How do schoolchildren in other countries multiply. Whose method is easier and more convenient?

Everyone remembers the column multiplication method that we were taught in school. But it turns out that this is not the only way to add or multiply large values ​​on paper. In other countries, there are graphical ways to perform these arithmetic operations.

Let me remind you of our school method for multiplying large numbers:

We start multiplying from the far right digit of the lower value by each digit of the upper value. So we multiply each number of the bottom row not the top one, writing only the second digit in a two-digit number. We transfer tens (add) with the subsequent value during multiplication. Remember, write six, mind two. The values ​​when multiplying the subsequent digits of the bottom row are shifted. And then we add them.

An example of what three multiplication methods look like from different countries:

On the left is the Indian method. On the right is multiplication with a column from Israeli schools. In the center - as they teach here. It can be seen that the Indian method, the graphic and thought process, is less involved in it (knowing the principle). In Israeli, the lines are multiplied in the opposite order.

Latin American method. Similar to Indian and also graphic. The graphic method is also used in China and Japan.

For this, diagonal lines are drawn and points (values) are marked at their intersection, which are added. How it is done can be seen in a short video:

There is information that this graphic method of multiplication appeared in India, and then spread throughout the world and ended up in China, Japan and even Europe. Like chess. It is also used in Italy. There it has a name - lattice, jelosia.

Now let's think, whose method is simpler? Graphic, of course. Practically nothing is needed to think and memorize. You only need to know the principle itself and draw everything correctly. Whose method is faster? You need to write numbers here and there. In the graphical method, you need to draw lines. But multiplication by a column according to our method takes time for arithmetic operations in the mind. In the graphic, everything is done automatically. And the time in the methods is comparable.

Personally, I think that our method is better for the reason that you need to think in it, do arithmetic operations in your mind. And since this happens at school, the method is more useful for teaching children. Yes, and sometimes it will be useful for adults to train the mind too.

The methods of multiplication shown are far from the only ones. There are up to 10 ways to multiply or find the result. You can get acquainted with them in this video: https://youtu.be/KfsdWPYWw_o