The Wonder of Numbers
Mental calculators combine focus, memory, and speed to perform calculations extraordinarily quickly. In addition to exceptional mental processing speed and a strong memory, most elite calculators possess an understanding of the language of numbers and have developed their own method of activating additional regions of the brain to assist when performing calculations.
For example, the soroban abacus is an ancient technique still practiced in Japan, and some other countries, that trains the brain to engage the spatial region of the brain when performing calculations in a somewhat analogous technique to a memory palace. The success of the soroban abacus teaching method is no surprise — humans’ reliance on the spatial component of our brains stretches back many millennia, while arithmetic is a relatively recent development in the grand scheme of things.
Each elite mental calculator, however, develops their own unique combination of creative genius, speed, memory, and technique. While elite calculation ability requires extraordinary innate talent, the average person is capable of substantial improvement in numeracy through some practice and attention to the language of numbers.
Please note that the information in the drop-down menus below is primarily designed for those seeking to gain a basic understanding of certain calculation techniques. Advanced approaches to calculation are nuanced and varied, and publicly available, free information is sparse. You can contact GMCA at contact@mentalcalculation.org if you are interested in searching for more detailed, advanced information.
The soroban abacus has been used in Japan for centuries and continues to be a popular tool in modern society.
Jacob Trachtenberg developed the Trachtenberg system, one example of a Western attempt to develop a calculation “system.”
Vedic Mathematics is derived from a book written by Bharati Krishna Tirtha.
Professor Arthur Benjamin’s book, Secrets of Mental Math: The Mathemagician’s Guide to Lightning Calculation and Amazing Math Tricks, is the best-selling book on mental calculation and is accessible to a wide range of readers.
“You don’t have to be a mathematician to have a feel for numbers.”
“Let arithmetic then be the first of our subjects of education.”
“If people do not believe that mathematics is simple, it is only because they do not realize how complicated life is.”
“No, it is a very interesting number, it is the smallest number expressible as a sum of two cubes in two different ways.”