VEDIC MATHEMATICS

*History*
Between 1911 and 1918, Sri Bharati Krsna Tirthaji unearthed the old Ve-
dic Mathematics from the Indian Sanskrit books known as the Vedas
(1884-1960). When Sanskrit writings were first becoming popular in Eu-
rope around the turn of the 20th century, Bharati Krsna informs us that
certain academics mocked some texts with the heading "Ganita Sutras,"
which is Sanskrit for "mathematics." They discarded the texts as junk be-
cause they could not locate any mathematics in the translation. These
manuscripts were researched by Bharati Krsna, who was a scholar of
Sanskrit, mathematics, history, and philosophy. After thorough research,
he was able to recreate the Vedic mathematics. According to his re-
search, sixteen Sutras, or word-formulas, serve as the foundation for all
of mathematics
Bharati Krsna wrote sixteen books explaining the Vedic system, but
these were mysteriously lost. When the loss was discovered in his final
years, he created just one book, which is currently in print: Vedic Mathe-
matics. Five years after his passing, in 1965, it was released..
 Features of Vedic Mathematics

There are many features of the Vedic system which con-

trast significantly with conventional mathematics.
*Coherence- Perhaps the most striking feature of the Vedic system is its coherence. Instead of a
hotchpotch of unrelated techniques the whole system is beautifully interrelated and unified: the general
multiplication method, for example, is easily reversed to allow one-line divisions and the simple squaring
method can be reversed to give one-line square roots.

*Flexibility- In modern teaching you usually have one way of doing a calculation. This is rigid and
boring, and intelligent and creative students rebel against it. Once you allow variations you get all sorts of
benefits. In the Vedic system there are general methods, that always work, for example a method
of multiplication that can be applied to any numbers. But the Vedic system has many special
methods, when a calculation has some special characteristic that can be used to find the answer
more easily. Having only one method of, say, multiplying is like a carpenter who uses a screwdriver for every
job. The skilled craftsman selects the tool most appropriate for the job and gets it done quicker, better and with more

.
satisfaction So there are special methods, that apply in special cases, and also general methods. You don't
have to use these special methods but they are there if you want to.

Calculations can often be carried out from right to left or from left to right.

* Efficient and fast - Difficult' issues or large amounts are frequently addressed
'

promptly in the Vedic method. These remarkable and elegant approaches are mere-
ly a portion of a whole system of mathematics which is significantly more system-
atic than the present 'system'. Vedic Mathematics reveals the naturally occurring
coherent and unified structure in mathematics, and the methods are direct, simple,
and complimentary.

* Mental, improves memory - Because of the ease and simplicity of Vedic Mathematics, computations may be per-
formed mentally (though the methods can also be written down). There are several benefits to adopting a flexible mental system.

Students are not bound to the one 'right' way; they can devise their own. This results in more creative, interested, and clever stu-
dents. It also leads to better memory and mental agility.
* Promotes creativity - All of these aspects of Vedic math inspire pupils to be crea-
tive in their arithmetic work. Students that are inherently creative like to come up with
their own solutions. Because the Vedic approach tries to foster intuition, having a cognitive
evidence or explanation of a method beforehand is not required. This is appealing to
creative people that prefer not to think analytically.

*Appealing - The Vedic approach appears to be helpful across all ability levels: the
able kid enjoys the variety and flexibility to explore, while the less able youngster may choose to
keep to the basic procedures but enjoys the simple patterns they may utilise. Artistic types like
the ability to develop and provide their own distinct perspective, whereas analytical types prefer
the challenge and scope of numerous techniques.

*Fun and Easy - The sense of mathematical ecstasy is an immediate and

natural result of practising Vedic Mathematics. And this is the genuine character of
mathematics, not the rigid and tedious'system' that is now prevalent.

*Improves Mental Agility - Because the Vedic system employs

such simple procedures, mental computation is favoured, which
naturally leads to the development of mental agility. This, in
turn, leads to progress in other areas.

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* Sutras and Up-sutras *