The overuse of calculator in the classrooms or in daily life seems to be unavoidable and the extreme dependency on machines sometimes make you wonder if it is good for us or will it take a toll on our brains? With a sense of concern I decided to investigate some more about it. Luckily I came across the book called ‘Vedic Mathematics’ wrote by Jagadguru Swami Sri Bharati Krsna Tirthaji Maharaja. Curiously I started reading through pages, carrying out complicated looking sums mentally using the simple formulae given. Based on my own experience (after taking official lessons on Vedic Mathematics) the thought came to my mind that why these methods are never mentioned in textbooks?

Introduction:

The dependency of calculators has increased so much that it has became a necessity of today’s students’ lives. Once students have learnt the mental arithmetic operations in primary schools; in most cases they quickly switch to using calculators and are not to be blamed when they opt for mechanical choices only. While calculators can give you answers in seconds and with high accuracy for any mathematical operations to graphs, in a world of smart calculators the common question comes to mind that why does one need to learn mental calculations? The use of treadmills for fitness is available now for more than four decades but the jogging tracks are the most common runners’ choice and highly recommended by fitness experts. The reason for that is not the popularity, not convenience but a simple advantage comes with it.

Similarly the comparison is not between calculators or mental calculations but on the emphasis in the use of mental calculations is made due to the advantages of it. Mental arithmetic emphasizes conceptual learning of mathematics. It eliminates the pressure of drill practice and gives understanding of numbers and the logic behind. There are many different methods for computing arithmetic operations mentally using different types of algorithms. Whether you are using the Chinese Abacus methods, the Egyptian hieroglyphic methods, the Russian methods or the Vedic methods, each one has its own uniqueness. Somebody has said that ‘the world is indeed one big global village’ and with that thought the school education must incorporate material from several cultures for effective teaching by bringing variety in learning.

Thus, if the emphasis in mental arithmetic calculations is on the development of individual autonomy, knowledge from multiple sources helps to widen choice and naturally creates a greater autonomy. And whether we apply the Russian, Indian or the Chinese method of the arithmetic operation methods, they may totally vary but results will be always same.
E.g. 25 X 25 = 625 (even if you apply any method of computing)

For many, ‘Vedic mathematics’ is an unknown concept in the world of mathematics. These include many mathematics teachers as a result of it missing from educational textbooks and curriculum. The basic difference in Vedic formulae and other forms of arithmetic calculations is the logical skills which bring ease and confidence with it. Many times the question is asked why we need to learn Vedic mathematics and answer is simple. It is more like choosing between comfort or fashion, the detour or the highway and it is not very far from the daily local issue of CMI or EMI teaching, the matter of preference depends on the individual but the awareness of the logic behind the methods is important as it gives the perspective to apply the right combination of strategies.

Recent syllabus in the international curriculum of mathematics, students’ needs to give one calculator and one non-calculator paper and this new requirement makes students’ pressurized due to the same old reason of they being dependent on calculators and computers. Many of the students’ gets baffled while doing simple arithmetic computations. The existing method of computation requires them to remember standard algorithms to follow the text-book methods or so called standard methods of calculation and they are not shown any other optional methods that are acceptable.

History: Arithmetic Calculations: The history of mathematical development and arithmetic operations are slightly contradictory to each other but according to some historical data,

– At about 3000 B.C., in China, the first abacus was invented and became the first \”adding machine,\” allowing simple arithmetic calculations to be performed without the use of objects or fingers.

– About 1000 years later, the Babylonians used multiplication tables to show that already the branch of mathematics, arithmetic, was being used.

– Addition and subtraction had been used in many different ways for much longer , but multiplication was introduced as well, by combining symbolic representations of numbers called hieroglyphs, in about 1675 B.C.,

– By 1600 years B.C., arithmetic was being used for a number of practical purposes.

– Around 1300- 1000 B.C. in India, the method was found in a number of manuscripts of the Atharva Veda. The Vedic Mathematics was rediscovered from the Vedas at around the 19th Century by Sri Bharati Krsna Tirthaji Maharaja and he reconstructed the mathematics of the Vedas, in doing so creating a wonderful monumental mathematical set of theories. This system is based on the 16 Sutras (formulae) and 13 corollaries. The historical basis of the book is in controversy because part of this Indian manuscript is lost and could not be found in the revised Vedas and some theories are also contradicting the original findings and history of mathematical developments. The book ‘Vedic mathematics’ was published in 1965, five years after Sri Bharati Krsna Tirthaji’ Maharaja’s death. These Vedic formulae are considered fantastic, fascinating and the fastest methods of calculation because the answers for any computation can be obtained quickly without any need to write many intermediate steps.

Author Bio: The Article is written by Gaurav Tekriwal, The President of The Vedic Maths Forum India.He revolutionizes the way student do Mental Math. The Vedic Maths method has been taught to more than 10 million students world wide. His organization can be found at http://www.vedicmathsindia.org

Category: Education
Keywords: calculators,mental maths,vedic maths