In this youtube link, a really cool method to multiply two big numbers is given. Only works of integers. I was wondering if something unconventional and similar to this exists for dividing two big integers? I'm hoping someone from the Japanese schooling system might know since this seems to be primary school stuff there.
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In what does this differ from the usual method? In nothing: it's just the same. And if you notice, only small digits are used, because drawing eight or nine lines would quite difficult and confusing. – egreg Oct 05 '13 at 21:10
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@egreg yes, but it definitely is faster. At least, I felt that way. – sprajagopal Oct 06 '13 at 06:21
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I think the exact opposite. Try $89\times 78$. – egreg Oct 06 '13 at 10:02
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I've been living in Japan for 15 years. In fact, that method is called "Indian multiplication method" in Japan. Though I don't know whether or not it actually came from India, many people believe so because they usually regard Indians as mathematically talented people. This method is not so common in Japan, yet some cramming schools teach this method for elementary school students. The following link shows another method of multiplication taught in some Japanese cramming schools.
Math.StackExchange
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2Wow...that's interesting. No, I haven't heard of any schools in India ever teach this. I'm Indian. – sprajagopal Oct 06 '13 at 06:22