Like this: <img src="http://politicata.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/no-condoms-ever.png" height=100> and this, and this is far more instructive and useful <iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/SO-qULaAwMY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
if schools taught this, we would defiantly exercise a different part of our brain. I wouldn't mind seeing both methods taught. At least up until middle school.
Michael J Fox finds this useless. *side note* I thought this was gonna be a thread about overpopulation in China
Chinese methods in math are very different from our own. I've noticed this a lot of times. Here's an example: In calculus, you often solve for the area under a curve. The way they teach it in America is you have to first identify which function is on top and which is below it. Then you integrate the difference of those two. That is often tedious and cumbersome because it takes an extra (unnecessary) step. The Chinese way, you just integrate the difference of one curve minus the other, with no regards to the positioning on either. Then you just take the absolute value. So much time is saved by doing this. You can actually apply this to finding the volume of two solids using multiple methods as well. No need to worry which curve is above or below. Just subtract and take the absolute value after integrating.
The method used in the video doesn't seem any faster than the method typically taught in American schools, but's it's probably easier. However, it's not immediately obvious to me why it works.
That's just a demonstration. That method looks easier to me doing it in your mind (or your fingers). Seems much easier to do in your mind that way vs ours. As Moleb said above, just requires practicing math visualization with a different part of the brain, maybe.
Btw how many people here know how to use the black box known as a slide rule. Not me I had a chemistry teacher is HS who had a six foot long slide rule above his blackboard. It was stunning to watch him use it. During tests he said we could use calculators if every student had one, but he said anyone could use a slide rule if you got em
