Mental Addition

H.D. Motiramani

Addition becomes easy when we add any number with ten or multiples of ten. For example 23+10=33, 23+40=63, 23+70=99.Therefore, task of addition becomes easy when we look for numbers that add to ten and then look at the rest of the numbers for addition to this rounded figure of ten.

 

For example: 9+4+2+3+1 in this sum of series of numbers, it will make our task easy if we perceive to add 4+2+3+1 to ten and then add this ten to rest of the number 9 to make the answer equal to 19. Likewise if we see any numbers which add to multiples of ten then those numbers be added first and then the remaining numbers be added.

 

For example: 13+7+ 3+5+2+29+1+8 here 13 and 7 can be added to make it 20, 3+5+2 can be added to make it 10, 29+ 1 can be added to make it 30.So 20+10+30 becomes 60. Now 60+8 addition is easy. Let us try to take few more examples to make the point clear.

3+5+4+3= Add 1st, 3rd, and 4th number to make it 10. Add the remaining number 5 to make sum total equal to 15.

 

Few more examples:

5+3+5+7+2+2+4= 5+5+3+7+2+2+4=10+10+8=28

7+8+3+2+6= 7+3+8+2+6=10+10+6=26

9+8+2+5+2+13+1+2+8 = 9+1+ 8+2+5+2+13+2+8 = 10+7+13+10=10+20+10= 40

 

If the numbers do not have tens or multiple of ten, they can be made so.

 

For example:

59+79 =50+70+9+9  =  120+18 = 138

48+58 = 40+50+8+8  = 90+16 = 96

 

Another method of treating the numbers as ten or multiples of ten is deduction or addition method. For example 78 can be treated as 80 and added to another number but the resultant will have to be lesser by 2 as we had increased it fictitiously by 2.

 

Let us take few examples:

78+57  = 80+57-2 =  137-2  =  135

82 +57 = 80+57+2 = 137+2 = 139

 

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