Training

Every year, there are opportunities to compete at mental maths. Even the international events are accessible to people of all ages, if you have a good foundation and prepare well! So far for this year, there are expected to be 2–3 events. It is still too early to announce anything yet, shh! But details will … Read more

Students who are training in mental calculation often ask me how it’s possible to perform accurate divisions by long numbers, such as: 450 ÷ 34.1826 My preferred method is cross-division, which involves repeated division by a 2-digit number (in this case, by 34) followed by some simple subtractions. The method is fairly straightforward (after some practice), … Read more

When studying mental math in the classroom, or training for mental calculation competitions, the focus is usually on writing the answers to written questions. But in everyday life we encounter situations where the numbers to calculate are spoken to us, or generated in our head—this is verbal mental math or verbal mental arithmetic. Typical Situations Requiring … Read more

We’ve seen before that the maximum speed the of human brain is about 60 bits per second, which of course is super slow compared an electronic calculator. However it’s not the only challenge that the human brain faces when performing difficult mental math! Imagine you were asked to to find out what the most popular … Read more

After any training is over, actually performing in a calculation competition is an opportunity for participants to demonstrate their new skills. For all future mind sports competitors – here are my top 10 tips for preparing for an enjoyable and successful experience! #1: Three nights of good sleep The brain works best when it is … Read more

In 2009, when Usain Bolt smashed the world record in the 100 metres sprint in 9.58 seconds, the world wondered what was the fastest possible speed that anyone could run. Could anyone run 100 metres in 9.5 seconds? 9.0 seconds? 2.0 seconds? Just as an athlete pushes their body to its limits, a competitive mental … Read more

Anyone serious about improving a skill can benefit from keeping a note of their performance in training. For example, a competitive footballer could record their running speed in fitness training, their accuracy when practising free kicks, and some notes about their strategy and position during each match. A professional dancer may video some of their … Read more

At all levels of Mental Calculation (especially elite levels) you can gain speed and accuracy by learning more shortcuts. For example: At school we learn our times tables from 2×2 until 12×12 For quickly calculating square roots it is helpful to know the square numbers from 31² = 961 until 99² = 9801 For calculating … Read more

For many mental tasks, the brain needs to store small amounts of information for a short period of time. For example when listening to someone speak, you remember the exact sound of the last few seconds. When giving directions around your city, your mind may generate crude images of the locations or a map. These … Read more