Top 5 Calculation Tips for Slow Learners

Slow learners struggle a lot in the classroom and when the subject is math, the struggle increases a lot for these learners. Slow learners have a fear of math and this fear literally grows into a phobia unless proper care is given. The main problem of the slow learners in mathematics is the numbers and the signs. 

To help these slow learners, calculation tips are mandatory. Without these tips, learning math will be even slower for these learned. Take a look at these tips and apply them while studying:

Break the Numbers to Calculate

Be it mental math or simple to complicated problems, break the numbers to apply the function. For example, you are supposed to calculate the sum of 28 and 29. 

Now, the slow learners will feel difficulties in doing so - they can break the numbers to simplify the calculation. They can break 28 as 20 + 8 and 29 as 20 + 9. Now the simplified calculation is 20 + 8+ 20 + 9 = 57. 

At the time of breaking the numbers, the students need to keep in mind to include the numbers with 5 or 0 in the broken number. 0 or 5 will make the calculation easier and the problem can be solved faster. 

Exchange the Sides 

For any equation, it is a good idea to exchange the sides of a number along with the sign. It is seen that the slow learners are comfortable in addition more than subtraction. By exchanging the sides, the students can change the signs too. As a result, the entire calculation will be easier to them. Let’s take an example in this matter:

2x - 87 = x - 45 - find the value of x. As it is seen, both sides of the equation contain a subtraction. By exchanging the sides, it will be an addition. 

2x - x = -45 + 87

x = 43

We advise the students to interchange the sides before making any calculation and try to simplify the calculation with the function of addition. 

Take 0 

This trick may take some time to learn but for larger calculations, this trick will serve the students a lot in future. While adding to large numbers, consider the unit digit both or either number to nearest number with zero. 

For example, 99+ 188 is a given problem. To solve this problem using the trick of zero, we will consider both numbers as their nearest number with zero. For 99, we are taking 100 and for 188, we are taking 190. Therefore, the sum is 100 + 190 = 290. 

Now, to equate the result with the given equation we need to reduce the digits we added. To make 100, we added 1 with 99. We have to deduct this from 288. At the same time, we added 2 with 188 to make it 190. So,  we have to deduct 2 as well. In total, we need to deduct 3 from the sum of 290. Therefore, the answer will be 287. 

Inserting 0 in any number is like an advantage and it makes the calculations easier to anyone. 

Easy 5 times 

Moving on to multiplying tips, the beginners are often asked to find the 5 times of a large number. The easiest way to do this is to obtain half of the given number and add a 0 after that. 

For example, to answer 94 x 5, you need to get the half of 94 which is 47, and add a 0 after this. Therefore, the answer will be 470. Here, the candidates do not need to do any multiplication at all. 

Sometimes the half of the given number will come in decimal. For example, 97 x 5. The half of 97 is 48.5. Here the answer will the product without decimals or 485. 

Addition of 9 

Adding 9 often seems problematic to the students - to avoid this problem, a trick is to add 10 to the number and then deduct 1 from the answer. 

Let’s take an example here, 174 + 9. To simplify this, the students will need to add 10 with 174. The sum will be 184 and for this, 1 will be deducted. The final answer will be 183. The logic is adding 10 by replacing 9 adds 1 more, therefore, the same gets deducted from this. 

Conclusion 

Being a slow learner is nothing wrong but not giving these students special care is wrong. Unless these slow learners get special care, they will face difficulties to progress in their studies. The parents of slow learners can hire math tutors to help them in their learning.