BEATCALC:  Beat the Calculator!

___________________________________________
Back to Calculation Tips & Tricks
___________________________________________

From the BEATCALC mailing list:
a weekly service from B. Lee Clay, archived here by the Math Forum.
To subscribe to the BEATCALC mailing list, write to BEATCALC@aol.com.


   Squaring a 2-digit number ending in 1

  1. Take a 2-digit number ending in 1.
  2. Subtract 1 from the number.
  3. Square the difference.
  4. Add the difference twice to its square.
  5. Add 1.

   Example:

  1. If the number is 41, subtract 1: 41 - 1 = 40.
  2. 40 x 40 = 1600 (square the difference).
  3. 1600 + 40 + 40 = 1680 (add the difference twice
    to its square).
  4. 1680 + 1 = 1681 (add 1).
  5. So 41 x 41 = 1681.

   See the pattern?

  1. For 71 x 71, subtract 1: 71 - 1 = 70.
  2. 70 x 70 = 4900 (square the difference).
  3. 4900 + 70 + 70 = 5040 (add the difference twice
    to its square).
  4. 5040 + 1 = 5041 (add 1).
  5. So 71 x 71 = 5041.


webmaster@forum.swarthmore.edu
14 January 1996
Web page design by Sarah Seastone