I understand not everyone spends that much time with numbers when they are a kid, but having liked maths (I know, I know...), I had to add up numbers enough times to recognise the pattern. So whenever I saw ghefruifghergu8+vzeru4vgbedrzvrehb7, I knew that it will end with 5, and the preceding digit will increase by one (unless it ended with 95, but enough repetitions...).
It doesn't even take intelligence, just enough repetitions ro recognise patterns - like almost everything. The same goes for the multiplying table. 8x7 isn't 56 because of the above (rather smart!) investigation anymore, but simply because 8x7 is 56, because it was also 56 for the previous 573482967589345 times. Powers of 2, up until 20? For the first few hundred times I had to start from scratch, but after ~100 repetitions, I ended up remembering them until 64. 2^7 was easy to calculate then, it's just 64x2=128. And then it grew.
In my case, the mental math trick suggestion (make it 10 + 5) was intended as a way to build a skill using the provided, easy example. That type of mental math can be applied to much larger numbers, particularly when combined with other mental math tricks.
For us older folk, and unfortunately, also for some younger folk that grew up in more "conservative" small towns, borrowing and fancy math trickery was the work of the devil.
We were required to memorize the addition tables as well as the multiplication tables. And even then, addition could be done on your fingers and toes so as long as you could add the big numbers like 8 & 7 together faster than the really slow kid could take off his shoes and work it the hard way, you were considered proficient at addition.
So ya, there's a wide swath of America that just sucks at basic math.
This is why learning binary is so important. In base two, the same equasion is 1000+0111=1111, now you just convert back to decimal with: 8+4+2+1= sweats and starts counting on fingers before reaching for calculator
Right, as we all know, the most sensible way to do nonary algebra is in ternary, so we simply calculate 22+21 and convert back to nonary, and optionally decimal afterwards. So, 2 add 1 is 0, carry the 1, add it to 2 for 10, add the 2, carry the one, pad to 4 places and we have 0120, or 16 in base 9. Now to convert to decimal... removes shoes and socks
Yes, that seems easier to me as well! I was not allowed to do this according to the teacher when I was a child. They wanted me to do it in some weird counterintuitive way. But I was very stubborn and I am still doing calculations in this way. She is not the boss of the way I think!
Okay I know it's 15, simple math, after all 8+8 is 16, you would have to be an idiot not to know that, so it's just 1 less than that, anyways let me pull out my calculator just to check...
I am chronicly paranoid because I have had a low battery on an exam. I just type in simple math because it might be totally borked and you won't catch it on something complex
I can't speak for low battery, but I can for different brands of calcs.
Back in high school majority of students had this specific model, and I had a different one. My entire answer to a question on an exam was correct, but my calculator somehow calculated different decimals to the ones from the popular model. And it was like 4th, 5th decimal or something. The asshole teacher took all of my points away on that. Meanwhile, one of her fave students forgot a very important part of the formula which made the calculation completely wrong and the teacher still gave them half the points for it. God, I hated school, lol.
Same. In contexts where there are a lot of already taxing elements, there is just no mental bandwidth for switching gears and doing the calculations. So calculator it is. I do find it important to hone my skills from time to time, just not to lose them.
When I'm doing woodworking and I need to add up some very simple measurements I always use a calculator. I could very easily do it in my head and often automatically do without even thinking about it. However I've learned the hard way it's very easy to make a simple error with even something as simple as 8+7 and chances are you won't find out till later when two parts don't fit together. That's 20 hours down the toilet, just because I didn't double check using the shop calculator.
I'm alright when it comes to mathematics, but my memory is a swiss cheese. I'll do a calculation, context switch and 3 seconds later it's either gone or I remember incorrectly. Having things written down, on paper or in a calculator, gives peace of mind.
Totally this. Find an online calc that accepts fractions and just get it done right in a few seconds vs trying to convert to 16ths or some crap. Which is why I use all metric unless I’m forced into imperial units.
What does not being able to see inner images have to do with math?
I'm asking because I can't see shit but I have no problems with doing math up to a certain point. Not in any way good at it but it doesn't impair my memory to the point it would be a hindrance either.
Because you can't hold two numbers in your mind simultaneously, or imagine one adding to another and the result of that. It's probably difficult to explain if you are able to visualise things.
I can do maths on paper when I can see it on front of me. But I don't have a mind's eye.
I can't see anything but I can still hold numbers (again, up to a point) in my head without any kind of problem. It's not a memory impairment in any way, at least not for me. Then again there's not that much research into it so I'm genuinely curious about your experience as well.
Yeah I can't hold the numbers in my mind. It's like i can grasp the concept of a number for a split second and then it's gone like smoke. How do you add two numbers together in your mind? Like, what happens?
Okay. That seems like an extremely inconvenient thing to live with. Must be extremely frustrating.
For me it's more like ..I can't see a 7 or an 8 but I don't have a problem with taking 2 from the 7 and "holding" the remaining 5 in my memory while I add up 8 + 2.
On the other hand if someone asks about what an apple is I can tell them they come in red or green varieties but ask me to draw one and it'll be the ugliest apple ever put on paper. Meanwhile I can draw just fine if I have a model in front of me.
The thing I seriously don't understand is why I can see my dreams though. Never made any sense to me whatsoever.
Like semantic satiation, where you say/hear a word so much it stops making sense, is there one for numbers? Permutation satiation? Trying to do basic, easy mathematical tasks and the numbers stop making sense and begin slipping away.
It's a simple equation. But out of habit and not wanting to get it wrong, we type it into a calculator just to be sure, but it makes you look dumb, so you look around to ensure no one thinks you can't do basic math
I have dyscalculia. Don't tell my boss though as I have made mental calculation error several times and he had been angry because it would look bad on reports. Good excuse for me to use the calculator, though, without any judgements.
73 Comments
Stillwater@sh.itjust.works · 43 pts · 339d
For me it's 8+8-1 since the doubles are memorized
MnemonicBump@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 23 pts · 339d
This is the same for me, but I did 7+7+1, basically
Shelena@feddit.nl · 5 pts · 338d
So, for me it is 10-8=2. Then 7-2=5. And then 10+5=15.
stinerman@midwest.social · 32 pts · 338d
In high school calc, I would do all kinds of algebra, integration, etc. and then at the end add 8 and 7 and get 13. All the time.
AI_toothbrush@lemmy.zip · 11 pts · 338d
Its like when you do the whole logic and calculations part and then forget to square root the number at the end.
DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social · 4 pts · 338d
I'd always forgot to change signs after multiplying
klugerama@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 338d
Must have been doing a lot of base-12 math?
Demdaru@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 338d
To this day, put 7 anywhere in my equation and I am gonna return an error. Dunno why. Remove 7, I work, give me 7, I suddenly struggle a lot.
RBWells@lemmy.world · 29 pts · 338d
I am an accountant, literally work all day with numbers. 8+7, fine, that's 16 minus one or 14 plus one.
8x7? Never managed to memorize the times tables so that is, well 4 7s is 14 +14, that's 28, so 8 7s is 28 + 28, which is 40 and 16 so that's 56.
MeThisGuy@feddit.nl · 11 pts · 338d
interesting how mathes works differently for many people. because I do 8+2 to get 10. then 7-2=5, so 10+5 = 15.
ThunderQueen@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 338d
adhocfungus@midwest.social · 4 pts · 338d
Quick mafs
Dicska@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 336d
I understand not everyone spends that much time with numbers when they are a kid, but having liked maths (I know, I know...), I had to add up numbers enough times to recognise the pattern. So whenever I saw ghefruifghergu8+vzeru4vgbedrzvrehb7, I knew that it will end with 5, and the preceding digit will increase by one (unless it ended with 95, but enough repetitions...).
It doesn't even take intelligence, just enough repetitions ro recognise patterns - like almost everything. The same goes for the multiplying table. 8x7 isn't 56 because of the above (rather smart!) investigation anymore, but simply because 8x7 is 56, because it was also 56 for the previous 573482967589345 times. Powers of 2, up until 20? For the first few hundred times I had to start from scratch, but after ~100 repetitions, I ended up remembering them until 64. 2^7 was easy to calculate then, it's just 64x2=128. And then it grew.
skisnow@lemmy.ca · 23 pts · 338d
I don't know what to make of this comments section. This many people really don't have 8+7 down?
I don't even feel superior about it, just bewildered.
snooggums@piefed.world · 11 pts · 338d
Yeah, I thought there was something more to it and am disappointed.
skisnow@lemmy.ca · 6 pts · 338d
Maybe I just have it fresher in my head because I play a lot of Killer Sudoku. 15 pair box? That’s a 7-8 or a 6-9.
adhocfungus@midwest.social · 3 pts · 338d
Same here. I wasn't great before, but I'm actually super fast at anything below 45 now.
BombOmOm@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 338d
In my case, the mental math trick suggestion (make it 10 + 5) was intended as a way to build a skill using the provided, easy example. That type of mental math can be applied to much larger numbers, particularly when combined with other mental math tricks.
Test_Tickles@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 338d
For us older folk, and unfortunately, also for some younger folk that grew up in more "conservative" small towns, borrowing and fancy math trickery was the work of the devil.
We were required to memorize the addition tables as well as the multiplication tables. And even then, addition could be done on your fingers and toes so as long as you could add the big numbers like 8 & 7 together faster than the really slow kid could take off his shoes and work it the hard way, you were considered proficient at addition.
So ya, there's a wide swath of America that just sucks at basic math.
notabot@piefed.social · 21 pts · 339d
This is why learning binary is so important. In base two, the same equasion is 1000+0111=1111, now you just convert back to decimal with: 8+4+2+1= sweats and starts counting on fingers before reaching for calculator
Chingzilla@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 338d
Easy, just convert to hex, 0x0F
nightwatch_admin@feddit.nl · 2 pts · 338d
Neat trick, now do nonary!
notabot@piefed.social · 2 pts · 338d
Right, as we all know, the most sensible way to do nonary algebra is in ternary, so we simply calculate 22+21 and convert back to nonary, and optionally decimal afterwards. So, 2 add 1 is 0, carry the 1, add it to 2 for 10, add the 2, carry the one, pad to 4 places and we have 0120, or 16 in base 9. Now to convert to decimal... removes shoes and socks
BombOmOm@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 339d
Mental math tricks are important.
Take 2 from the 7 and give it to the 8. You now have 10 + 5. Much easier math.
The_Picard_Maneuver@piefed.world · 41 pts · 339d
Hold on, I just need to check something. Looks around nervously
Shelena@feddit.nl · 7 pts · 338d
Yes, that seems easier to me as well! I was not allowed to do this according to the teacher when I was a child. They wanted me to do it in some weird counterintuitive way. But I was very stubborn and I am still doing calculations in this way. She is not the boss of the way I think!
bacon_pdp@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 339d
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 338d
Now do it where you turn all the numbers into ones via math fuckery
LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 338d
8+7
11+1+1+1+1
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 337d
that an 11
bacon_pdp@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 338d
MML@sh.itjust.works · 14 pts · 338d
Okay I know it's 15, simple math, after all 8+8 is 16, you would have to be an idiot not to know that, so it's just 1 less than that, anyways let me pull out my calculator just to check...
someguy3@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 339d
I once typed in 1+1, though it was several term equation and I was mentally reducing each term before punching it in.
gaiussabinus@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 338d
I am chronicly paranoid because I have had a low battery on an exam. I just type in simple math because it might be totally borked and you won't catch it on something complex
NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io · 8 pts · 338d
Wait, it gets things wrong on low battery?
BombOmOm@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 338d
It...shouldn't. The 7-segment displays will have contrast issues, then the whole thing will stop working entirely when the battery gets too low.
AbsolutelyClawless@piefed.social · 4 pts · 338d
I can't speak for low battery, but I can for different brands of calcs.
Back in high school majority of students had this specific model, and I had a different one. My entire answer to a question on an exam was correct, but my calculator somehow calculated different decimals to the ones from the popular model. And it was like 4th, 5th decimal or something. The asshole teacher took all of my points away on that. Meanwhile, one of her fave students forgot a very important part of the formula which made the calculation completely wrong and the teacher still gave them half the points for it. God, I hated school, lol.
Eq0@literature.cafe · 5 pts · 338d
Same. In contexts where there are a lot of already taxing elements, there is just no mental bandwidth for switching gears and doing the calculations. So calculator it is. I do find it important to hone my skills from time to time, just not to lose them.
BroBot9000@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 338d
None of y’all have ever played cribbage I see.
Vordimous@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 338d
Came here to say this. This is easier that 2+2 tbh.
Thorry@feddit.org · 9 pts · 338d
When I'm doing woodworking and I need to add up some very simple measurements I always use a calculator. I could very easily do it in my head and often automatically do without even thinking about it. However I've learned the hard way it's very easy to make a simple error with even something as simple as 8+7 and chances are you won't find out till later when two parts don't fit together. That's 20 hours down the toilet, just because I didn't double check using the shop calculator.
RedGreenBlue@lemmy.zip · 7 pts · 338d
I'm alright when it comes to mathematics, but my memory is a swiss cheese. I'll do a calculation, context switch and 3 seconds later it's either gone or I remember incorrectly. Having things written down, on paper or in a calculator, gives peace of mind.
RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 338d
Totally this. Find an online calc that accepts fractions and just get it done right in a few seconds vs trying to convert to 16ths or some crap. Which is why I use all metric unless I’m forced into imperial units.
swagmoney@lemmy.ca · 7 pts · 338d
oh i know that one from my cribbage days
Angelusz@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 338d
Why? Just take the time to do the work properly. You will get better at it, enjoy life more.
glibg@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 338d
My thought exactly. I resonate with this meme but I also try to challenge myself to do math longhand on paper
Lazylazycat@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 338d
Some of us have aphantasia and can't do maths in our head.
andxz@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 338d
What does not being able to see inner images have to do with math?
I'm asking because I can't see shit but I have no problems with doing math up to a certain point. Not in any way good at it but it doesn't impair my memory to the point it would be a hindrance either.
Lazylazycat@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 337d
Because you can't hold two numbers in your mind simultaneously, or imagine one adding to another and the result of that. It's probably difficult to explain if you are able to visualise things.
I can do maths on paper when I can see it on front of me. But I don't have a mind's eye.
andxz@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 337d
I can't see anything but I can still hold numbers (again, up to a point) in my head without any kind of problem. It's not a memory impairment in any way, at least not for me. Then again there's not that much research into it so I'm genuinely curious about your experience as well.
Lazylazycat@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 337d
Yeah I can't hold the numbers in my mind. It's like i can grasp the concept of a number for a split second and then it's gone like smoke. How do you add two numbers together in your mind? Like, what happens?
andxz@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 337d
Okay. That seems like an extremely inconvenient thing to live with. Must be extremely frustrating.
For me it's more like ..I can't see a 7 or an 8 but I don't have a problem with taking 2 from the 7 and "holding" the remaining 5 in my memory while I add up 8 + 2.
On the other hand if someone asks about what an apple is I can tell them they come in red or green varieties but ask me to draw one and it'll be the ugliest apple ever put on paper. Meanwhile I can draw just fine if I have a model in front of me.
The thing I seriously don't understand is why I can see my dreams though. Never made any sense to me whatsoever.
jerkface@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 337d
The above comment is symptomatic.
pewgar_seemsimandroid@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 6 pts · 338d
15
The_Picard_Maneuver@piefed.world · 2 pts · 338d
MIT is this way.
pewgar_seemsimandroid@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 337d
i prefer Tallinna tehnikaülikool.
Rubisco@slrpnk.net · 5 pts · 338d
WalrusDragonOnABike@reddthat.com · 5 pts · 339d
Why would you just type 15 into your calculator?
RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 338d
Like semantic satiation, where you say/hear a word so much it stops making sense, is there one for numbers? Permutation satiation? Trying to do basic, easy mathematical tasks and the numbers stop making sense and begin slipping away.
ivanafterall@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 338d
Don't you just carry the 1?
ayyy@sh.itjust.works · 11 pts · 338d
No, it’s Carry On My Wayward Son.
bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 338d
I actually never learned this (terrible math skills from never learning basics)
Is that just adding 7+7 and then 1?
ivanafterall@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 338d
I was just being dumb.
But 8-7 DOES leave you with 1. And if you carry that 1...well. You get the picture. The possibilities are endless.
Dojan@pawb.social · 3 pts · 338d
I can barely carry myself, don't expect me to carry numbers.
And009@lemmynsfw.com · 2 pts · 336d
1 calculator app on my phone, always.
WeirdGoesPro@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 338d
15
answersplease77@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 338d
i didnt get the meme. pls someone explain
Exusia@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 338d
It's a simple equation. But out of habit and not wanting to get it wrong, we type it into a calculator just to be sure, but it makes you look dumb, so you look around to ensure no one thinks you can't do basic math
TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 338d
I have dyscalculia. Don't tell my boss though as I have made mental calculation error several times and he had been angry because it would look bad on reports. Good excuse for me to use the calculator, though, without any judgements.
GreenKnight23@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 338d
sounds like the counts real surname. makes sense why he's constantly counting out loud.
bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 338d
I have it too. Never got a solid base in math.
Doing fine though. I can use excel and a calculator and basic programming so it's fine . I just cant do long division on paper
answersplease77@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 338d
lol okay now I get it! who doesnt do that? but not with simple additions. Well, 4 * 8 is 32 ..right?.. right? checks calculator
WagnasT@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 338d
I'm not embarrassed by my browser history but I'd die if someone found my calculator history.
DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social · 2 pts · 338d
This is a solid expansion on the meme tbh
dumbass@aussie.zone · 3 pts · 338d
All it means is I got 141 2/3 chance of winning at Sakerfice.
WhatGodIsMadeOf@feddit.org · 3 pts · 338d
I just say I'm not good at math while i look at someone in the eyes for a little while until they do the math.
Karry_17@lemmynsfw.com · 1 pts · 336d