[Poll] Do you remember how to do long division and multiplication?

[yhelothar]

yeah, but only because i have to teach little kids how to do it all the time as a math tutor.
I still remember struggling with it a bit when I first went into tutoring. They gave me a simple math test as the job application. It was easier for me to figure out the entire thing mentally than to do it through the processes taught in grade school.

 

[nineball9]

Originally posted by: gsellis
I am 46 and do not remember how to do square roots anymore.

While scrolling through this thread, I thought the same thing. At 53, I doubt I could still interpolate an antilog either.

 

[Captante]

Wheres the option for 40+ & can do both?

 

[silverpig]

I once walked into a midterm without a calculator and had to compute square roots by hand.

It blew.

 

[Fern]

I'm over 26 and can do both.

I'm a CPA, back when I took the test we weren't allowed to use a calculator, just a pencil and scrap paper for all the math we needed to do.

If a calc is not handy, I still often either do the math manually, either "in my head" or on scrap paper.

Fern

 

[palswim]

Originally posted by: astroidea
yeah, but only because i have to teach little kids how to do it all the time as a math tutor.
I still remember struggling with it a bit when I first went into tutoring. They gave me a simple math test as the job application. It was easier for me to figure out the entire thing mentally than to do it through the processes taught in grade school.

What process do you use to figure it out mentally? I just do the long division in my head.

 

[edro]

Ah man... that division screwed me up.

Not because I don't know how to do it... but because after the 9th decimal, I thought I screwed up.
I double checked it on my calculator to see how long I would be doing it.
My damn calculator rounds to the 7th decimal.

I was right and doubted myself!

I got to: 388.913043478
TI-83 gives: 388.9130435
Calc.exe gives: 388.91304347826086956521739130435

Oh, and if you can't do the multiplication, kill yourself.

 

[Deeko]

I had kinda forgotten long division (or was rusty anyway), but had to re-learn for the GREs in October.

 

[JRich]

I got them both. The division one I stopped after the fifth decimal place. It got boring

 

[TheNewbie]

I can do them both!

Oh, I can also do these multiplication/division problems you were asking about.

 

[jman19]

Anyone who can't do either of long division or multiplication is a disgrace... how the hell did you get past elementary school??

 

[Rubycon]

I can but I'm always multiplying something and then cutting it up! :laugh:

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: sdifox
who can't do that???

I'll be the first to admit that I couldn't.

I'm 32, only took up to geometry in high school.
I've never needed to know how to do long division or large number multiplication in my head and be exact. I've always been able to consult a tool or resource to find the answers I needed.

Our culture tends to feel that math fluency is a primary indicator of intelligence and potential success, because of this arts, language, and social sciences are often underfunded, which is unfortunate.

 

[jman19]

Originally posted by: djheater

Originally posted by: sdifox
who can't do that???

I'll be the first to admit that I couldn't.

I'm 32, only took up to geometry in high school.
I've never needed to know how to do long division or large number multiplication in my head and be exact. I've always been able to consult a tool or resource to find the answers I needed.

Our culture tends to feel that math fluency is a primary indicator of intelligence and potential success, because of this arts, language, and social sciences are often underfunded, which is unfortunate.

High school?

Don't you learn long division in elementary school?

This is pathetic...

 

[Firebot]

Been a while and rusty, but it doesn't take long to get in the groove again. There was a time when I would be faster manually then by calculator.

<-- used to be a math wiz top class / school type and participated in those countrywide math contests.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: Rubycon
I can but I'm always multiplying something and then cutting it up! :laugh:

Does CPS know about this?

 

[videogames101]

15, np lol. honors geometry would be a bitch without them....

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: djheater

Originally posted by: sdifox
who can't do that???

I'll be the first to admit that I couldn't.

I'm 32, only took up to geometry in high school.
I've never needed to know how to do long division or large number multiplication in my head and be exact. I've always been able to consult a tool or resource to find the answers I needed.

Our culture tends to feel that math fluency is a primary indicator of intelligence and potential success, because of this arts, language, and social sciences are often underfunded, which is unfortunate.

I thought in the US, math was considered to be underrepresented and underfunded, at least compared to many other countries.

I also disagree on your second point - I think that knowledge of math is not a sign of intelligence in the US, and you could be forgiven for not knowing basic math skills as an adult, whereas most people would think you were unintelligent if you could not recall basic history, geography, and literature facts.

 

[jman19]

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: djheater

Originally posted by: sdifox
who can't do that???

I'll be the first to admit that I couldn't.

I'm 32, only took up to geometry in high school.
I've never needed to know how to do long division or large number multiplication in my head and be exact. I've always been able to consult a tool or resource to find the answers I needed.

Our culture tends to feel that math fluency is a primary indicator of intelligence and potential success, because of this arts, language, and social sciences are often underfunded, which is unfortunate.

I thought in the US, math was considered to be underrepresented and underfunded, at least compared to many other countries.

I also disagree on your second point - I think that knowledge of math is not a sign of intelligence in the US, and you could be forgiven for not knowing basic math skills as an adult, whereas most people would think you were unintelligent if you could not recall basic history, geography, and literature facts.

That's the impression I got as well - the fact that the US seems to compare poorly to other developed nations in math education and competence seems to support this. The fact that DJ and many others here can't do long division is further support of this.

 

[tfcmasta97]

I started doing the long division backwards but once i checked and confirmed i was going the wrong way i got it :S

 

[RossGr]

Once you start adding zeros in the long division problem there are only 23 possible remainders (0 - 22) so it is not possible to go more then 23 digits without repeating or terminating.

the correct answer is 388.91304347826086960869...

starting after 15 digits, the last 5 digits repeat. Most calculators will not show 15 digits good ones calculate more then they show. Few, if any will give the correct answer to a problem like this one.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: RossGr
Once you start adding zeros in the long division problem there are only 23 possible remainders (0 - 22) so it is not possible to go more then 23 digits without repeating or terminating.

I don't think I understand what you're saying. Are you implying that doing long division by hand has a built-in maximum of 23 sig figs? How come? Or are you talking about calculators?

 

[SlitheryDee]

Yeppers.

 

[SparkyJJO]

Yup I did them both. Got the right answer for both first try.

I'm using the calculator a lot now though, when doing a lot of math for chemistry or physics or calc 2 you just don't have the time or patience to do it all longhand!

 

[RossGr]

Originally posted by: jagec

Originally posted by: RossGr
Once you start adding zeros in the long division problem there are only 23 possible remainders (0 - 22) so it is not possible to go more then 23 digits without repeating or terminating.

I don't think I understand what you're saying. Are you implying that doing long division by hand has a built-in maximum of 23 sig figs? How come? Or are you talking about calculators?

I am speaking about the the given problem, 8945/23. In ANY long division problem the denominator determines the max number of digits posssible before the quotent terminates or repeats. This is an application of what is known as the Pigeonhole property.
edit:
Actually Pigeonhole Principle on wiki.