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Re: Visualization and stuff
Posted By: Mousie, on host 64.236.243.243
Date: Friday, August 17, 2001, at 11:51:49
In Reply To: Re: Visualization and stuff posted by Marvin on Friday, August 17, 2001, at 10:52:15:

> Actually, I do math like that (2 digit times a 1 digit) a little different. I multiply the first number in the two digit times the 1 digit number (i.e. 20 x 7 = 140) then I multiply the second number by the single number (4 x 7 = 28) and then I add them together (140 + 28 = 168). So I basically do it the opposite way I was taught. I don't know why I do it that way, I just do.
>
> Mar "This Space For Rent" vin

I can actually remember the day I was taught the concept of multiplication. In second grade, Ray Trogdon and I were always the best at math. Whenever we'd play that flashcard game where the first person in the room gets up and stands behind the second person, and the first one of them to shout out the answer to the problem on the flashcard got to move on to the next person, Ray and I would stand there for hours, tying. Then finally one of us would stutter or something, and the other one would go all the way around the room again.

Anyway, one day the teacher had like five rows of six dots drawn on the board. She asked us how many were there. I started counting, and Ray blurted out "30!" I was stunned. How did he do that so fast? Then the teacher said, "Ray knows that if he counts the number of dots in each row, and multiplies that by the number of rows, he's got the number of dots." Wow. Multiplication. What a concept.

I guess I still visualize dots on a board sometimes when I multiply.

Mooshie