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Basic Maths, Round Numbers and Suanpan

Paddy

Hello everyone,

It's been a while since I posted on here, but I would like to ask if anyone else shares this interest. For the simple reason that I had so much trouble understanding it in school, I have always had a dislike for maths, but, recently, after reading about the Japanese and Chinese abacus and downloading a virtual one, I have discovered that I absolutely love adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing round numbers. I understand the importance of being able to work with numbers that aren't exactly round, but I have found that I see a real beauty and elegance in working with whole round numbers.

In school I had to do maths problems like adding 986 and 512 and I sometimes spent weeks getting my head around the concepts and methods involved, but I understand working with round numbers so much more easily.

Am I the only one who sees the beauty and simplicity in working with round numbers, or can others relate to this as well?

Just curious, I guess.

Parents

  • I have that intensity, too, to a degree, but, for some reason I find it always wanes and then I go onto my next interest. While that is good in the sense that I learn a lot about a lot of different things, and have good general knowledge, it also means that I never gain a great depth of knowledge in one subject.

    I was absolutely abysmal at maths in school, as I said in an earlier post, and I definitely put this down to being prevented from using mechanical aids to work out problems. There is still an insistence that children are taught to work out simple problems in their heads or on paper. Some people are not capable of doing that, and I was one of them. I believe that if I had been able to use a calculator or abacus to work out the number side of the problem, then I would be able to apply my brain power to working out the solution. Often, I knew how to work out a problem, but I had errors in the basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division aspects.

    Now, as many Japanese children are taught to do, I work out everything on my abacus and can work out mathematical sums faster in many cases than I can on paper, or even with a calculator.

  • in reply to Paddy

    Unfortunately, I experienced exactly the same problems at school. Moreover, I decided to go to university with a mathematical bias for some reason despite this. My parents spent a fortune on tutors that time. I had to do accounting at work recently. Therefore, I find out more information on real number vs integers. Btw, I am very annoyed by people who condemn me for my stupidity. Not everyone can count correctly and know absolutely all the formulas. 

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  • in reply to Paddy

    Unfortunately, I experienced exactly the same problems at school. Moreover, I decided to go to university with a mathematical bias for some reason despite this. My parents spent a fortune on tutors that time. I had to do accounting at work recently. Therefore, I find out more information on real number vs integers. Btw, I am very annoyed by people who condemn me for my stupidity. Not everyone can count correctly and know absolutely all the formulas. 

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