/biz/ - Business & Finance

Like most government policies their intentions are good but their execution is awful, we've become too dependent on public schools I think. They are trying to teach students how to do it the old fashioned way through mental arithmetic.

Their method is flawed, if I could teach them (I am not allowed within 100 meters of schools or playgrounds) I'd do it like this

separate the digits in each number which is not difficult mentally

32=30+2
12=10+2

first goal is to add something to make the last digits equal, 2=2 so you don't need to add anything

12+0=12

then make the next set of digits equal

1+2=3
10+20=30

their working would look like this

12+20=32
20

twice as efficient with no more difficulty and it demonstrates what minusing is, for more complicated sums it would look like this

text book question: 53-29=?

29+1=30
30+3=33

33+20=53

20+1+3=24

if they are a little more advanced it would look like this

29+4=33
33+20=53
24