VEDIC MATH
Even though Vedic math is not a part of the school curriculum, parents are encouraging private tuitions as they say it gives their children an edge. This mathematics system is believed to help students overcome their fear of numbers. Vedic math boasts of teaching students the secret behind those off-putting numbers. A student of Vedic math who has mastered the world of numbers will be able to calculate 998 x 997 in less than five seconds, and analyses the square root of 117 in a minute and despairing parents are seeing this as an opportunity to give their children an edge in the classroom.
Vedic math is based on a list of 16 basic sutras, or aphorism translated from Sanskrit. Some of the principal ones are;
By one more than the one before
All from 9 and the last from 10
Vertically and cross-wise
Transpose and apply
The Ultimate and twice the penultimate
Vedic math was formulated by Hindu scholar and mathematician, Swami Sri Bharati Krishna Tirthaji Maharaj, during the part of the 20th century. According to Tirthaji, the sutras cover every branch of mathematics, from arithmetic to spherical conics.
This form of mathematics is believed to share similarities with the Trachtenberg system which is based on rapid mental calculation. It was developed by Ukrainian engineer Jacob Trachtenberg when he was held in a Nazi concentration camp.
Students from all over India are using it to help them in entrance examinations like the CAT, GMAT, SAT because it helps tackle a natural apathy sometimes even hatred towards the subjects. Students who would simply go blank when faced with a math problem are finding easy to apply the rules of Vedic math. And they like it, because it gives them concentration, sharpens and ‘‘super-natural abilities.’’