Calculations Without Calculators

About the Book

We were all happy when we went to school and learned about numbers with our "toys", fingers, coins, marbles, blocks, etc.. When they were removed, we had to look at the board, watch the teacher do things with numbers (+, -, x, ÷), and we faithfully copied them with pencils and paper, even though we had no idea where most of the numbers came from, because our calculating tools had been taken away, and we had nothing with which to replace them. We were lost, and this was the start of negativity towards self and numbers.

The education system has assumed for generations that we all automatically make this transition from the physical to the abstract. Most of us don't!! As a result, our experiences with math, in school and beyond, brought Frustration, Embarrassment, Anxiety, Regret, and Stress to our lives. It is time to get rid of these FEARS, and you do so by mastering the system described in this book. You will learn to calculate by making physical movements on a visual grid.

Preparation, Understanding, Learning, and Application make PULA, and that is the key to your success.

Preparation entails eliminating all negativity, and believing that you will surely succeed if that is what you want to do.
Understanding every word you read and every diagram you see is essential. If you don't, it is not your fault! Try again, and, if necessary, ask for help. There is no such thing as a stupid question.
Learning takes concentration and effort. It is much easier to learn things you do understand than to memorize things you don't understand.
Application happens because you believe in your new knowledge.

There is no rush to master the system. When it does happen, you will have changed your FEARS into feeling SAFER with numbers. If SAFER stands for Speed, Accuracy, Focus, Endurance, and Recall, these are much more positive attributes than what FEARS stood for. Your mastery of calculating on the grid gives you the chance to TRAIN your BRAIN in these five areas. If you give yourself this GIFT for LIFE, you will do everything at a greater speed, more accurately, with greater focus, for a longer time, and remember it all.

The book consists of nine very easy lessons, a set of blank grids and tables you are welcome to copy, eighty exercises, and a book of answers to selected exercises.

There is no age limit. This system can be the first place where children see and learn about numbers. At the other end of the age scale, you are never too old to learn.

About the Author

The author was born and educated in Scotland, where he taught mathematics for six years before emigrating to Canada. Another 31 years in the classroom culminated in his retirement in 1999. Since then he has worked on his book "Calculations Without Calculators", and very successfully done presentations on its contents in classrooms and at math conferences in several countries.