how do i improve my mental arithmatic skills?

Question

i am 25 and really need to improve my mental arithmatic for a job i start in dec, any help would be appreciated?

Answer 1

Practice, practice, practice. It's the only way! Line up a few shopping items in your kitchen and add the prices, or multiply the prices by quantity, or subtract the price from a given amount.
Lots of practice!

Answer 2

As other said, practise, practise, practise.

If your math facts are a little shady, there are lots of online math facts practice areas where you can time yourself and work on getting better. The more you practise, the faster you'll be able to do them.

Once those are down pretty well, you can start working in your head. Work with things written on paper but also not looking at paper so that you learn to visualize the problem in your head.

The suggestion made about finding sites on mental math strategies is a great one. There are so many! For example, when I'm using numbers on paper and there are more than 2 addends, I automatically group for 10's. For example:

64
38
22

8+2 is 10 then add the 4 for 14. The 1 is carried (mentally) to the other column and I use that 1, 3 and 6 for 10, then add the 2, to make 12. Answer is 124. Knowing the combinations of 10 is very useful because as you practise with it, it becomes automatic to see where the 10's are and it's easy to add in the other stuff.

Answer 3

Don't laugh. You need worms. Math worms. Works well with any age group, young or old. A math worm is a running math problem that someone tells you. You're going to do the math in your head. Someone makes up a math problem as they go and says, "Rupert, how much is three plus five minus two times two minus two times ten?" Rupert quietly does the math in his head and does not answer until the problem is done. The person asking the math problem does not stop but does each part of the problem in his/her head quickly before moving to the next part, so that he/she knows the answer for sure when the end is reached. There's a pace with doing this way that is oddly conducive to learning. When one "asks" the math problem, and figures at that individual's speed each part of the problem as it progresses, the person hearing the question has barely, but enough time to do the math before the next part. There's a "see-saw" of energy or something that happens between the two participants that is like cooperative volly rather than "Let's try to trip each other up". Trust me. This really works well to snap our math awake in our heads. Make the problem go longer and faster as you get sharper. TELLING a problem to young children is just as beneficial.

Answer 4

i want to improve mine too so what id o is start with small maths in my head, do lots until you never go wrong then make the numbers higher. for instance start with times tables like 8, 16, 24 then say like 8*3= 24 do that it works, trust.

Answer 5

I always add things up when I go shopping in te supermarket to see how close I get to the final bill.
Also , you can do this different ways eg one day use the exact figures , next day by rounding figures up or down to the nearest 5p , then to 10p the next day.

Answer 6

The fun way? Play darts and score manually - it really did it for me.
Most of us don't have a problem with adding up - it is the taking away that does it.
Try it - at least you will have had some fun!

Answer 7

practice makes perfect so check you know your times tables and work your way through a series of mental arithmetic books, available from education sections of book stores.

Answer 8

practice. alot of it.

and search the net for some mental math tips.

Answer 9

practice, practice, practice.

The best way to improve anything is to practice.

Make or buy some flashcards for the basics and get going.

Answer 10

throw out your calculator!

every time you need to do maths, do it in your head! from adding up how much your shopping will come to, to how much you should be getting paid!