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|  | Authors: Arthur Benjamin, Michael Shermer
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
List Price: $12.95
Buy New: $7.33
as of 11/24/2009 12:19 CST details
You Save: $5.62 (43%)
New (35) Used (9) Collectible (1) from $7.33
Seller: zp_books
Rating:  34 reviews
Sales Rank: 2541
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Pages: 304
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.8
ISBN: 0307338401
Dewey Decimal Number: 510
EAN: 9780307338402
ASIN: 0307338401
Publication Date: August 8, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: ALL BOOKS ARE BRAND NEW!
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 34
 A hoot September 4, 2009
Gene Venable (San Diego, CA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I found it very enjoyable and effective to go thru the exercises. The author has a way of describing the tricks that makes you want to apply them and have a great idea how to do so -- and it works.
Some of the chapters seemed superfluous, not really focused on the math stuff. I could have used even more practice -- as it is, I repeatedly went thru the same exercises to maximize my speed.
I think this could be enough to help someone's psychology into thinking they had become a math whiz -- and that's what being a whiz is, largely a matter of attitude!
This is also an effective book to read for a distraction; it's different enough from most people's concerns that someone angry or depressed or whatever might find this a great relief.
 Only three or four chapters worth reading August 7, 2009
Ben M. Carson (Minneapolis, MN USA)
6 out of 10 found this review helpful
This book teaches you a few principles to do arithmetics in your head but they are contained in the first two chapters on addition/subtraction and multiplication. Most of the rest of the books are about the same principles but applying to bigger numbers (squaring three digits number, doing 4-digit by 2-digit multiplication). Doing this requires keeping track of partial results in your head and combine them in the end. I don't see a point of training my short term memory for this because I am not paid to perform such mathematical tricks daily, not to mention my answers will not be as reliable as a $5.00 calculator. So, I learned just a few tricks to do 2-digit (maybe 3-digit) arithmetic in my head but no more.
The only practical chapter is the one on guesstimation. Even here, Only one or two tricks are new to me.
There is one chapter on simple math tricks you can do at a party which does not involve using a lot of short term memory.
In a nutshell, the author might as well explain the principles in 3 pages. The readers' interest and motivation to improve short term memory will determine how much you can do mental math.
 Useful to speed up mathematics operations July 26, 2009
David Gomez
With this book you will learn not only how to add up, subtract, multiply, divide and square 2 and 3-digit numbers just using your mind, but also how to perform simple tricks -- such as find out the day of the week you were born on.
Great Book July 17, 2009
Sammie J. Lin (Santa Barbara, CA)
My job revolves around math, I wish I knew this stuff in High School. Very well written and very interesting. 5 Stars!
Perfect for What it Does April 28, 2009
Gregory Ferenstein (California)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Secrets of Mental Math is in a league of its own. Its clear, succinct, and well paced. If you're familiar with the "For Dummies" series (like I am, I admit!), the book reads at about the same level.
Its worth purchasing because the shortcuts aren't anywhere else on the Internet. (I think the author actually discovered some of the mathematical shortcuts, himself).
One word of caution: make sure you feel comfortable with each technique before moving on. I didn't do this the first run through, and had to go back.
Showing reviews 6-10 of 34
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