Customer Reviews

Miracle Math: How to Develop a Calculator in Your Head (Flowmotion Book Ser.)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

For someone who is pained by the very thought of math, I found this book such a relief! It truly teaches very simple techniques to quicken and ease the practice of math. Frankly I'm kind of annoyed that this book was available when I was in grammar school, but I was taught math using the old tired and tedious methods we all know and hate. This book was published in 1966 and should have augmented, if not outright replaced, many math books in every classroom. This book should be a perennial bestseller. Even if you're a math whiz, this book will make you an even greater whiz. Even if you only use a sliver of what this book teaches (which I doubt!) it will still be worth your time and expense many times over. God bless Harry Lorayne!! I can not recommend this book enough!!

An earlier reviewer wrote, "You get nothing for nothing." And that's exactly right, if you put in NO effort, you get NO improvement.

But putting in a little effort with this will show BIG results. I'm in the middle of retraining my brain right now to do math using these methods -- after 42 years I'm kind of entrenched in the "normal" way but see the possibilities so I'm willing to make the effort to change.

Since we're now homeschooling our children they can get this way of doing math from the very beginning -- by the time they're adults and this is "just the way they do it" they will have a huge advantage over the average person.

Folks who say this doesn't work, or that memory improvement "tricks" don't work must be looking for something that requires no work. With reasonable effort you can realize tremendous results.

This book taught me methods to solving math problems quickly and easily. I have owned it for many years, but still refer back to it. The author explains each step in detail, in simple to understand instructions. I recommend this book to anyone, especially if you have to take mathematical, timed aptitude tests. It's actually a joy to read.

The people who didn't like this book either didn't read it, or they didn't learn it.

The book is not a book of "tricks" but a different way to look at the subject. It is written by the master of training the mind to have a better memory. Anything written by Mr. Lorayne deserves your attention....

....including his books on magic, if it is magic you're looking for!!

How does a digital calculator perform calculation? How does an abacus perform calculation? Now, how does our brain perform calculation? It's a combination of the analogies Abacus and digital calculator. The author creatively embarks on this very principle to trigger our minds calculating power. It requires concentration and dedication to follow the examples in this book. As in any achievable skill, it requires practice and more practice.

The bulk of this book is based on improving skill sets around the four basic modes of math; addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Lorayne establishes that most people run into issues when carrying any numbers larger than a single digit in their head. This causes people to significantly slow their processes down as the mind is forced to be out of its comfort zone. Lorayne demonstrates this eloquently with his example of trying to memorize five numbers that are all two digits versus remembering five numbers that are all a single digit. The results are conclusive as evidenced by any trial of this experiment. The bulk of this book is based on this premise and the impact of viewing numbers using only single digits and grouping multiples of tens separately.

It is undeniable that the methods in this book will enhance your basic math skills if you are not already using similar tactics. However, this book did not rate especially high with me since the mathematical processes are limited to only elementary applications. Adding quickly on paper or dividing large numbers in your head represents only the very tip of the iceberg in terms of most relevant math in everyday life. Had the book provided insight into functional analysis, assessing trends from mathematical data, mathematical and/or financial projections, then the topics covered would have been invaluable. Thus learning the applications in Miracle Math might make one a more effective cashier, but will otherwise prove to be nothing more than party tricks.

This book also left a very poor taste in my mouth due to a very obvious mathematical typo that left me wondering about Lorayne's actual educational background. On page 135 where he presents his case for factoring, he reminds the reader that we at one point learned that "60N = 6N x 10N". One can only hope that this represents merely a very poor editing job because if not, Lorayne has a serious misunderstanding of simple factoring leaving one to wonder if he has any mathematical background other than simple mathematical concepts.

If your only goal is to learn to add numbers faster or to divide large numbers with more simplicity, then this book will be worthwhile; however if you are anticipating having advanced mathematical skills that will make you stand out, you will be disappointed unless you are in the early stages of schooling.

I loved this book so much, I recently bought 4 more copies for a friend of mine, so that they could work with their kids as if this were a school workbook...

I actually bought my first copy of Miracle Math a few years back and I was hooked from the beginning. Harry Lorayne's writing style makes it seem as if this approach to calculation was a hidden secret that once discovered would make math seem so simple. I loved studying math in school but I must say that if math were this fun and exciting, I would have have become a mathematician. I do remember one of my Algebra teachers performing amazing calculations in his head and it always amazed me...But now I know his secrets!

If you want to brush up on your math skills, this is NOT the book. If you want a new, faster, easier, better way to perform calculations this IS the book. This will work for children who are struggling in mathematics, but it will teach them an entirely different system than they are not teaching in school, but I guarantee you that they will be getting straight A's!

I truly believe this should be a book taight in our school system.

you'd think that a man known for teaching memory tricks to people would show you how to remember these math tricks, wouldn't you? he doesn't. no different than any other rapid math book out there.

All of these books that keep popping up saying you can do the math in your mind in seconds, are correct in one way. Yes, you can do it...in fact you can do pretty massive equations using #'s in the millions or below, (or higher). The thing that is terrible about all of these books is they sound like a modern day memory book or such. They are ALL based upon what is called Vedic math. It was the math form used thousands of years ago...generally dating around the Summerian culture.
Vedic math really does work...in fact it's quite mind-blowing to put out answers to a large group of #'s just as someone finishes reading the problem! : ) Check out websites based upon Vedic math, or buy books directly relating to Vedic math...there's more to it than just putting it in print.

Enough of this popular fallacious belief that there does be any such thing as memory tricks. I will no longer undergo the punishment buying and reading any self-improvement books. They make no affect on anybody but to teach one thing; You get nothing for nothing. I am sorry, but these aren't any overlooked treasures.