Mental arithmetic: how to learn to count in your head - free course from 4brain, training 30 days, date November 30, 2023.

One should love mathematics because it puts the mind in order,” said Mikhail Lomonosov. The ability to count in your head remains a useful skill for modern man, despite the fact that he owns all kinds of devices that can count for him.

But the ability to do without special devices and quickly solve an arithmetic problem at the right time is not the only use of this skill. In addition to its utilitarian purpose, mental calculation techniques will allow you to learn how to organize yourself in various life situations.

For example, they allow you to competently and quickly plan a family budget, calculate interest on loans and understand the level of overpayment, make better purchases and see savings. In addition, the ability to count in one’s head has a positive effect on the image of intellectual abilities and distinguishes a person favorably from the “humanitarians” around him.

In addition to this, we can confidently say that mental arithmetic serves as an excellent mental training. Agree: if a person sits on the couch for months and leaves the house except to go to the store, after a while he will become fat, gain weight and seriously deteriorate his health. It’s the same with the brain - if you don’t use it, it will stop working properly and simply atrophy.

So, the practice of mental arithmetic is what prevents the brain from “gaining weight and becoming fat.” This is why we believe that this “soft” skill requires development and training, and this is why we created our course.

However, to more specifically highlight the importance of mental arithmetic and the ability to master this skill, we would like to introduce you to our course in more detail.

Goals and objectives of the course

The goal of the course is not just to introduce you to the concept of mental counting, teach you interesting techniques and techniques, and teach you how to count in your head. In fact, much greater goals are being pursued. We list just a few of the most significant:

• Training attention and concentration. Mental arithmetic requires the activation of many intellectual abilities, including the ability to focus on solving complex problems that require time. The more you practice, the more flexible and pliable your thinking will be and the better you will focus, and on absolutely any task.
  Logical thinking training. Mental calculation, logic and sequence of thoughts are very closely related to each other. It is thanks to the latter that you can easily and very quickly determine what will be cheaper: 10 packages of chia seeds weighing 150 grams for 280 rubles or 7 packages weighing 180 grams for 315 rubles Sometimes you don’t even need to count so much as reason logically.
• Analytical thinking training. When counting, for example, on a calculator, we, strictly speaking, perform only one simple action - we press the keys of the counting device or the sensor of the smartphone. If we count in our heads, we perform calculations, analyze the data obtained, continue counting further if necessary, and then draw final conclusions.
• Fighting gadget addiction.
• Prevention of brain diseases. It's not obvious, isn't it? Meanwhile, scientists have long established that the lack of intellectual activity provokes many ailments associated with the brain (Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, etc.) If you count in your head more often, you will thereby use your brain more often and load it with work, which will prevent serious Problems.

We think that this is more than enough to understand in general terms why you need to be able to count in your head. But what if you dig a little deeper and understand the issue in more detail?

What is mental counting and why is it needed?

Verbal counting – the process of performing mathematical operations in the mind, i.e. without the use of assistive devices such as calculators, computers, telephones, smartphones, etc., as well as without third-party devices such as a pen and paper. Mental arithmetic combines a person’s understanding of numbers, knowledge of arithmetic algorithms and the ability to perform mathematical operations.

But why does a modern person need to be able to count in his head if so many opportunities are open to him not to do this? In addition, today mental calculation is increasingly becoming unnecessary, especially when it comes to today’s schoolchildren who grew up with tablets in their hands. But here it is important to remember that as soon as we stop counting in our heads, we stop developing, and this applies not only to the younger generation.

We all know that the brain is made up of two hemispheres. The right is responsible for intuitive thinking, artistic perception and creativity. The left is responsible for logic, speech, memory, analytics. And the more neural connections between the hemispheres in the brain, the more fully and harmoniously it is developed. How can these interhemispheric connections be developed? This is precisely the method of oral counting.

Even 3 thousand years ago, an abacus called an abacus was used in Ancient Babylon, which made it possible to instantly make mental calculations. Later, their use was noted in Ancient China, and in the modern world, such counting skills became known as mental arithmetic, and, by the way, today this discipline is even included in the educational program of some Asian countries

The goal of mental arithmetic is to train the human brain to process information as quickly as possible. And these trainings bear fruit, because thanks to special tasks, both hemispheres develop harmoniously brain, as a result of which both humanitarian and technical information is much easier and simpler to perceive.

In mental arithmetic, special attention is paid to mental arithmetic, which serves as an effective trainer for the brain. And you don’t need to be a genius to understand the benefits of a developed brain and developed thinking. They come in handy everywhere, always and in any area of ​​life.

Therefore, we can conclude that such a seemingly “simple” or “ordinary” skill as the ability to count in the mind, can influence a person’s entire life, his successes, life results and even personal quality. So if all this matters to you, we suggest you learn how to learn mental arithmetic.

How to learn mental arithmetic?

There are people who can perform simple arithmetic operations in their heads. Multiply a two-digit number by a single-digit number, multiply within 20, multiply two small two-digit numbers numbers, etc. - they can perform all these actions in their minds and quickly enough, faster than average person. Often this skill is justified by the need for constant practical use. Typically, people who are good at mental arithmetic have a background in mathematics or at least experience solving numerous arithmetic problems.

There is no doubt that experience and training play a vital role in the development of any ability. But the skill of mental calculation does not rely on experience alone. This is proven by people who, unlike those described above, are able to count much more complex examples in their minds. For example, such people can multiply and divide three-digit numbers, perform complex arithmetic operations that not every person can count in a column.

What does an ordinary person need to know and be able to do in order to master such a phenomenal ability? Today, there are various techniques that help you learn to count quickly in your head. Having studied many approaches to teaching the skill of counting orally, we can distinguish three main components of this skill:

1. Capabilities. The ability to concentrate and the ability to hold several things in short-term memory at the same time. Predisposition to mathematics and logical thinking.
2. Algorithms. Knowledge of special algorithms and the ability to quickly select the necessary, most effective algorithm in each specific situation.
3. Training and experience. Constant training and gradual complication of solved problems and exercises will allow you to improve the speed and quality of mental calculation.

It should be noted that the third factor is of key importance. Without the necessary experience, you will not be able to surprise others with a quick score, even if you know the most convenient algorithm.

However, do not underestimate the importance of the first two components, since, having in your arsenal the abilities and set the necessary algorithms, you will be able to “outdo” even the most experienced “accountant”, provided that you have trained the same time.

Along with this, it is best to learn mental arithmetic using a correct and effective system. Our course was developed taking this system into account, and now it would be logical to briefly introduce you to the content of its lessons.

How to take the course?

We strongly recommend that you take the lessons of this course sequentially, without skipping any of them, considering each topic in detail and following all practical instructions. It is best if, after studying the proposed examples, you come up with a few of your own. This will allow you to better understand and retain the material.

If you don't understand anything, re-read the lesson again. To more reliably consolidate the material in memory, we advise you to return to the topics that are most difficult for you after completing the course. And, of course, upon completion of training, do not take advantage of the opportunity to get acquainted with all the additional materials.