and one and one and one and one?"
"I don't know," said Alice, "I lost count."
"She can't do addition," said the red queen.
Lewis Carroll
CONTENTS
Introduction
1 The Family of Numbers
11
2 Addition
26
3 Subtraction
35
4 Multiplication
39
5 Division
65
6 Some Special Numbers
71
7 Games to Play with Numbers
84
8 Puzzles to Puzzle You
89
INTRODUCTION
Numbers originated hi the practical needs of humans. The

primitive humans bartered articles with one another or divided their prey into
portions. And so as to maintain a rough
justice in their division or exchange, they were forced to develop some elementary
notions of counting.
The human who first realised that the number of fingers
on one hand or on two and the number of toes on the feet
were a convenient tool for help 'in counting must have been
considered a genius in his or her time.
Since then there has been an immense stride in human
thought that has carried us, from counting to the study of
'Number' in itself as an object of interest, and it dawned on
the human mind that numbers had an interest of their own.
There is hardly any activity in life which does not depend
on a certain ability to count. We live in a world that is ruled
by numbers. Early in our childhood, the 'number' thought
begins in us, when we decide that we would rather have two
pieces of chocolate than, one or we would rather have more
than one toy.
We see numbers and hear them every day at home. Our
houses have a number, we all have a birthday that is a number, and those of us who
have telephones know that it has also
a number—Dad has to be at work at nine o'clock, mum sets
her oven temperature at 320°F when she bakes a cake, big
sister has two pigtails, baby brother weighed nine pounds
when he was born, my favourite T V programme is on channel
eight . . . Even family relationships involve a certain amount
of counting . . . 3 sisters, 1 brother, 2 uncles and so on.
10 Figuring Made Easy
Besides the practical use numbers have, there is a range ol
richness to numbers; they come alive, cease to be symbols
written on a blackboard, and lead us into a world of arithmetical adventure, where
calculating numbers, and getting the
right answers, can be exciting and thrilling.
I fell in love with numbers at three. And I found it sheer
ecstasy to do sums and get the right answers. Numbers were
my toys. I played with them. My interest grew with age and
I took delight in working out huge problems mentally—sometimes even faster than
electronic calculating machines and
computers. And I feel, had I been deprived of my interest in
numbers and the ability to calculate, the world would have
been a duller place for me. I see the world of numbers as one
of magic, full of fantasy and enchantment.
In this book I am taking you on an excursion into tiie
exciting world of numbers, so we can share the adventure of
attacking the problems in new ways, discovering different
possibilities, make up new problems and explore the strange
properties of numbers and the mysteries of arithmetical
phenomena.
First of all, let's meet the family of numbers. The family
consists of ten number? and each one of them has a special
character. We shall meet them one by one.
THE FAMILY OF NUMBERS
NUMBER
Number 1, or the unity, is the basis of any system of notation. Upright and
unbending number 1 has some very special
characteristics—the first and most important being that whatever figure you
multiply bv it, or divide by it, it remains unchanged. The first nine places in the
1-times table, therefore,
have no secret steps, or at least they are the same as the
normal ones, but after that, it becomes more interesting.
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
1=
1=
1=
1=
1=
1=
1—
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
1 + 0 = 1
1 + 1=2
1+2 = 3
1 4- 3 = 4
1+ 4 = 5
1+5 = 6
1+6 = 7
and so on. No matter how far you go, you will find that the
Secret Steps always give you the digits from 1 to 9 repeating
themselves in sequence, for example:
Straight Steps
154 X 1 = 154
155 X 1 = 155
Secret Steps
1 + 5 + 4 = 10
1 + 5 + 5 = 11
1 + 0 = 1
1 + 1 = 2
12
Figuring Made Easy

Secret Steps
Straight Steps
156
157
158
159
160
161
X 1=
X 1=
X 1=
x' 1 =
X 1 =
X 1 =
156
157
158
159
160
161
1
1
1
1
-1
1
+
+
+
+
+
+
5 +
5+
5 +
5+
6+
6+
6
7
8
9
0
1
= 12
= 13
=14
= 15
=
=
1+
1+2 =
1+3 =
1+4 =
1+5 =
1+ 6 =
6 + 1 =
3
4
5
6
7
8
In this case, it is fairly obvious why the Secret Steps work,

but nonetheless, it is a curiosity that may not have occurred
to you before.
Here is another curiosity about the number 1 showing its
talent for creating palindromes (numbers that read the same
backwards and forwards)
1 X 1
11 X 11
111 X 111
1111
11111
111111
1111111
11111111
111111111
X
X
X
X
X
X
1111
11111
111111
1111111
11111111
111111111
1
121
12321
1234321
123454321
12345654321
1234567654321
123456787654321
12345678987654321
At that point, it stops but the same thing works briefly with
number 11:
11X11=
121
11 X 11 X 11 — 1331
11 X 11 X 11 X 11 = 14641
The fact that 1 is, so to speak, immune to multiplication
means that whatever power you raise it to, it remains unchanged:
1564786 _. J
By the same token ^ 1 = 1
The Family of Numbers
13
It is the only number all of whose powers are equal to itself.

And any number whatever except zero raised to the zero
power is equal to 1.
T h e powers exceeding 1, of all numbers greater than 1, are
greater than the numbers so raised:
2s = 4
3* = 9
But the powers exceeding 1, of all quantities smaller than 1,
but greater than 0 are smaller than the quantities:
(1/2)2 = 1/4
(1/3)* = 1/9
The product obtained by multiplying together any two
numbers, each greater than 1, gives a quantity larger than
either of the multipliers and if the quantities are less than 1,
but greater than 0, their product will be a smaller quantity
than either of them.
Thus, the number 1 stands as a dividing point and quantities greater than 1 present
characteristics differing from those
of quantities less in value than 1.
NUMBER
Number 2 has one very obvious characteristic—to multiply

any number by 2 is the same as adding any number to itself.
As for the multiplication and its Secret Steps:
2x1
2X2
2X3
2X4
2 x 5
2X6
2X7
2X8
= 2
= 4
= 6
= 8
=10
=12
=14
=16
1
1
1
1
+ 0
+2
+ 4
+6
2
4
6
8
= 1
= 3
= 5
= 7
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
x 9
X 10
X 11
X 12
x 13
X 14
X 15
X 16
X 17
X 18
=18
= 20
= 22
= 24
= 26
= 28
= 30
= 32
= 34
= 36
1
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
8 =
0 =
2 =
4 =
6 =
8 =
0 =
2 =
4 =
6 =
9
2
4
6
8
1 (0)
3
5
7
9
and so on.
T h e Secret Steps go on working ad infinitum, always giving
you the same sequence of the four even digits followed by the
five odd ones.
Here is an amusing party trick that can be played with
number 2.
T h e game is to express all ten digits, in each case using the
number 2 five times and no other numbers. You are allowed
to use the symbols for addition, subtraction, multiplication
and division and the conventional method of writing fractions.
Here we are:
2 + 2 - 2 - 2 / 2
2 + 2 + 2 - 2
2 + 2 - 2 + 2/2
2 x 2 x 2 — 2
2 + 2+ 2-2/2
2 + 2 + 2 + 2
22-^-2 — 2 — 2
2 X 2 X 2 + 2
2 x 2 x 2 + 2/2
2 - 2/2 2/2
=1
- 2 = 2
=3
- 2 = 4
=5
- 2 = 6
=7
- 2 = 8
=9
= 0
15
Finally, here is another oddity associated with 2:

12345678 9
+123456789
+ 9876543 2 1
+ 987 65432 1
+2
222222222
NUMBER
T h e most distinguished characteristic of this number is that

it is the first triangle number—that is, a number the units of
which can be laid out to form a single triangle, like this 0 % .
Triangle numbers .have importance and peculiarities of
their own which we shall encounter later on.
Three is also a prime number. A prime number is one
which is indivisible except by 1 and by itself. 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11
and 13 are prime numbers. T h e next prime numbers are 17,
19 and 23 and so on.
Here are some strange things about the first few prime
numbers 1, 3, 5 :
153 = 1« + 5* + 3*
And 3 and 5 can also be expressed as the difference between
two squares.
3 = 2* — I s
5 = 3* - 2*
Now the Secret Steps in the 3-times table:
Straight Steps
3 x 1 = 3
3 X 2 = 6
Secret Steps
3
6
Secret Steps
9
1+2 = 3
1+5 = 6
1+8 = 9
2 + 1=3
2 + 4 = 6
2 + 7 = 9
3 + 0 = 3
3 + 3 = 6
3 + 6 = 9
Straight Steps
3 X 3 = 9
3 X 4 = 12
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
X 5 =
6 =
X 7 =
X 8 =
X 9 =
X 10 =•
X 11 =
X 12 =
15
18
21
24
27
30
33
36
Very simple really. T h e pattern of the Secret St?ps recurs

whatever stage you carry the table upto—why not check for
yourself 9
NUMBER
With number 4, the Secret Steps in the multiplication

tables become a little more intricate:
Straight Steps
4 X 1 = 4
4 X 2 = 8
4 X 3 = 12
4 X 4 = 16
4 X 5 = 20
4 X 6 = 24
4 X 7 = 28
4 X 8 = 32
4 X 9 = 36
4 X 10 = 40
4 X 11 = 44
4 X 12 = 48
4 X 13 = 52
4 X 14 = 56
4 x 15 = 60
4 X 16 = 64
Secret Steps
4
8
2 + 8 = 10
4 + 8 = 12
5 +
6=11
6 + 4 = 10
1 + 2 =
1+ 6=7
2 + 0 =
2 + 4 = 6
1 + 0 =
3 + 2 = 5
3 + 6 =
4 + 0 = 4
4 + 4 =
1+2 = 3
5 + 2 =
1 + 1=2
6 + 0 =
1 + 0 = 1
3
2
1
9
8
7
6
17
At first, the sums of the digits look like a jumble of

figures, but choose at random any sequence of numbers and
multiply them by 4 and you will see that the pattern emerges
of two interlinked columns of digits in descending order, for
example:
2160 X 4 =
2161 X 4 =
2162 X 4 =
2163 X 4 =
2164 x 4 =
2165 X 4 =
2166 X 4 =
2167 x 4 =
8640
8644
8648
8652
8656
8660
8664
8668
8 +
8 +
8 +
8 +
8 +
8 +
8 +
8 +
2168 x 4 = 8672
6 + 4 +
6-1-4 +
6 + 4 +
6+ 5 +
6 + 5 +
6 + 6 +
6 + 6 +
6 + 6 +
and 2 +
8 + 6 + 7 +
0=
4 =
8 =
2 =
6 =
0 =
4 =
8 =
8 =
2 =
NUMBER
18
22
26
21
25
20
24
28
10
23
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
+8 =
+ 2=
+ 6 =
+ 1 =
+ 5=
+ 0=
+ 4=
9
4
8
3
7
2
6
1 + 0 = 1
2 + 3=
5
The most important thing about number 5 is that it is half

of ten. This fact is a key to many shortcuts in calculation.
The Secret Steps in the 5-times table are very similar to
those in the 4-times table; the sequences simply go upwards
instead of downwards:
5 X 1=
5 X 2 =
5 X 3 =
5 X 4 =
5 X 5 =
5 X 6 =
5 X
7
=
5 X
5
5
5
10 =
X 11 =
5 X 12 =
5' X 13
X
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
5
1 +0 =
1 +5 =
2 + 0 =
2 + 5 =
3 + 0,=
3 + 5 =
4 + 0 =
4 + 5 =
5 + 0 =
5 + 5 = 10
6 + 0 =
6 + 5=11
1
6
2
7
3
8
4
9
5
1+ 0 =
1
6
1+ 1=
2
5
5
5
5
5
5
X
X
X
X
X
X
14
15
\6
17
18
19
=
=
=
=
=
70
75
80
85
90
95
7
7
8
8
9
9
+
+
+
+
+
+
0
5
0
5
0
5
=
= 12
=
= 13
=
= 14
7
3
1 + 2 =
8
1+ 3 =
9
1 + 4 =
and so on.
NUMBER
This is the second triangle number; and the first perfect

number—a perfect number is one which is equal to the sum of
all its divisors. Thus 1 + 2 + 3 = 6.
T h e Secret Steps in the 6-times table are very similar to
those in the 3-times table, only the order is slightly different.
Straight Steps
6
6 X 1=
6 x 2 = 12
6 X 3 = 18
6 X 4 = 24
6 X 5 = 30
6 X 6 = 36
6 X 7 = 42
6 X 8 = 48
6 X 9 = 54
6 X 10 = 60
6 X 11 = 66
6 x 12 = 72
Secret Steps
4 + 8 = 12
6 + 6 = 12
1 + 2
1+8
2 + 4
3 + 0
3 + 6
4 + 2
1+2
5 + 4
6 + 0
1+2
7 + 2
=6
= 3
= 9
= 6
= 3
= 9
= 6
= 3
= 9
= 6
= 3
= 9
and so on.
DUMBER
This is the next prime number after 5.

T h e Secret Steps in the 7-times table almost duplicate
those in the 2-times, except that they go up instead of down at
each step:
Straight Steps
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
1 =
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
19
Secret Steps
7
14
21
28
35
42
49
56
63
70
77
84
91
98
105
112
119
126
133
140
2 + 8 = 10
4 + 9 = 13
5 + 6 = 11
7
8
9
9
+
+
+
+
7 = 14
4 = 12
1 - 10
8 = 17
1 +
1 +
1 +
1 + 9 2 = 11
1 +
1 +
1 +
1 *
2 +
1 +
3 +
4 +
1 +
1 +
6 +
7 +
1 +
1 +
1 +
1 +
0 +
1 +
1 +
2 +
3 +
4 +
7
4 - 5
1 = 3
0 = 1
5 = 8
2 = 6
3 = 4
1 = 2
3 = 9
0 = 7
4 = 5
2 = 3
0 = 1
7 = 8
5 = 6
2 = 4
1 = 2
6 = 9
3 = 7
0 = 5
There is a curious relationship between 7 and the number

142857. Watch
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
x 2
X 22
x2*
X 24
X 2s
X 2«
X2'
X 28
X 2»
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
X
2 = 14
28
X
4 =
56
X
8 =
X 16 =
112
X 32 =
224
448
X 64 =
896
X 128 =
1792
X 256 =
3584
X 512 =
142857142857142(784)
No matter how far you take the calculation, the sequence
142857 will repeat itself though the final digits on the righthand side which I
have bracketed will be 'wrong' because
they would be affected by the next stage in the addition if you
took the calculation further on.
This number 142857 has itself some strange properties;
multiply it by any number between 1 and 6 and see what
happens:
142857
142857
142857
142857
142857
142857
x
x
X
X
x
x
1
2
3
4
5
6
=
=
=
=
=
=
142857
285714
428571
571428
714285
857142
T h e same digits recur in each answer, and if the products

are written each in the form of a circle, you will see that the
order of the digits remains the same. If you then go on to
multiply the same number by 7, the answer is 999999. We will
come back to some further characteristics of this number in a
later chapter.
NUMBER
This time the Secret Steps in the multiplication table are

the reverse of those in the 1-times table:
Straight Steps
8 X 1 =
8
8 X 2 =» 16
8 X 3 = 24
8 X 4 = 32
8 X 5 = 40
8 X 6 = 48
8 X 7 = 56
8 X 8 = 64
8 X 9 = 72
Secret Steps
4 + 8 = 12
5 + 6=11
6 + 4 = 10
8
1+6 = 7
2 + 4 = 6
3 + 2 = 5
4 + 0 = 4
1+2 = 3
1 + 1=2
1 + 0 = 1
7 + 2 = 9
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
80
88
96
104
112
120
128
136
8 + 8 = 16
9 + 6- = 15
1 + 2 + 8 = 11
1 + 3 + 6 = 10
21
8 + 0 = 8
1 + 6 = 7
1+5 = 6
1 + 0 + 4 = 5
1 + 1 + 2 = 4
1 + 2 + 0 = 3
1 + 1=2
1 + 0 = 1
So it continues.
If this is unexpected, then look at some other peculiarities
of the number 8:
888
88
8
8
8
1000
and
88
888
8888
88888
888888
8888888
88888888
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
9
98
987
9876
98765
987654
9876543
X
X
X
X
x
X
x
a n d lastly
123456789 X 8 =-987654312
9 +
9 +
9 +
9 +
9 +
9 +
9
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
NUMBER
With 9 we come to the most intriguing of the digits, indeed

of all numbers. The number 9 exceeds in interesting and
practical properties of all other digits:
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
Straight Steps
x 1 =
9
X 2 = 18
X 3 = 27
x 4 = 36
X 5 = 45
x 6 = 54
X 7 = 63
x 8 = 72
x 9 = 81
x 10 = 90
x 1 1 = 99
X 12 = 108
1 + 8 = 9
2 + 7 = 9
3 + 6 = 9
4 + 5 = 9
5 + 4 = 9
6 + 3=9
7 + 2 = 9
8 + 1=9
9 + 0 = 9
1+ 8 = 9
1 + 0 + 8 = 9
9 + 9 = 18
It is an absolute rule that whatever you multiply by 9, the

sum of the digits in the product will always be 9 provided
this sum consists of one digit only. If the sum of the digits
consists of more than one digit, go on adding the digits of the
sum till you get a one-digit number, as shown in the Secret
Steps above. You will find that this one-digit number will
always be 9. Moreover, not only are there no steps in the
hidden part of the 9-times table but, for its first ten places,
it has another feature:
1
2
3
4
5
X 9 = 09
X 9 = 18
x 9 = 27
x 9 = 36
x 9 = 45
90
81
72
63
54
=
=
=
=
=
9
9
9
9
9
X
X
X
X
X
10
9
8
7
6
The product in the second half of the table is the reverse

of that in the first.
23
Now, take any number, say, 87594. Reverse the order of

the digits, which gives you 49578. Subtract the lesser from
the greater
87594
49578
38016
Now add up the sum of digits in the remainder:

3 + 8 + 0 + 1 + 6 = 18
1+8 = 9
The answer will always be 9.

Again, take any number, say 64783. Calculate the sum of
its digits: 6 + 4 + 7 + 8 + 3 = 28. (You can stop there or
go on as usual to calculate 2 + 8 = 10, and again only if you
wish, 1 + 0 = 1 . )
Now take the sum of the digits away from the original
number, and add up the digits of the remainder. Wherever
you choose to stop, and whatever the number you originally
select, the answer will bp 9 if the sum of the digits of the
remainder is a one-digit number, otherwise this sum will be
a multiple of 9.
64783
-
28
64755
6 + 4 + 7 + 5 + 5 = 27
2 + 7 = 9
6 + 4 + 7 + 7 + 3 = 27
2 + 7 = 9
6 + 4 + 7 + 8 + 2 = 27
2 + 7 = 9
64783
-
10
64773
64783
- 1
64782
Take the nine digits in order and remove the 8:
12345679.
Then multiply by 9:
12345679 x 9 = 111
Now try multiplying by
12345679 X
12345679 X
12345679 X
12345679 x
12345679 X
12345679 X
12345679 x
12345679 x
111
the multiples of
18 = 222 222
27 = 333 333
36 = 444 444
45 = 555 555
54 = 666 666
63 = 777 777
72 = 888 888
81 = = 999 999
111
9:
222
333
444
555
666
777
8§8
999
There is a little mathematical riddle that can be played

using 9. W h a t is the largest number that can be written using
three digits?
99
T h e answer is 9 or 9 raised to the ninth power ol 9. The
ninth power of nine is 387420489. No one knows the precise
number that is represented by 9»8742«48»j b u t it begins
428124773...and ends 89. The complete number will contain
369 million digits, would occupy over five hundred miles of
paper and take years to read.
ZERO
I have a particular affection for zero because it was some
of my countrymen who first gave it the status of a number.
Though the symbol for a void or nothingness is ^h^ught to
have been invented by the Babylonians,^lt was* tEe Hindu
mathematicians who' first conceived of 0 as a number, the next
in the progression 4-3-2-I.TWl Mftycvr^ also mv«*vV<3 z-iz.ro
Now, of course, the zero is a central part of our mathematics, the key to our
decimal system of counting. And it
signifies something very different from simply 'nothing'—just
25
think of the enormous difference between .001, .01, 1, 10, 100

to remind yourself of the importance of the presence and
position of a 0 in a number.
Zero is both negative and positive, at the same time, it is
neither negative nor positive. In other words, it has no sign
connected with it. But it is the dividing point between the
negative and positive numbers.
The operations with zero can be summarized as follows:
(a) Any number plus zero equals the number
(b) Any number minus zero equals the number
(c) Zero minus any number equals the negative of the
number
(d) Any number times zero equals zero
(e) The operation of dividing by zero is not permitted.
About zero Alfred North Whitehead said:
'The point about zero is that we do not need to use it in
t h e operation of daily life. No one goes out to buy zero fish.
It is in a way the most civilized of all cardinals, and its use
is only forced on us by the need of cultivated modes of
thought.
2
ADDITION
Addition is the first rule of arithmetical operations and it

can be thought of as an extension in counting. Almost all calculations involve
addition and yet of all the four basic things
in arithmetic of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, addition is
the most troublesome and is one which is most
subject to error. Mistakes generally occur in addition when
long lists of numbers are being added together, or when numbers are carried from
one column to the next. Carrying errors
very often occur when you are adding in your head, and have
to keep both the digits of the final answer and those you are
carrying to add to the next column in your mind at the same
time. However, by proper methods and by analysis of its
combinations, the process of addition can be facilitated to a
greater extent than would seem possible. There are a number
of different ways of adding up columns of figures and many
individuals have what may be called their own ways of getting
at results.
In the multiplication table, there are 144 different multiplications to be
remembered. But in the addition table, there
are only 45 additions to be memorised and to be known so
perfectly that no time or thought is to be given to them when
asked or required. The table is very simple really. It consists
of addition of the nine digits to each other, taking any two at a
time.
Phe total number of such additions is fortyfive.
Addition
27
Of these additions, twenty give simple numbers such as:

3 + 3 = 6,
5 + 2 = 7
O f these additions, twenty five give double numbers such as:

9 + 3 = 12,
8 + 6 = 14
The largest number given by the addition

9 + 9 = 18.
The figure on the left i.e. the one in the tens
1, is the figure to be carried when we add.
figure to be carried in the addition of two
never more than 1.
Here is the simple table to be memorised:
1 + 1= 2 2 + 2 = 4 3 + 3
1 + 2 = 3 2 + 3 = 5 3 + 4
1 + 3 = 4 2 + 4 = 6 3 + 5
1 + 4 = 5 2 + 5 = 7 3 + 6
1 + 5 = 6
2 + 6 = 8
1 + 6 = 7
2 + 7 = 9
1+7 = 8
1 + 8 = 9
=
=
=
=
6
7
8
9
of two digits is
place, number
Therefore the
single digits is
4 + 4 = 8
4 + 5 = 9
These are the twenty additions which do not give 'one to

carry'. And now comes the table of twentyfive additions
which do invdlve the carrying of 1:
1+9=10
2+8=10
5+5=10
2+9=11
3+7=10
5+7=12
3+8=11
3+9=12
5+9=14
4+6=10
4+7=11
6+7=13
5+6=11
5+8=13
6+6=12
6+8=14
8+9=17
4+8=12
4+9=13
6+9=15
8+8=16
7+9=16
9+9=18
For example, suppose 6, 7, 8 and 9 are to be added together:

6 and 7 are 13.
This gives 1 or 1 'ten' to carry.
28
Figuring Made Easy
T h e n come:
3 and 8 giving 11.
This gives 1 to carry to which is added the 1 'ten' carried
from the first addition, giving 21. And now there are 2 'tens'
t o carry.
Next, 1 is added to 9 giving 10. This gives 1 tp carry, to
which is added 2, carried from the previous addition giving
30, which is the sum of the four numbers.
There was first the 1 to carry, and we saw that it could
never be more than 1. The next number to be carried, due
to the addition this time of three figures, was 2, one more
than the first figure carried, which was 1. Then when the
addition of the four was completed, the figure in the tens
place was one more than the figure carried, it was 3.
This brings us to the following conclusion:
When a column of single digits is added up, the successive
lefthand figures in the tens places can never exceed each
other by more than 1 at a time. However, the successive
figures in the tens places may sometimes be the same, depending on the numbers
added.
Given below are some examples of additions, with the
numbers to be added given in the first column (on the left),
t h e second column (on the right) containing numbers which
a r e successive sums obtained by addition, starting from the
bottommost number:
E.g.
9
8
9
7
8
9 |
a
50
41
33
24
17
E.g.
1
2
2
8
9f
b
22
21
19
17
E.g.
9
8
7
8f
c
32
23
15
E.g.
9
8
7
8
8t
d
40
31
23
16
E.g. a
Shows that it contains figures involving the 'carrying over'
of an additional 1 for each adding. T h e successive sums also
Addition
increase in the tens place by '1' viz. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
never increase more rapidly than this.
29
They can
E.g. b
Shows smaller numbers being added and therefore the tens
place in the successive sums also increases at a slower pace
viz. 1, 1, 2, 2.
E.g. c
As in e.g. a, here too the tens place figures increase with
maximum rapidity, viz. 1 , 2 , 3< I n column d, the same 4
figures are<takon but an 8 is placed below them. O n addition,
we again have the regular maximum succession of tens place
figures but in this case running upto 4 because - of the extra
8 which has been added in.
In adding numbers, it would be of help to add them without naming the numbers a t
each step of addition. For example,
while adding the figures in column a, you should say to yourself in quick
succession 9," 17, 24, 33, 41, 50 instead of 9 and 8
are 17 and 17 and T a r e 24 and so on.
There are different ways of adding numbers. I t can be
done column by column taking one digit at a time. This, of
course, is the conventional way of doing it. While it is the
most obvious and simplest, it is also the slowest. There are
two ways of doing it, from above downwards and from bottom
upwards.
However, to be a hundred per cent sure of the result, it is
well to do it first one way and then the other.
The addition of two columns at once can be done easily by
anyone by using the following method:
The bottom or top number of the two columns is added to
the tens of the number next to it and then the units of the
next number are added, which gives the sum of the two.
Then the tens of the third number are added and then the
units of the third number giving the sum of the tnree. This
is continued to the end of the columns.
30
Figuring Made Easy

This is the way to proceed
31
46
74
83
Add 70 to 83.
This gives 153.
To this add the 4 of the 74 giving 157.

To 157 add 40 giving 197 and to this
add the 6 of the 46 giving 203. T o
203 add 30 giving 233 and to this
234
/
add the 1 of the 31 and the total is 234. T h i s ' m e t h o d of
adding is known as zigzag addition.
A three-column addition can also be 'carried out by an
extension of the same method. Here is an example:
643
124
967
1134 + 600 — 1734

1094 -f- 40
1134
1091
3 = 1094
1734
991 + 100 — 1091

971 + 20 — 991
967 +
4 = 971
T h e addition was started at the bottom of the columns,

and the sum was reached at the top.
This is a method well worth acquiring.
Let us see how an addition of 3 numbers of 4 digits each is
done.
8642
9187
3854
1513
2017
21683
Addition
31
Steps:
1.
The first column from the right is added up 2 + 7

+ 4 = 1 3 with giving 3 under the first column and 1
under the second column, the figures are written
down. If the sum gives a 3-digit figure, the third digit
is written under the third column.
2.
The third column 6 + 1 + 8 is added and the sum

15 is written down alongside the first sum 13, with
5 under the third column and 1 under the fourth
column.
3.
The second column 4 + 8 + 5 is then added and the

sum 17 written down so that 7 comes under the second
column and 1 under the third column.
4.
Finally, the fourth column 8 + 9 + 3 is added and

the sum is written down alongside 17.
A final addition of two rows of figures 1513 and 2017
gives the total 21683, as given in the worked out
example.
However, when the columns are more than twelve figure

high, three figures in a sum can occur. But this can be tackled by setting down the
figures as described, but the only
effect is that one more row is required. Suppose that the first
column of four columns added up to 126, the third 348, the
second 547 and the fourth 231. The sum would be put down
thus:
126
348
547
231
Total: 271396
32
Figuring Made Easy
Another interesting method of adding is shown in the following example:

569847
316283
76941-8
152413
131418
15
13
24
14
13
18
1655548
1655548
Starting at the left, the column is added up giving 15,

which is put down. The next column is added up which gives
13. This is put down with the 1 under the 5 and the 3 next
to the 5 on the same line. This is carried on through the rest
of the columns. Their sums are 24, 14, 13 and 18. All are
put down obliquely on two lines and the final addition gives
the sum of the whole.
Another method that can be used to advantage is to write
down the sum of each column separately, one sum under t h e
other and each successive sum set one space to the left. T h e n
the subsidiary addition gives the total.
This is how it is done:
3348
6897
8436
5912
24593
Addition
Addition
Addition
Addition
of first column
of second column
of third column
of fourth column
23
17
24
22
24593
In the lefthand addition, it is added up in the regular way,

and in the righthand addition the way just described is carried
out.
You can, of course, work from left to right if you wish and
set each column total one place further right rather than one
place further left:
Addition
3348
6897
8436
5912
Addition
Addition
Addition
Addition
of the
of the
of the
of the
fourth column
third column
second column
first column
Total:
33
22
24
17
23
24593
There are even tricks you can play with addition. Ask a
friend to write down any five-figure number—say, he writes
18463. You, apparently at random, choose figures to write
below his. You put down 81536—these are, in fact, digits
each of which, added to each of those they stand below, will
total 9. You now ask your friend to add a further five-figure
number, and you again write below his digits those each of
which would make each of them upto 9. Your friend then
adds a final fifth line of five figures and you instantly draw a
line and add all five numbers together—the total will always
be the last number your friend wrote with two subtracted
from the last digit and two inserted before the first one:
18463
81536
92843
7156
58462
258460
CHECKING BT CASTING
OUT THE
NINES
Additions can be checked by a method which is known as

'Casting out the nines'. Though this method is n o t infallible,
it is a useful thing to know.
First add up the digits of each of the numbers you are
adding and of the answer you have arrived at. Divide each
of these numbers by 9 and set down the remainder. Total
the remainders of the numbers you were adding together, and
34
Figuring Made Easy
again cast out the nines. If the remainder you are left with
is the remainder when the sum of the digits of your answer
was divided by 9, you may assume that your answer was
correct.
Here i s , an interesting rhyme describing how zigzag addition is done for two
column additions from 'Rapid Arithmetic'
of W. Stokes:
By Zigzag Addition, two columns, or three
Can be cast up together, you'll readily see.
For two columns, tens and then units first take,
Then with the next unit a mental sum make.
Then add in its tens; then the units above,
Then its tens will fill in, as a hand fits a glove
All the figures above you can thus take in turn,
And the accurate total you'll quickly discern!
For three columns, two tens and two units combine,

And add in the hundreds upon the first line,
Then the hundreds above, then from line number three
T h e tens and the units must with the rest be.
Then hundreds same line must the whole amount swell
Tens and hundreds above, as perhaps you will tell.
Then the hundreds again, in same style as before,
So with figures which reach to the ceiling from floor!
SUBTRACTION
Subtraction is the opposite of addition. In arithmetic,

subtraction is the taking away of a smaller number from a
larger one, whereas in algebra, the reverse may also be done.
When the smaller quantity is the minuend, the remainder
will be affected by a minus sign. Of all the four elementary
processes of arithmetic, subtraction may be taken as the
simplest and least complicated.
Counting 0 also as a number or digit, there will be 100
subtractions of number from number. Thus from 1 we may
have to subtract any one of the ten digits. The same is to be
said for 2 and as there are ten digits, the total number of
subtractions is 10 X 10 or 100.
In some of the subtractions, it is necessary to 'borrow ten'
and to 'carry one'. There are fortyfive subtractions of single
digit from single digit in which this has to be done. It helps
to know these operations perfectly in order to perform the
subtraction quickly.
In general ordinary subtraction, the smaller number, the
subtrahend, is usually placed below the larger, the minuend,
and the subtraction is done digit by digit.
A simpler way of carrying out a subtraction would be
based on the following considerations. It is easier to subtract
a multiple of ten from another quantity than to subtract any
other double-digit number. It is easier to subtract 20 than
to subtract 17. This is the main consideration. The other
36
Figuring Made Easy
consideration is that if numbers are to be subtracted one from

the other, the result will be unchanged if we add the same
amount to each or if we subtract the same amount from each.
This is particularly a useful trick when subtracting sums of
money in decimal currencies. For example, to subtract 46 from
58 add 4 to both numbers—the problem then becomes the
easy one of
62 - 50 = 12
or to deduct £1.72 from £3.64, add 8 pence to each sum:
£3.72 - £1.80 = £1.92
When you are dealing with three-figure numbers, you will
bring the number being subtracted upto the nearest hundred:
246 — 182 becomes 264 — 200 and the answer, 64, is
obvious.
However, when working by couples, there will be one to
carry. This introduces difficulty at any moment. If there is one
to carry, one is subtracted from the difference of the couple
next on the left.
For example, in subtracting 4968 from 8254, we do it in
couples:
Add 1 to the lefthand couples, and add 7 to the righthand
couples. This gives:
8356
3983
84
40
63
90
4373
43
73
In subtracting 90 from 63 we had to borrow 1, so there is

one to carry, and this is subtracted from the difference of
84 — 40 giving 43 instead of 44.
Subtraction can also be performed by the method of addition. Suppose we have to
subtract 386 from 923, here is an
example of how it can be done:
Subtraaton
923
386
537
+ 386
537
923
37
The above lefthand example shows the regular subtraction and the righthand one the
addition method. To do the
first, write down 386 the subtrahend. Put a line under it and
below this line put down 923, the minuend. Then proceed to
write above the two numbers a number which added to 386
will give 923. This number is 537 and this is the answer.
When the sum of several numbers is to be subtracted from
the sum of several others, the usual way is to add each set
of numbers separately and subtract the sum of one from that
of the other set. However, it can also be done directly.
In the following example, the three numbers below the
upper line are to have their sum subtracted from the sum of
those above the line:
9342
4564
4723
1335
2662
3141
11491
In this case, we proceed as follows:
Add 1, 2 and 5 giving 8. Keep this in mind and add 3,
4 and 2 giving 9. Subtract 8 from 9 giving 1. Put down the 1
under the lower line and add the next column above the
upper line. This gives 12 from which is to be subtracted the
sum of 3, 6 and 4. Then in order to subtract 13 from 12, we
borrow 1 from the next line, deducting 1 from that line, giving
22 - 13 = 9.
The principal point to remember in this process is to keep
correct on the carrying. You must carry to the proper place.
38
Figuring Made Easy
There is a simple way of checking errors in subtraction.

Add your answer to the number being subtracted, the sum
will be the same as the number being subtracted from, if you
have made no mistakes.
4
MULTIPLICATION
Multiplication is only a repeated addition. We are all

supposed to know, by heart, the multiplication tables and
when we are asked to multiply 8 by 7, we at once put
down the product as 56. If you analyse the operation, you
will find that what we have done actually is we have actually
added seven 8's to one another. Putting it down as a formula,
we have
8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 8 x 7 = 56
Addition cu" the seven 8's is the same thing in its result as
multiplying 8 by 7.
And the reverse holds good, the addition of the eight 7's
is the same in result as multiplying 7 by 8.
The most essential thing in multiplication is to know the
multiplication table. As almost universally taught, the table
includes as its upper limit, twelve times twelve. The multiplication table upto
twelve times involves one hundred .fortyfour operations to be memorized. At first
sight, though it may
seem formidable, on analysis, it becomes much simpler.
We may safely omit the one-times table as not to be
learned, because it is known to anyone -who can count upto
twelve.
This leaves us with one hundred and thirtytwo operations.
Of these, eleven are one-times — such as 3 times one is 3,
4 times one is 4. Leaving these out, we are left with one
hundred and twentyone operations. However, many of these
are simple reversals of each other, such as 2 times 4 equals 8
and 4 times 2 equals 8. Counting 2 reversals as one operation,
which is perfectly correct, the operations reduce to sixtyseven
and m a n y products of these operations are repeated, so that
the number of products is only fortynine. They are the
following:
4
21
40
72
120
6
22
42
77
121
8
24
44
80
132
9
25
45
81
144
10
27
48
84
12
28
50
88
14
30
56
90
15
32
60
99
16
33
64
100
18
35
66
108
20
36
70
110
While doing higher multiplications, one can take advantage of the lower known
products by two or by 4. For example,
sixteen times is eight times multiplied by 2. Fourteen times
is seven times multiplied by 2 and so on for other even multipliers.
The squares of higher numbers such as sixteen times
sixteen may be taken as four times sixtyfour — which is the
square of eight.
However, this easy method does not apply to 'prime
numbers' — numbers not divisible by any other number
except 1 and itself — for example, eleven, thirteen, seventeen
and so on.
I t is always easier to multiply by a single number than a
double one. So when you want to multiply a two-digit number
by another two-digit number, here is a simple way. Suppose
39 is to be multiplied by 16:
If twice of 39 is multiplied by half of 16 the answer will
be given.
So
39 X 2 =
16
and
78
2 =
78 X 8 =
624
T h e general principle is to multiply or divide by a number

which will make a single number out of one of the two given
Multiplication
41
numbers. However, the trouble with this method arises when

one of the numbers may be indivisible without a remainder.
When multiplying a two-digit number by another twodigit number, which has the same
figure in the tens, such as
47 and 43, 72 and 79, the operation can be carried out in a
simple way:
Multiply the units together.
Multiply the tens digit of one of the numbers by the sum
of the units of the original numbers and annex a zero.
Multiply the tens figures together and annex two zeros.
Add the products for the final results — the product of the
original numbers.
Example:
Multiply 82 by 87
2 X 7 =
14
This is the first of the three quantities.

Now multiply the tens figure 8 by the sum of the units
figures:
2 +
7=9
T h e product is 8 X 9 = 72
Annex a zero giving 720, the second quantity.
Multiply the tens figures together, giving 64, and annex
two zeros for the third figure 6400.
T h e sum of the three is the product of
•82 X 87
14 + 720 + 6400 = 7134
H e r e is one more example:
59 X 53 =
3127
9 x 3 = 27
5 X 12 = 60
5 X 5 = 25
27
600
2500
3127
42
Figuring Made Easy
A similar method can be used to multiply three-digit

numbers or even higher numbers. Here are two multiplications
of larger numbers:
368 X
8 x
36 x
36 X
364 = 133952
4 =
12 =
36 =
32
432
1296
32
4320
129600
133952
568 x 563 = 319784
8 x
56 x
56 x
3 =
11 =
56 =
24
616
3136
24
6160
313600
319784
One other way can be adopted in multiplying three-digit

numbers. Here is the way:
Supposing you have to multiply 346 by 493. First multiply 346 by 90 and this gives
31140. Now multiply 346 by 40J
as follows:
3 times 346 is 1038. Write dowti only the figures 38 a n d
carry the rest in your mind. Then start with 4 times 346.
Four times 6 is 24, add to this the 10 and you have 34.
Write down 4 and carry 3. Then 4 times 4 is 16 and 16
and 3 are 19. Put down 9 and carry 1. Finally, 4 times
3 is 12 and 12 and 1 to carry are 13. We now have 139438
to which is to be added 31140, giving 170578, the product
asked for.
This method is an excellent practice in mental arithmetic.
There are other different methods, but this method vail b e
the quickest and work best.
Multiplication
43
To multiply by 100 you add two zeros.

To multiply by 1000, you add three zeros
and so on.
This basic technique can be widely extended.
If you are asked to multiply 36 by 5, if you simply followed
the general method, you would write down both numbers,
multiply 6 by 5, put down the zero and carry the 3, multiply
3 by 5 and add the 3 you carried, getting the correct result
180. But a moment's thought will show you that 5 is half of
10, so if you multiply by 10, by the simple expedient of
adding 0 and then divide by 2 you will get the answer much
quicker. Alternatively, you can first halve 36 giving you 18,
and then add the zero to get 180.
Here are some extensions of this method:
To multiply 15, remember that 15 is one and a half times
10. So to multiply 48 by 15, first multiply by 10:
10 X 48 = 480
Then to multiply by 5, simply halve that figure
480
~ 2 —
240
Add the two products together to get the answer:

480 +
240 =
720
To multiply by 7J, 7J is three-quarters of 10.

For example, 64 X 7$:
64 x
10 =
640
The easiest way of finding three-quarters of 640 is to divide

by 4 and multiply by 3, thus:
6 4 0 -7- 4
160
160 X 3
480
It is easy to see that this method can work just as well for
75 or 750, and there is no difficulty i f the multiplicand is a
decimal figure. For example, to take a problem in decimal
currency, suppose you are asked to multiply 187.60 by 75.
Instead of adding a zero, just move the decimal point:
187.60 x 100 = 18760
1 ^ 0 = 4690
4
4690 X 3
=
14070
To multiply by 9, just remember that 9 is one less than 10,

so all that is necessary is to add a zero and then subtract the
original multiplicand. Take 9 X 84
10 X 84 = 840
840 - 84 = 756
This can be extended, if asked to multiply by 18. All that
is necessary is to multiply by 9 and double the product. For
example, 448 X 18
448 x 10 = 4480
4480 - 448 = 4032
4032 X
2 = 8064
Alternatively, you can start from the fact that 18 is 20 less
2, in which case the sequence is:
448 x
2 = 896
896 x 10 = 8960
8960 - 896 = 8064
This method can be used for all numbers which are multi
pies of 9. For example, if asked to multiply 765 by 54, yoi
will realise that 54 is equivalent to 6 X 9, the calculation thei
goes:
765 X
6 = 4590
4590 X
10 = 45900
45900 - 4590 = 41310
Multiplication
45
Multiplying by 11 is easily done if you remember that 11

is 10 + 1. Therefore to multiply any number by I I , all that
is necessary is to add a zero and then add on the original
number. For example, to multiply 5342 by 11:
5342 X
53420 +
10 =
53420
5342 =
58762
In the case of 11, there is an even shorter method that can

be used if the multiplicand is a three-digit number. For
example, if asked to multiply 653 by I I , you proceed as
follows:
First multiply the last two digits, 53 by 11
53 X 11 =
583
To this add the first hundreds digits multiplied by 11.

600 X
II =
6600
6600 +
583 =
7183
This method is also valid even if the multiplicand is more

than a three-digit number.
Another case where this method can be used is with 12 J.
Consider the product 872 X 12$. Here you have a choice, you
can either work on the basis that 12 J is 10 plus a quarter of
10, in which case
872 X
10 =
8720
8720 - r
4 =
2180
8720 +
2180 = 1 0 9 0 0
Or, you can work from the basis that 12J is one-eighth of
100, in which case
8 7 2 X 100 =
87200
8 =
87200
10900
It's best to check if the multiplicand is divisible by 8,

before adopting the second way. In fact, this process of checking pretty well does
the calculation for you. If you have to
46
Figuring Made Easy
multiply 168 by 12$, a moment's thought shows that 8 goes

into 168 exactly 21 times. All you then have to do is add two
zeros to get the correct product 2100.
But if the multiplicand had been, say, 146, then clearly
t h e first method is the one to use.
Here are some other relationships that can be exploited to
use this basic method:
112$ is 100 plus one-eighth of 100.
125 is 100 plus one-quarter of 100; or 125 is one-eighth of
1000.
45
25
35
99
90
is 50 minus 5, 50 is half of 100 and 5 is one-tenth of 50.

is a quarter of 100.
is 25 plus 10.
is 100 minus 1.
is 100 minus one-tenth of 100
and so on. If you experiment, you will find many more of

these useful relationships, all of which can be used to take
advantage of the basic shortcut offered by the fact that to
multiply by 10, all you do is add a zero. After some practice,
you will find that you can spot almost without thinking a case
where this method is going to help.
T h e next method I am going to describe can be used when
the multiplier is a relatively small number, but one for which
our first method is unsuitable because there is no simple
relationship to 10 which can be spotted and exploited.
When, for instance, you multiply by 20 by the simple and
obvious means of multiplying by two and then adding a zero,
what you are doing is taking out the factors of 20, 2 and 10,
and multiplying by them each in turn. This method can be
extended to any number which can be broken down into
factors. For example, if you are asked to multiply a number by
32 you can break 32 into its factors, 8 and 4, and proceed as
follows (here, to start with anyway, I suggest the use of paper
and pencil):
Multiplication
47
To multiply 928 by 32
928
4
3712
X 8
29696
Even if you have to write the calculation out as above it
is a great deal quicker than the conventional method, which
•would not only involve two sequences of multiplication but
also one of addition.
In practice, this method is best used where the multiplier
is relatively small and where its factors, therefore, can easily
and quickly be extracted; if you remember, multiplication
tables upto 12, you will be able to judge at a glance whether
or not this is a suitable method in the case of a two-digit
multiplier.
There is another method that could be used where there
is no easily discernible means of using the other methods I
have explained so far, and where the number of digits involved
makes them impracticable.
I am going to start by explaining the method with relatively small numbers, so that
you can grasp the essentials.
For our first example, let us take 13 X 19. First add the
unit digit of any one number to the number thus:
9 + 13 = 22 (also 3 + 19 = 22)
You then think of that sum as so many tens, in this case
22 tens. Now multiply the units digits together
3
9 = 27
Finally, add the product to the tens figure you already

have:
27 + 220 = 247
48
Figuring Made Easy

Here is another example, 17 X 14:
4,-f 17 = 21 (also 7 4 14)
7 X
4 = 28
28 + 210 = 238
T h e above method is valid only when the two digits in

tens places of the two numbers are equal to 1.
There are particular shortcuts for multiplying together
two-digit numbers with the same tens figure 1.
When the tens figure is common, you add to one number
the units figure of the other, multiply this sum by the common
tens figure and add to this product, considered as tens, theproduct of the two
units digits. For example, 49 X 42:
49 4- 2 = 51 (also 9 4 42)
51 X 4 = 204
Add to this product (2040, when considered as tens) the
product of the units (9 X 2 = 18) to get the final product o f
2058.
Another example, 58 X 53:
58
61
8
3050
4-
3
5
X 3
+ 24
X
=
=
=
=
61 (also 8 4 53)
305
24
3074
If the common tens figure is 9, there is an even simpler

method. Subtract each of the numbers from 100. Multiply the
remainders together—this gives you the last two digits of the
final product. To arrive at the first two digits—take away from
ona of the numbers the figure by which the other was short of
100; for example, 93 X 96:
100 - 93 = 7
100 - 96 = 4
4 X 7 = 28, your last two digits.
93 — 4 or 96 — 7 gives you 89, your first two digits..
Multiplication
49
T h e product is therefore 8928.

If the units figures of two two-figure digits are the same,
you can multiply them by adding the product of the two tens
digits (considered as hundreds) to the sum of the tens digits
multiplied by the common units digit and the square of the
common units digit. For example, consider 96 X 46:
9 X 4 = 36
13 x 6 = 78
6 X 6=36
3600 + 780 + 36 = 4416
9 -f 4 = 13
Or to multiply 62 X 42:
6 X
10 x
2 x
2400 + 200 +
6 + 4 = 10
4 =
2 =
2 =
4 =
24
20
4
2604
If the common final digit is 5, it is even simpler—to the

product of the two tens figures considered as hundreds, add
half the sum of the two tens figures, still considered as
hundreds.
Then add 25 to arrive at the final product.
For example, 45 X 85:
4 X 8 = 32
4 + 8
= 6
2
3200 + 600 = 3800
Add 25 to obtain the final product of 3825.
All the methods I have described so far can be done
mentally when you have a little practice. I will now describe
others which can be used more generally, but which require
pencil and paper. Even with these methods, most of the
calculations can be done mentally; you use the paper to keep
note of your intermediate results. In each case, you do a
sequence of diagonal or vertical multiplications—the pattern
of these is shown in the diagrams to the right of the examples.
50
Figuring Made Easy
For example, to multiply 63 by 48, write down the numbers

thus:
6
3
f
\
>
4
3 X 8 = 24, so put 4 in the units column and carry t h e 2, you

will add this to the sum of fhe products of the 'diagonals' —8
and 6, and 4 and 3. Your mental calculation runs thus:
6 X 8 = 48; 4 X 3 = 12: 48 -{• 12 + 2 = 6 2
You write 2 in the tens column and carry 6—this you add
to the product of the two tens digits—6 and 4.
The mental calculation 6 X 4 = 24, 24 + 6 = 30 gives
the final figures—all you have had to write down is the problem itself and the
answer:
63
48
3024
Set out below are three-digit figures to be multiplied in t h e
same way:
4 3 6
2 5 4
Multiplication
51
Again multiply the units digits and write down the units
figure of the answer 4 and carry the tens digit 2. Now multiply
3 by 4 and add the 2 you are carrying to make 14. Add this to
the product of 5 and 6, i.e. 30, to make a total of 44. You now
have two figures of your final answer and are still carrying
only one figure—4—in your head. The figures you have
written read
436
254
44
Your next mental steps are to add the 4 you are carrying
o the products of 4 and 4, 6 and 2 and 3 and 5, and the calulation will run:
4 X 4 =
16; 16 +
4 =
1 5 ; 15 +
32 =
5 =
20; 6 X 2 =
12;
12 4 - 2 0 -
32;
47.
Set down 7 and carry the 4.

Now multiply the lefthand set of diagonals—4 and 5, and
3 and 2 anjl add the carried 4 : 4 X 5 = 20, 20 + 4 = 24,
3 X 2 = 6, 6 + 24 = 30.
Set down the zero, carry the 3, and add it to the product
of the first hundreds digits, 4 and 2:
4 x 2
8,
8 +
Now write 11 next to the 0.

436
254
110744
3 =
11.
52
Figuring Made Easy
Again, ail you have had to write down is problem and

answer.
If the multiplier has only two figures, you can still use this
method by replacing the missing hundreds figure with a 0.
For example, set out 476 X 26 like this:
476
026
6 x 6 = 36, put down the 6, carry 3, and proceed as
before.
7 X 6 =
42; plus 3 c a r r i e d =
4 5 ; p l u s 2 X 6 ( = 12) =
57.
Put down the 7 and carry the 5.

4 X 6 = 2 4 ; plus t h e 5 c a r r i e d = 2 9 ;
6 X 0 = 0 ; 2 x 7 = 14
29 + 14 = 43. Set down 3 and carry 4.
4 X 2 =
8; 8 +
4 =
12; 7 X 0 =
0 ; 12 +
0 =
12.
So you write and carry 1. The figures you have now written
read:
476
026
2376
4 x 0 = 0, but you are still carrying 1.
So the final answer reads 12376.
We can now extend the method to deal with four-digit
numbers. For instance, to multiply 9246 by 2543, set down the
problem in the same way as before:
9246
2543
First the units : 3 X 6 = 18, write down the 8 and carry
the 1. Next the first pair of diagonals: 4 X 3 = 12; 12 + 1
= 13; 4 X 6 = 24; 24 + 13 = 37.
Multiplication 53
Write down the 7 and carry the 3
9246
2543
78
Now 2 X 3, 4 X 4 and 5 X 6
2 x 3 = 6
5 X 6 = 30
4 X 4 = 16
6 + 3 (carried)
30 + 9
16 + 39
= 9
= 39
=55
Set down 5 and carry 5

•J246
2543
578
Now the four sets of diagonals:

9
2
2
5
X 3 =
X 6 =
x 4 =
X 4 =
27
12
8
20
27 + 5 (carried)
12 + 32
8 + 44
20 + 52
Set down 2 and carry 7

9246
2543
2578
= 32
=44
= 52
= 72
54
Figuring Made Easy

By the same procedures as before:
9 X 4 =
36
4 x 2 = 8
2 X,5 = 10
36 +
7 (carried) =
43 + 8
51+10
43
= 51
=61
gives us another digit of the solution, and 6 to carry

9 X 5 =
45
2 x 2 = 4
45 +
6 (carried) =
51+4
51
= 55
gives another 5, with 5 to carry

9246
2543
512578
and we get the final two digits by multiplying 9 by 2 and

adding the 5 we are carrying:
18 +
5 =
23
9246
2543
23512578
T h e same method of adding the products of groups of

diagonal multiplications can be used for larger numbers, but
a little more paper work will make it simpler. For instance,
to multiply 637432 by 513124, start by setting the number!
out in the usual way:
637432
513124
55
Multiplication
Then proceed as follows:
4 X 2 =
(4 X 3) + (2 X 2) = 12 + 4 =
(4 X 4) + (2 X 1) + (3 X 2) - 16 + 2 + 6 =
(4 X 7) + (2 X 3) + (3xl)+(4 X 2) =
28 + 6 + 3 + 8 =
(4x 3)+(2 X l)+(2 X 7)+(3x3)+(4x 1)=
16
24
45
12+2 + 1 4 + 9 + 4 =
41
( 4 X 6 ) + ( 5 x 2 ) + ( 2 X3)+(1 x 3 ) + ( 7 x l ) + ( 3 X 4 ) =
24+10+6+3+7+12=
62
(2 X 6 ) + (5 X 3 ) + ( l X 4)+(3 x l ) + ( 7 X 3 ) =
12+15+4+3+21=
55
(1 X6) + (5X4)+(1 x7)+(3x3)=6+20+7+9= 42
(3 x6)+(5x7)+(3xl)= 18+35+3=
56
(Ix6)+(5x3)=6+15=
21
(6x5)=
30
327081657568
All the computing goes on in your head, the addition at the
end involves only two digits in each column and the amount
of paper work is limited to the figures on the righthand side
of the page.
CHECKING BY CASTING
OUT THE
NINES
Like in addition, multiplication can also be checked by the

excess of nines method. If the digits of a number are added together and their sum
is divided by 9, the remainder, if there is
any, is called the excess of nines. This is the way it is done:
Add up the digits in each factor (the numbers you are
multiplying together) and in the product.
Divide each of the sums of digits by 9. Set down the remainder in each case—this is
known as the check number.
Multiply the check number of the multiplicand by the
'check number of the multiplier, and add up the digits in
56
Figuring Made Easy

the product. If this gives you the same number as the check
number of the original product, you can assume that the
product was correct.
For example, to check that 8216 X 4215 = 34630440:
8 + 2 + 1 + 6 = ^ = 1 1 , casting out the nines, leaves 8 as the
check number.
4 + 2 + 1 + 5 = 12, casting out the nines, leaves 3 as
the check number.
3 + 4 + 6 + 3 + 0 + 4 + 4 + 0 = 24, casting out the
nines, leaves 6 as the check number.
3 x 8 = 24, 2 + 4 = 6 which was the check number of
the original product. Therefore, the multiplication is
correct.
However, I must mention here that this system of casting

out the nines is not infallible, but if the answer you have obtained checks out as
correct when you have used it, the chances of your being wrong are very slim.
SOME CURIOSITIES
IN
MULTIPLICATION
Some things are curious in the multiplication table, which

can make a fascinating study. Here are some of them.
Write down the products in any multiplication table, such
as three times or four times, and add up the units figures. You
will find that the sum of the figures in question stopping at the
9th place will either be 40 or 45, except in the case of five times.
For even number multiplications such as four times or six times,
the sum of these units will be 40, for the odd times, three times
or seven times, the sum will be 45.
Multiplication
57
Here are some examples:

Four Times
Six Times
Seven Times
3
6
9
12
15
18
21
24
27
4
8
12
16
20
24
28
32
36
6
12
18
24
30
36
42
48
54
7
14
21
28
35
42
49
56
63
45
40
40
45
Three Times
The righthand columns are the only ones that are added.
The lefthand columns are not added up. T h e five times section
is not put down but it gives as the sum of its righthand digits
only 25.
If the digits in the units places of odd numbers of the righthand columns, such as
three times or seven times are added,
their sum will be 25. We shall now do it and see for three
times, seven times and nine times:
Three Times
Seven Times
Nine Times
3
9
15
21
27
7
21
35
49
63
9
27
45
63
81
25
25
25
As before, it is only the righthand numbers which have

been added up, and their sum is the same as the sum of all the
righthand digits of the five times division of the multiplication
table.
Let us now take any of the columns and add, this timehorizontally, the component
digits of the different products.
Taking .the three times column given above, we get:
3, 6, 9, 3, 6, 9, 3, 6, 9
Taking the four times column, we get:
4, 8, 3, 7, 2, 6, 10, 5, 9
T h e six times column gives us:
6, 3, 9, 6, 3, 9, 6, 3, 9,
Regularity in various degrees can be traced out for other
multiplication tables also.
Here is a curious method of writing down the nine times
table.
We write down the 8 digits beginning with 1 and ending
with 8 in a vertical column. Then to the right of this column
we write another column, this time beginning with 9, one
space above the 1 of the other column and with 1. T h e 1
should come by the side of 8 in the other column as shown
below:
9
18
27
36
4554
63
72
81
Don't you now see the full nine times of the multiplication
table from nine times one up to nine times nirie?
Multiplication
A CURIOUS WAY OF
59
MULTIPLYING
Did you know you can carry out a multiplication of any

two numbers together simply by adding, multiplication by 2
and division by 2?
All you have to do is put the numbers down side by side,
divide one of them by 2, put the quotient under the same
number and divide this quotient by 2. Don't worry about
the remainders—leave them. Repeat this until you can go n o
further or until the quotient 1 is obtained. Multiply the other
number by 2, put it alongside the first quotient, multiply
this by 2 and put it alongside the second quotient.
Keep this up until you have a multiple for each of the
quotients. T h e quotients can go only a definite distance a n d
are the limiting element. Of the products thus obtained
strike oujt each one, that is opposite an even number quotient.
The sum of the products remaining will give the product
of the two original numbers.
For example, let us multiply 92 by 63.
It is immaterial which number is successively divided and
which multiplied. We shall do it in both ways here, indicated
as 'a' and 'b':
a
92-> 63
46-> 126
23-> 252
ll->- 504
5-* 1008
2->-2016
l->4032
b
92 <-63
184«-31
368*-15
736-*- 7
1472*- 3
2944*- 1
The quantities opposite the odd number quotients have t o

be added to give the product of the two original numbers.
This done below in each case below its own calculation:
0
Figuring Made Easy

252
1008
4032
92
184
368
736
1472
2944
5796
5796
504
Lattice Method of Multiplication

Here is another curious way of multiplying two numbers.
T h e following is the multiplication of the two numbers 451
and 763 by the Lattice method:
7
2
/
3
/
/
1
/
1
/
/
/
0
/
/
8
I n this multiplication, each cell is the product of the

number at the top of each column and to the right of each
row, and the sums are added along the diagonals to obtain the
final product.
In this case the product is 344113.
Other Curiosities in Multiplication
Write down the nine digits omitting I, beginning from
nine to two and multiply it by 9. This product will be a
succession of nine 8's.
Multiplication
61
98765432 X 9 = 888888888
Now let's see what happens when we write down the nine
digits including the 1 this time and multiply by 9
987654321 X 9 = 8888888889
This gives a product consisting of nine 8's. as before with a
9 at the right end.
Let's now multiply it by 18
987654321 X 18 = 17777777778
We get a product with the lefthand figure 1 and then come
nine 7's and as the righthand figure comes the 8.
If multiplied by 27, the lefthand figure will be a 2, the nine
middle figures will be 6's and the righthand figure a 7.
987654321 X 27
26666666667
I t goes thus through the multiples of 9 used as multipliers,
until we finally get nine times nine or 81 as a multiplier, the
lefthand figure 8, the righthand figure 1 and zeros to the regular number of 9, as
the intermediate digits.
In each product, the left and righthand figures give or
repeat the multiplier, and the intermediate figures run in
regular order from 8's to Zeros. T h e multiplications are
given here:
987654321
987654321
987654321
987654321
987654321
987654321
987654321
987654321
987654321
X 9 =
X 18 =
X 27 =
X 36 =
X 45 =
X 54 =
X 63 =
X 72 =
X 81 =
888888889
1777777778
2666666667
3555555556
4444444445
5333333334
6222222223
7111111112
8000000001
62
Figuring Made Easy l

Another interesting multiplication is that of
15873 X 7 =
15873 X 7:
111111
Now if you multiply this same number by 9, you get the

product 142857. And this number multiplied by 7 gives as
product six 9's:
15873
x 9 =
= 999999
= 999999
1 4 2 8 5 7 : 142857 X 7
15873
63
Here is an odd series of products involving the versatile

number, number 9:
9 x 9 =
81 a n d
81 +
7 =
88
882 a n d
882 +
6 =
888
8883 a n d 8883 +
5 =
8888
98 X 9 =
987 X 9 =
T h e last two in the series are:

9 X 9876543 =
9 x
88888887 a n d 88888887
+1=88888888
98765432 = 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 a n d 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 + 0 = 888888888
When these curious multiplications are carried out by

further multiplications, they give other interesting results.
Here are a few:
153846 X
13 =
1999998
If we add one half of itself to the above number, we obtain

153846 +
76923 =
230769.
This number multiplied by 13 gives:

230769 X
13 =
2999997
Adding it again to the last sum, we obtain:

230769 +
307692 X
76923 =
307692
13 — 3 9 9 9 9 9 6
Multiplication
63
Adding it once again to the last sum, we obtain:

307692 +
76923 =
384615 X
384615
= 4999995
13
This process can be carried down to the eighth product or

successive additions of 76923. Let us place these products in
a column and see what happens:
1 5 3 8 4 6 X 13 =
1999998
2 3 0 7 6 9 X 13 =
2999997
3 0 7 6 9 2 X 13 =
3999996
3 8 4 6 1 5 X 13 =
4999995
4 6 1 5 3 8 X 13 — 5 9 9 9 9 9 4
5 3 8 4 6 1 X 13 =
6999993
6 1 5 3 8 4 X 13 =
7999992
6 9 2 3 0 7 X 13 =
8999991
The lefthand digits run from 1 to 8 and the righthand ones

run from 8 to 1. T h e left and righthand digits together give
the product of 9 multiplied by 2, 3, 4 and so on.
Here is a special pattern formed by the multiplication of
all 3's:
33 X
33 =
333 X
333 =
3333 X
3333 =
33333 X
33333 =
333333 X
333333 =
3333333 X
3333333 =
33333333 X
33333333
1089
110889
11108889
1111088889
111110888889
11111108888889
=111111108888889
333333333 X 333333333 =
111111110888888889
and so on.
Here are some more odd multiplications:
37037037037 X 9 =
13717421 X 9 =
987654321 X 9 =
333333333333
123456789
8888888889
64
T h e pattern formed by the products of the multiplication

of all nines is also interesting:
99 X
99 =
999 X
999 =
9999 X
9999 =
99999 X
99999 =
999999 X
999999 =
9999999 X
99999999 X
9999999 =
898001
99980001
9999800001
999998000001
99999980000001
9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 == 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
999999999 X 999999999 =
and so on.
9801
999999998000000001
DIVISION
Division is the reverse of multiplication—just as subtraction is the reverse of

addition. To multiply 3 by 4 is to add
four threes together, and find the total—12. Dividing 12 by
3 could be said to be subtracting threes until you had nothing
left—and you would, of course, do it four times. But division
seems ;nore intractable to most people, and particularly
difficult fo handle menially. In this chapter. I shall show how
division by p a r t i c u l a r numbers can be handled in particular
ways, and, at the end of the chapter, how you can check to
e whether a i:umber is or is not divisible by any number
?rom ! to H (or, of course, any multiple of such a number).
But first let us consider some special cases.
*!'!•> d
a mmiber by 5, you take advantage of the fact
that. is HaH'of 10, multiply the dividend (the number being
dividtc) ty 2 and divide by 10 by moving the decimal point
one place to the left. For example:
165 divided b,- 5 =
'V;.
330
_ 33
io "-•'.Jc by 15. multiply the d.vidend by 2 and divide by

l - ' . ; r {xaiv.ple:
66
Figuring Mad* Easy
dividend — and are left at the end of the calculation with a

remainder, you must remember that this, too, will be doubled.
Some divisions can be simplified by halving both divisor and
dividend — divisions by 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 and 24 become
divisions by 7, 8, 9, 10, II and 12, respectively — but this time
you must remember to double the remainder. Here are some
examples:
196
392 divided by 14 =
= 28
232
464 divided by 16 = ~
= 29
882 divided by 18 = 441

4960 divided by 20 = ~
49
= 248
473
946 divided by 22 = - j j -
43
1176 divided by 24 = 588 = 49

Dividing by Factors
If a number can be broken down into factors, it may b e
simpler to divide by these, successively, than to do a single
calculation. A mental division by 8, and then by 4, is simpler
than a division by 32. For example, to divide 1088 by 32, first
divide by 8:
^ = 1 3 6
and then divide the answer, 136, by 4 to get the final
result—34.
Numbers easy to handle in this way are the products in the
basic multiplication tables—multiples of 11, for instance, go
particularly smoothly:
To divide 2695 by 55, first divide by 5:
_ 539
Division 67
and then by 11:
535
11
49
to get the answer.

To divide by numbers that are powers of 2 (4, 8, 16, and
so on), you merely have to go on halving the dividend. 16,
for instance, is 2*, so halving the dividend four times is the
same thing as dividing by 16.
To divide 8192 by 16
halve once to get
and again to get
and a third time to get
and, finally, a fourth time to get the answer
4096
2048
1024
512
This technique makes dividing by high powers of 2 easy,

for instance, to divide 32768 by 128 — which is 27:
and
32768 halved
16384 halved
8192 halved
4096 halved
2048 halved
1024 halved
512 halved
«
=
=*
—
=
=
=
16384
8192
4096
2048
1024
5 1 2
256, which is the required answer.
The methods I have described so far work only with some

numbers — thinking about what sort of numbers are
involved in a calculation i$ often the first step to finding a
quick way to do it. The more skilled you get at mental
multiplication and division, the more steps in a normal
division sum you will be able to do ill your head. For instance,
in the sum set out below, only the remainders are noted down
—partial products are arrived at, and the subtractions done
mentally:
68

31 ) 13113 ( 423
71
93
00
Dividing By Fractions Mentally

I t is easier to divide by whole numbers t h a n by fractions
— if both divisor and "dividend are multiplied by the same
factor, the answer to the problem will be the same. (Any
remainder, however, will be a multiple or fraction of the
correct value.) If, for instance, you are dividing by 7$, it
is simpler to multiply both numbers in the calculation by 4 —
dividing four times your original dividend by 30. For
example, to divide 360 by
360 X 4
1\ X
1440
30
=
4 -
1440
30
48
By the same principle when dividing by 12J, multiply the

dividend by 8 and divide by 100, when dividing by 37$,
multiply by 8 and divide by 300, and when dividing by 62$,
multiply by 8 and divide by 500.
To divide by I J, double the dividend and the divisor and
divide by 3 (but remember to halve any remainder).
T o divide a n u m b e r by 2J, double the dividend a n d the
divisor a n d d i v i d e b y 5 — a n d go a b o u t d i v i d i n g b y 3$ i n t h
e
s a m e Way.
Chicking Whether a Number is Exactly Divisible

There are tests that can be made to show whether a number is exactly divisible by
another number (or a multiple of
it). Here are some of them:
If a number is divisible by two, it will end in an even
number or a zero.
Division
69
If a number is divisible by three, the sum of its digits will

be divisible by 3 (for example, 372 = 3 + 7 + 2 = 12). A
corollary of this is that any number made by rearranging
the digits of a number divisible by 3 will also be divisible
by 3.
If a number is divisible by four, the last two digits
are divisible by 4 (or are zeros).
If a number is divisible by five, t h e last digit will be 5 or 0.
If a number is divisible by six, the last digit will be even
and the sum of the digits divisible by 3.
T h e r e is no quick test for finding out if a number is
divisible by seven.
If a number is divisible by eight, the last three digits are
divisible by 8 or are zeros.
If a number is divisible by nine, the sum of its digits is
divisible by 9.
If a number is divisible by ten, it ends with a zero.
If a number is divisible by eleven, the difference between
the sum of the digits in the even places and the sum of the
digits in the odd places is a multiple of 11 or it is 0. For
example, 58432 is shown to be divisible by 11 because:
5 + 4 + 2 = 11
8 + 3 = 11
II — 11 = 0
and 25806 is shown to be divisible by 11 because:
2 +
8 + 6 = 16
5 + 0 = 5
16 — 5 = 11
Checking By Casting out the Nines

Divisions, like additions and multiplications, can be checked by casting out the
nines — although, again, the method is
not infallible.
You obtain check numbers as before, by adding up the
digits in the numbers in the calculation—in this case the
divisor, dividend and quotient — and dividing them by 9.
70
T h e check number is the remainder left after each division.

Multiply the check number of the divisor by the check
number of the quotient. If the check number of this product
is the same as the check number of the dividend, the division
may be assumed to be correct. For example, to check:
2426376...
- 5 3 2 F = 456
2 + 4 + 2 + 6 + 3 + 7 + 6== 3ff, casting out the nines
leaves 3.
5 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 11, casting out the nine?
leaves 2.
4 + 5 + 6 = 1 5 , casting out the nines
leaves 6.
12 (check number divisor X check number quotient).
Casting out the nines leaves 3 — which is the same as the
check number of the dividend.
When there is a remainder, the sum of the digits in the
remainder is added to the product of the check number of the
quotient and the divisor, and the operation is completed in the
usual way. For example, to check:
6 x 2 =
4281
= 346 remainder 39.
1 + 4 + 8 + 1 + 2 + 6 + 5 = 27
casting out
leaves 0
4 + 2 + 8 + 1 = 15, casting out
leaves 6
3 + 4 + 6 — 1 3 , casting out
leaves 4
3 + 9 = 12, casting out
leaves 3
the
nines
the
nines
the
nines
the
nines
6 X 4 = 24, 24 + 3 = 27, adding these digits and casting

out the nines leaves 0, which is the check number of the
dividend.
I
6
SOME SPECIAL NUMBERS
The Resolving Number — 142857

While discussing number 7 in Chapter 1, I described some
oddities of the number 142857. For instance, its habit of repeating itself in the
total when the powers of 2 are multiplied
by 7 and added after being set out in a staggered formation,
for instance. Here are some more. First set out the dieits in
a circle:
Now multiply 142857 by numbers from 1 to 6:

142857
X1
142857
X2
142857
142857
285714
428571
X 3
142857
X4
142857
X5
571428
714285
142857
X 6
857142
You will see that the numbers start revolving — the same
digits in different combinations arrived at by starting from a
different point on the circle. Multiply 142857 by 7 and
things suddenly change
142857
X 7
999999
But there are still oddities in store, for instance, if you
multiply 142857 by a really big number, see what happens:
142857
X 32284662474
4612090027048218
No resemblance to 142857 at first sight perhaps, but divide
the product up into groups of 6, 6 and 4 and see what
happens:
048218
090027
4612
142857
Some Special Numbers
73
T h e revolving number appears again: Sometimes 142857

liides deeper than that. For instance, in this multiplication,
t h e product seems immune from 142857 extraction:
142857
X 45013648
6430514712336
But divide it into 6, 6 and 1 in the same way as you did
last time and you arrive at the following sum:
712336
430514
6
1142856
T r e a t this total in the same way:
142856
1
142857
-And you winkle 142857 out.
You can find out oddities just by looking at the digits
themselves. For instance, if you divide them into two groups,
142 and 857, the second figure of the first group, multiplied
by the third figure of the first group gives the first figure of the
second group:
4 x 2 = 8
The sum of the first two figures of the first group gives the
second figure of the second group:
1+4 = 5
74
And the sum of all the three figures of the first group gives
the third figure of the second group:
1 + 4 + 2 = 7
To show, the »ext property of 142857 you have to draw
xip a table of the products of the number when multiplied by
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Horizontally and vertically, the digits all
add up to 27:
1
2
4
5
7
8
4
8
2
7
1
5
2
5
8
1
4
7
8
7
5
4
2
1
5
1
7
2
8
4
7
4
1
8
5
2
27
27
27
27
27
27
=
=
=
=
27
27
27
27
27
27
And if you can't remember the number, there is always a n

easy way to find it; for 1 /7, expressed as a decimal is:
142857 142857 142857 142857 and so on to infinity.
The Number 1089
This, as I mentioned earlier,, has some peculiar traits. For
example, look at the pattern t hat is formed when it is multiplied by the numbers 1
to 9:
1089 X
1 =
1089
9801 =
1089 X 9
1089 X
2 =
2178
8712 =
1089 X 8
1089 X 3 =
3267
7623 =
1089 X 7
1089 X 4 =
4356
6534 =
1089 X 6
1089 x
5 =
5445
O r try this trick; write 1089 on a piece of paper and put it

in your pocket. Now ask someone to think of a three-digit number, the first and
last digits of which differ by at least 2. Let
us suppose he chose 517. Now ask him to reverse the digits and
subtract the higher number from the lesser (715 — 517 = 198)
75
Finally, ask him to add this number to itself reversed (198+

891 = 1089.) No matter what number he starts with, you will
always have the final answer — 1089 — in your pocket!
Strange Addition
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
6
9
12
15
18
21
24
27
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
28
35
42
49
56
63
45
54
63
72
81
66
77 91
88 104 120
99 117 135 153
In the table above, the horizontal lines are arithmetical

progressions. T h e difference between each number and the
one to its right is twice the figure that stands at the beginning
of the row. (Row 7, for example, can be worked out by
adding 14, first to 7 and then to each successive total.)
But how would you find the sum of all the numbers in any
row? There is no need to add them — it is the same as the
cube of the number which stands at the beginning of the row.
For instance, the total of the numbers in row 6 is 6 X 6 X 6
= 216.
Number 37
Watch the pattern this number forms when multiplied by 3
and its multiples:
37
37
37
37
37
37
37
37
37
X
X
X
X
X
x
X
X
3=111
6 = 222
9 = 333
12 = 444
15 = 555
18 = 666
21 = 777
24 = 888
27 = 999
76
Number 65359477124183
Watch the pattern formed when you multiply this number
by 17 and multiples of 17:
65359477124183
65359477124183
65359477124183
65359477124183
65359477124183
65359477124183
65359477124183
65359477124183
65359477124183
x
x
x
X
X
x
x
x
x
17 =
34 =
51=
68 =
85 =
102 =
119 =
136 =
153 =
1111111111111111
2222222222222222
3333333333333333
4444444444444444
5555555555555555
6666666666666666
7777777777777777
8888888888888888
9999999999999999
Reversals
9
24
47
497
The Number
+
+
+
+
9
3
2
2
= 18
= 27
= 49
= 499
81
72
94
994
=
9 x
= 24 X
= 47 X
= 497 x
9
3
2
2
526315789473684210
This deceptively straightforward number is also circular,

in the sense that when it is multiplied by any number from 2
to 200, the product can always be read off from a circle made
u p of the figures of the multiplicand.
If the multiplier is 18 or less, the break comes after the
digit which is the same as the multiplier or, where the multiplier has two figures,
the same as the last figure of the multiplier. When the cut has been made and the
two parts joined,
a d d a zero to get the final answer.
As all the digits in the number, except 9 and 0, occur
twice, you must know which of the pair to make the break
after. The rule is this: look at the figures, following the two
you are choosing between. If the number you are multiplying
by is between 2 and 9, make the break before the lower figure,
if it lies between 11 and 18 make the break before the higher
one. For example:
77
To multiply 526315789473684210 by 6.
The break mus.t come between 6 and 3 or 6 and 8. T h e
multiplier lies between 2 and 9, so we make the break between
6 and 3.
We write out the answer by taking the figures that follow
6 : 315789473684210, carrying on from the beginning of the
number and joining on 526, and adding 0 to get the answer:
3157894736842105260
Or to multiply 526315789473684210 by 14:
The break can be made between 4 and 7 or 4 and 2. 14 lies
between 11 and 18, so we choose the higher number, and the
answer can be read straight off:
7368421052631578940
To multiply by numbers between 19 and 200 is a little
more complicated. If they are the numbers we have already
dealt with multiplied by 10—that is 20, 30, 40 and so on upto
180—there is no problem, for we can carry out the procedure
set out above and add 0 to the product. Similarly, to multiply
by 200, carry on the operatibn as if multiplying by 2 and add
two zeros to the answer.
19, 38. 57, 76 and 95 give products in which all the digits
are nines except the last two and (in all cases except 19) the
first:
78

526315789473684210
X 19
9999999999999999990
526315789473684210
X 38
19999999999999999980
526315789473684210
X 57
299999999999999999970
526315789473684210
X 76
39999999999999999960
526315789473684210
X 95
49999999999999999950
These five numbers are special cases. T h e rule for numbers

between 21 and 29 is this: add 1 to the second digit of the
multiplier. Multiply the special number by making the break
before the lower of the two possible figures. When you reach
the last digit, reduce it by 1. Insert 1 at the beginning and 0
at the end of the number to arrive at the final product. For
example:
526315789473684210 X 27
Increase the second digit of the multiplier by. 1 : 7 + 1 = 8 .
Now make a cut between 8 and 4 in our special number and
Write down the figures
421052631578947367
79
.Annex a zero to this number and attach the 1 at the beginning to get the product
14210526315789473670
To multiply the special number by numbers between 31
and 37, use the same method as that set out above, but make
the break before the higher of the two possible figures. For
example:
526315789473684210 X 34
Increase the second digit of the multiplier by 1 to make 5.
Make the break between 5 and 7 to get the number
789473684210526315. Reduce the last digit by 1, put a 1 at the
beginning and a 0 at the end to arrive at the final product:
17894736842105263140
For multipliers between 39 and 48, the method is the same
as for numbers between 21 and 29, but instead of 1 at the
beginning of the product, write 2, instead of deducting 1 from
the last figure of the number, deduct 2, and instead of adding
1 to the second digit of the multiplier, add 2. For example:
526315789473684210 X 46
Add 2 to the second figure of the multiplier: 6 + 2 = 8.
Make a cut at the lower succeeding figure. You get:
421052631578947368
Reduce the last figure by two units. You get:
421052631578947366
Annex a zero to this number and attach the number 2 at the
beginning of the number to obtain the product:
24210526315789473660
80
When the product lies between 49 and 56, the method is

the same as that for multipliers between 39 and 48, but the
cut is made before the higher of the two possible figures.
For multipliers between 68 and 75, the method is as that
for 58 to 67, but the break is made at the higher figure.
For multipliers between 77 and 85, insert 4 and not 3, a n d
cut at the lower figure and for multipliers between 86 and 94„
do the same but cut at the higher one. For multipliers from 96
to 104, insert 5 not 4, and cut at the lower figure. For other
numbers, similar methods apply — you can find them by trial
and error, right upto 200. You will find though that 114, 133,
152, 171 and 190 give products made up of a series of nines
with two varying digits and a zero or zeros.
The Magical Number
76923
This is one of the most curious numbers in arithmetic.
Look what happens when you multiply this number by 1, 10,.
9, 12, 3 and 4
76923
76923
76923
76923
76923
76923
X 1 = 076923
X 10 = 769230
X 9 = 692307
X 12 = 923076
X 3 = 230769
X 4 = 307692
You get the same sequence of d i g i t s when r e a d f r o m top

to bottom or from left to right.
That's not all. Multiply the same number by 2, 7, 5, 11,6
and 8 and see what happens!
76923 X
2 =
153846
76923 X
7 =
538461
76923 x
5 =• 3 8 4 6 1 5
76923 X 11 =
846153
76923 x
6 =
461538
76923 X
8 =
615384
81
You get another sequence of digits that reads the same

from top to bottom and from left to right.
It is noteworthy that in each of the above two tables, all
the answers consist of the same digits arranged in different
groupings and the sum of the digits in all the answers is 27.
What a strange peculiarity this number has!
Number 37037
This is another curious number. Look at the following
table:
37037
37037
37037
37037
37037
37037
37037
37037
37037
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
3 =
6 =
9 *=
12 =
15 =
18 =
21 =
24 =
27 =
111111
222222
333333
444444
555555
666666
777777
888888
999999
A Curious Multiplication—Addition
Here is a series of multiplications—additions that bring out
the nine digits in the natural and also in their inverted order:
(I
(12
(123
(1234
(12345
(123456
(1234567
(12345678
(123456789
X 8) + 1 = 9
X 8) + 2 = 98
X 8) + 3 = 987
x
X
x
x
x
X
8)
8)
8)
8)
8)
8)
+
+
+
+
+
+
4
5
6
7
8
9
=
=
=
=
=
=
9876
98765
987654
9876543
98765432
987654321
2

Yet another:
2 =
11
111
(123 X 9) +
1111
(1234 X 9) +
11111
(1 X 9 ) +
(12 X 9) +
(12345 X 9) +
111111
(123456 X 9) +
1111111
(1234567 X 9) +
(12345678 X 9) +
9
111111111
9 =
1111111111
(123456789 X 9 ) +
11111111
The Unique Number

Here is the smallest number, of which the alternate figure?
are zeros, and which is divisible by nine and also by 11.
90
90
90
90
90
90
90
90
90
90
Dividing it by 9, we get:
101010101010101010101
Dividing it by 11 gives:
82644628099173553719
This again is a curious number in that it contains various
sequences of identical numbers in direct and reversed orders
—8264 and 4628, 17355 an4 55371, 1735 and 5371 and perhaps various others.
The Versatile Number g
Here is one more interesting characteristic of number 9.
Multiply 9 by 21. We get the product 189.
Multiply 9 by 321. We get the product 2889. If you carry
on successive multiplications in this order with inverted digits,
one being added to the row each time, the successive multipliers will be 21, 321,
4321, and so on upto the full row of
83
digits inverted, 987654321. Let us now arrange the successive

multiplications in the pyramidal form:
21 X 9 =
321 X 9 =
4321 X 9 =
54321 X 9 =
654321 X 9 =
7654321 X 9 =
87654321 X 9 =
987654321 X 9 =
10987654321 X 9 =
189
2889
38889
488889
5888889
68888889
788888889
8888888889
98888888889
7
GAMES TO PLAY WITH
NUMBERS
To Find tht Age of a Person

(1) Ask your friend to multiply his age by 3 and add six to
the product, then ask him to divide the last number by
three and tell you the result. Subtract two from that
result and give him the number. That will be his age.
(2) You can also tell the age of a person who is under 21, by
the help of the following table:
A
1
3
5
7
9
11
13
15
17
19
2
3
6
7
10
11
14
15
18
19
4
5
6
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
'/
12
13
14
15
20
Ask the person to tell you in which columns his age occurs
and then add together the numbers at the top of those
columns and the sum will be his age.
Games to Play with Numbers
85
For example, if he says that his age is found in columns

C and E, then 4 + 16 = 20 is his age.
(3) A Nice Party Trick
If you wish to impress your friends with a trick of predicting a number, write out
the number 37 on a piece of
paper and keep it in your pocket. Ask one of your friends
to call out any number formed of three identical figures.
Ask him to add up these three figures and divide the
number by the answer. T h e n you take out the piece of
paper from your pocket on which is written number 37!
Watch the reaction on everybody's face! They'll be
amazed.
You see, whatever might be the number of the three
identical figures, the result is always the same
555 divided by 5 + 5 + 5 gives 37.
(4) Another Party Trick
To play this trick, you need at least four other persons
besides you in the party.
Ask your neighbour to write down a three-digit number—
any three-digit number, without reservations. And ask
him to write the same number alongside, which gives a
six-digit number.
Then ask him to pass the slip to his neighbour, whom you
will ask to divide the six-digit number by seven.
Don't worry about the number not dividing exactly by
seven-—it will.
Now ask him to pass the result to his neighbour, whom
you will ask to divide the number by 11.
Again, don't worry about the number not dividing by 11
— it will.
Ask the result to be passed again to his neighbour, whom
you ask to divide by 13.
I t will divide by 13—don't worry.
86

Now ask that person to give you back the slip, the paper
well folded so that you don't see the result, and pass that
slip on, without unfolding it to your neighbour who first
wrote down the number, at the start.
It will be the same he wrote on the slip of paper to begin
with!
Surprised?
Here's the secret.
Let's assume that the first number that was written was
the number 498.
A similar number written alongside it would make it
498498.
In actual fact what has happened to the number is that it
has been multiplied by 1000 and then the original number
has been added to it.
498 x 1000 + 498 = 498498
which is the same as
498 X 10001
which equals 498498

And
1001 = 7 X 11 X 13
Therefore what has actually been done is, the number was
first multiplied by 1001 and then gradually, hand to hand
divided by 1001!
(5) Ask your friend to write a multi-digit number — but with
one condition—the number should not end with a zero.
Ask him to add up the digits and subtract the total from
the original number. Then ask him to cross out anv one
of the digits and tell you the remaining numbers. You
don't need to know the original number nor what he had
done with it.
You can 'pop' tell him the exact number he had crossed
out.
How?
Games to Play with Numbers 87
Here's how you do it.
Very simple! All you have to do is to find the digit which
added to the numbers he gave you will form the nearest
number divisible by 9. And that will be the missing
number.
For example, if he had in mind the number 9241, he adds
up the four digits and subtracts the total from the original
number. He gets 9241 — 16 = 9225. Supposing he crosses
out the 5 and gives you 9, 2 and 2, adding 9, 2 and 2 you
get 13, and the nearest number to 13 which should not be
less than 13 and is divisible by 9 is 18. Therefore, you
give the missing number as 18 — 13 = 5.
(6) Guessing the Birthday
Would you like to surprise your friend by guessing his
birthday? You can tell your friend the month and the
date of his birth very easily.
Here is how to do it.
First of all, ask your friend to keep in mind two numbers,
the number of the month in which he was born and the
number of the date of the month. T h e months, of course,
are numbered from 1 to 12, beginning from January to
December. Then you ask him to multiply the number of
the month by 5, add to this 6 and multiply it by 4 and
again add 9. Once again ask him to multiply the number
by 5 and add to it the number of the date on which he
was born.
When he finishes the calculations, ask him lor the final
result. Then mentally you subtract 165 from the final
result. After the subtraction, the remaining number gives
the answer.
T h e last two digits of the number give you the date of the
month and the first digit or the first two digits give you
the number of the month.
For example, if your friend's final result is 1269, when
you subtract 165, you get 1104. From this number you
know that he was born on November 4th.
I am sure you would like to know the trick behind it.
T h e directions you give to your friend are, a disguised way
88 Figuring Made Easy l
of adding 165 to the number of the month, multiplied by /
100. When the number 165 is taken away from the total,
the number of the day and one hundred times the number
of the month are left.
Ask yoifr friends to prove that 7 is equal to one-half of
12. They will naturally give up. Then write twelve in
Roman numerals, and then draw a horizontal line
through the middle, thus:
VH~
AII
Thus you can see that seven is one-half of twelve, the
upper half being VII.
Ask your friends to add five and six in such a way that
the sum will be nine. They will give up. Then make the
following six strokes 111111. And to them add the following five strokes thus:
I I I I I I
l \ ! l l \ l IE
Ask your friends to put down a three-digit number unknown to you. Tell them to
reverse the digits and to
subtract the smaller number from the greater. Then ask
them to give the first digit of the result, whereupon you
will be able to give the entire answer, by subtracting
the first digit given to you from nine, which will form
the last digit and, of course, the middle digit will always
be nine.
For example, if your friends have in mind the number
843, they will reverse it and get 348. From 843 they will
take out 348, give you 4 as the first, digit of the answer.
Now that you got the first digit, all that you have to do
is subtract 4 from 9 and get 5 as the last digit. And, of
course, the middle digit will always be nine. Therefore
you give the answer as 495.
This applies only when the digits in the units and hundreds places are not equal.
7
PUZZLES TO PUZZLE YOU
Here are a few puzzles to tickle your imagination and to

excite your interest in further arithmetical inquiries. These
puzzles are not riddles made to deceive you or just puzzles
without purpose made only to tease, but they are straightforward exercises in
reason that could give you many hours of
fun and pleasure.
(1) The Gong
Supposing a clock takes 7 seconds to strike 7, how long
will it take for the same clock to strike 10?
(2) A Problem of Candy
If 6 men can pack 6 packets of candy in 6 minutes, how
many men are required to pack 60 packets in 60
minutes?
(3) A Question of Distance
It was a beautiful sunny morning. The air was fresh and
a mild wind was blowing against my windscreen. I was
driving from Bangalore to Brindavan gardens. It took
me 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete the journey.
After lunch, I returned to Bangalore. I drove for 90
minutes. How do you explain it?
90
(4) Can you write 23 with only 2's, 45 only with 4's and
1000 with only 9's?
(5) Do you notice anything interesting in the following
multiplication?
138 X 42 = 5796
You will note that there are nine digits in the multiplication and all the nine
digits are different. Can you
think up other similar numbers?
(6) Three Fat Men
In my neighbourhood lives a very fat man who weighs
200 kilos. He has two very fat sons who weigh 100 kilos
each. On a festival day, they decided to go across the
river on a boat to visit some relations. But the boat
could carry a maximum load of only 200 kilos.
Can you tell how they managed to get across the river
by boat?
(7) A Problem of Gooseberries
When l was a little giri, one day my mother had left
a bowl of gooseberries to be shared between my two
sisters Lalitha, Vasantha and myself. I went home first.
I ate what I thought was my share of gooseberries and
left. Then Lalitha arrived. She thought she was the first
one to arrive and ate the number of gooseberries she
thought was her share and left. Lastly, Vasantha arrived.
She again thought she was the first one to arrive and
she took what she thought was her share and left 8
gooseberries in the bowl.
When we three sisters met in the evening, we realised
what had happened and my mother distributed the
remaining 8 gooseberries in a fair share.
How did my mother do it?
(8) Can you write 1, by using all the ten digits?
Puzzles to Puzzle You
91
Mystery of the Missing Paisa

Two women were selling marbles in the market place
— one at three a paisa and the other at two a paisa. O n e
day they both were obliged to return home when each
had thirty marbles unsold. They put together the two
lots of marbles and handing them over to a friend asked
her to sell them at five for 2 paise. According to their
calculation, after all, 3 for one paisa and two for one
paisa was exactly the same as 5 for 2 paise.
But when the takings were handed over to them, they
were both most surprised, because the entire lot together
had fetched only 24 paise! If, however, they had sold
their marbles separately, they would have fetched 25
paise.
Now where did the one paisa go?
Can you explain the mystery?
The Pen and The Pencil
I bought a pen and a pencil for Rs 1.10 p. If the pen
costs 1 rupee more than the pencil, how much does t h e
pencil cost?
Can you write 1000 by using eight 8's?
There are many possibilities.
Here is an epitaph of the celebrated Greek mathematician of 250 AD, Diophantus. Can
you calculate his age
from this?
Diophantus passed one-sixth of his life in childhood, onetwelfth in youth, and one-
seventh more as a bachelor;
five years after his marriage, a son was born who died
four years before his father at half his final age. How old
is Diophantus?
I have a little friend named Rajiv. He bought a used
cricket ball for 60 paise only. Having bought it, he
somehow did not find it to his liking and so when a
friend of his offered him 70 paise, he sold it to him.
92

However, having sold it, Rajiv felt bad and decided to
buy it back from his friend by offering him 80 paise.
Having bought it, once again Rajiv felt that he did not
really like the ball, and so he sold it again for 90 paise
only.
Did Rajiv make at all any profit in this transaction? If
so, how much?
(14) Can you write 30 using any other 3 identical digits

except 5's?
(15) Take the eight digits 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, Without
the aid of any other digits and using the addition and
subtraction signs only, can you make 100?
(16) At this moment, it is 9 p.m. Can you tell me what time
it will be 23999999992 hours later?
<17) On the Way to Market
One morning, I was on my way to the market and met
a man who had 5 wives. Each of the wives had five bags
containing five dogs and each dog had 5 puppies.
Taking all things into consideration, how many were
going to the market?
(18) The Multiplying Bacteria
Bacteria are known to multiply very rapidly. A certain
container contains just one bacteria on the first day, and
there are twice as many on the next day. In this manner,
the number of bacteria in the container double themselves every day.
Assuming that the container would be full of bacteria
on the 10th day, on which day would the container be
half full?
(19) Gold for All Occasions
Which is worth more, a bucketful of half-sovereign
gold pieces or an identical bucketful of 1-sovereign gold
pieces?
9S
SOLUTIONS
(1) While striking 7, the clock strikes its first gong at 7 o'clock
and it strikes 6 more at regular intervals. Those 6 intervals take seven seconds,
so that the interval between
gongs is 7/6 seconds. However, to strike 10, there are &
intervals, each taking 7/6 seconds for a total of 7/6 X &
or 10$ seconds.
(2) 6 men pack 6 packets in 6 minutes
6 men pack 1 packet in 1 minute
6 men pack 60 packets in 60 minutes.
(3) There is nothing to explain here. The driving time
there and back is absolutely the same because 90 minutes
and 1 hour and 30 minutes are one and the same thing.
This problem is for inattentive readers who may think
that there is some difference between 90 minutes and
1 hour and 30 minutes.
(4) 22 + i, 44 + J, 999 + I
(5) Here is a group of 9 such numbers:
12 X 483 = 5796
18 X 297 = 5346
39 X 186 = 7254
48 x 159 = 7632
27 x 198 = 5346
28 X 157 = 4396
4 x 1738 = 6952
(6) First the two sons rowed across the river and one stayed
behind, while the other returned in the boat to his father.
The son remained behind, while the father crossed the
river. Then the other son brought back the boat and
the two brothers rowed over together.
(7) My mother gave Lalitha 3 and Vasantha 5. I ate my
share of gooseberries which was
Therefore, there
94

were j of the gooseberries left in the bowl. Lalitha took
i of these or $ of J or of them. So when Vasantha
arrived, already
i + I- = 1 of the original gooseberries had been eaten.
Therefore only £ of the original number of gooseberries
remained from which Vasantha proceeded to eat her
share.
Therefore only Vasantha ate J of 4 and there remained
a f*
•
I On I T - IT'
But in the evening we saw that eight gooseberries remained in the bowl.
Therefore 8/27 of the original n u m b e r = 8
So there were 27 gooseberries in the bowl when I first
took my share of 9.
I was the only one to have had my fair share of the
gooseberries.
Lalitha took what she thought was her share from the
remaining 18 gooseberries, namely, 6. And from the
remaining 12, Vasantha had taken 4 gooseberries, thinking that to be her share.
Now after Lalitha got her 3 and Vasantha her 5 gooseberries, we all had eaten our
even share of 9 gooseberries
each.
(8)
148
296
35
70
(9) There isn't really any mystery, because the explanation

is simple. T h e two ways of selling are identical when
the number of marbles sold at three for a paisa and two
for a paisa is in the proportion of two to three.
When the first woman handed over 36 marbles and the
second woman 24, they would have fetched 24 paise,
immaterial whether sold separately or at five for 2 paise.
But if they each held the same number of marbles, there
would be a loss when sold together of 1 paisa in every
60 marbles.
So if they had 60 each, there would be a loss of 2 paise
and if there were 90 each (180 altogether), they would
lose 3 paise and so on.
95
I n case of 60, the missing one paisa arises from the fact
that the 3 a paisa woman gains 2 paise and the 2 a paisa
woman loses 3 paise.
The first woman receives 9$ paise and the second woman
14$, so that each loses $ paisa in the transaction.
{10) If the pen costs Re 1 and the pencil 10 paise, the difference'would be 90
paise and therefore the pen must cost
more and the pencil less. A little thought indicates that
the pen costs Rs 1.05 paise and the pencil 5 paise. So the
difference is Re 1.00.
(11) Here are four of fhem
888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 1000
(8 X. 8 X 8 - 8) - 8 = 1000
8
8888 - 888
8
lQQQ
8 ( 8 x 8 + 8 x 8 ) - 8 - 8 — 8 = 1000
(12) Let us assume a is Diophantus' age.
a
, a
6-+72+T+5+
Diophantus lived to be 84 years old.

(13) Rajiv made altogether 20 paise in the transaction. He
made 10 paise when he sold the ball for the first time
and another 10 paise when he sold it for the second time.
(14) Here are three solutions:
6 x 6 - 6 = 30;
33 +_3 = 30
33 — 3 = 30
(15) 8 6 + 2 + 4 + 5 + 7 - 1 - 3 = 100
(16) 24 billion hours later it would be 9 p.m.
before that it would be 1 p.m.
And 8 hours
96
(17) Just myself. Only I was going to the market and I met
all the others coming from the opposite direction.
(18) T h e container would be half full on the 9th day. Since
tl)e number of bacteria doubles each day, the container
should be half full on the day before it became full.
(19)
The bucketful of half-sovereign gold pieces are worth

more since the denominations of the gold pieces make
no difference. What is most important is, the bucket
containing half-sovereign gold pieces is full of gold,
whereas the other is only half full.
SHAKUNTALA D E V I lives in Bombay in India, but spends much
of her life travelling round the world giving demonstrations
of her talents. Incredibly, in addition to travelling Miss Devi
has found time to write novels, cookery books and an
account of Hindu astrology. The photograph shows her
concentrating on working out the twenty-third root of the
number on the blackboard, which contains 201 digits — it
took her fifty seconds. The problem was set by students at
the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas; but in
order to check her answer they had to consult a Univac 1108
computer at the National Bureau of Standards in Washington
DC. It took the computer a full minute to confirm that she
was right — but it had to be given over 13,000 instructions
before it started on the problem.
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H I N D POCKET BOOKS

The Number One Bestseller

DISCOVER THE SECRET OF

Figuring Made Easy

Hind Pocket Books

Published by HIND POCKET BOOKS (P) LTD.

1 The Family of Numbers

6 Some Special Numbers

7 Games to Play with Numbers

8 Puzzles to Puzzle You

Numbers originated hi the practical needs of humans. The

Figuring Made Easy

In this case, it is fairly obvious why the Secret Steps work,

It is the only number all of whose powers are equal to itself.

Number 2 has one very obvious characteristic—to multiply

Finally, here is another oddity associated with 2:

T h e most distinguished characteristic of this number is that

Very simple really. T h e pattern of the Secret St?ps recurs

With number 4, the Secret Steps in the multiplication

The Family of Numbers

At first, the sums of the digits look like a jumble of

The most important thing about number 5 is that it is half

This is the second triangle number; and the first perfect

This is the next prime number after 5.

There is a curious relationship between 7 and the number

T h e same digits recur in each answer, and if the products

This time the Secret Steps in the multiplication table are

With 9 we come to the most intriguing of the digits, indeed

It is an absolute rule that whatever you multiply by 9, the

The product in the second half of the table is the reverse

Now, take any number, say, 87594. Reverse the order of

Now add up the sum of digits in the remainder:

The answer will always be 9.

There is a little mathematical riddle that can be played

think of the enormous difference between .001, .01, 1, 10, 100

Addition is the first rule of arithmetical operations and it

Of these additions, twenty give simple numbers such as:

O f these additions, twenty five give double numbers such as:

The largest number given by the addition

These are the twenty additions which do not give 'one to

For example, suppose 6, 7, 8 and 9 are to be added together:

Figuring Made Easy

Figuring Made Easy

This gives 153.

To this add the 4 of the 74 giving 157.

1134 + 600 — 1734

991 + 100 — 1091

T h e addition was started at the bottom of the columns,

The first column from the right is added up 2 + 7

The third column 6 + 1 + 8 is added and the sum

The second column 4 + 8 + 5 is then added and the

Finally, the fourth column 8 + 9 + 3 is added and

However, when the columns are more than twelve figure

Figuring Made Easy

Another interesting method of adding is shown in the following example:

Starting at the left, the column is added up giving 15,

In the lefthand addition, it is added up in the regular way,

Additions can be checked by a method which is known as

Figuring Made Easy

For three columns, two tens and two units combine,