What is your definition of a mathematical nightmare? It could be close to the one Class VII students of Cauvery Global School encountered at the NIE session recently -a gargantuan number 13234676543435 divided by another equally daunting figure 8978675654342!
‘How long do you need to solve this problem?”, quizzed resource person Bhooma Venkatesan. While some students hemmed and hawed, others asked for time from ten minutes to half an hour to crack the puzzle. But Ms. Bhooma’s retort “Thirty seconds,” had them befuddled and consequently hooked to the answer, ‘Vedic Maths’.
Vedic mathematics is said to be an ancient system with fast solving methods and calculations that can be done mentally. “Even the most complex problems can be solved in a matter of few seconds,” the resource person assured students. “Vedic maths is a magical tool that does away with paper work, scratch work and finger counting,” she added.
In the first module, students were introduced to a fundamental principle, ‘All from nine, last from ten’. The first sutra is applicable to multiplication and division of numbers that are nearest to the base number which is essentially a multiple of 10. Ms.Bhooma demonstrated the technique by a simple multiplication, 11 x12.
As an initial step, the deviation from base number is obtained by using the ‘nikhilam sutra’, which is the difference between the number and the base. If the number is greater than the base, deviation is positive and if vice-versa, deviation is negative. The next phase involves adding the deviation of the first number with the second number. (1+12) which gives part of the solution. The remaining part is found by multiplying both deviations, (1x2). Combining the two parts of the answer, the solution (132) is derived.
Vedic maths enhances concentration and hones intelligent guessing, making for creative and intelligent practitioners.
