Mathematics is a universal language, and its applications are omnipresent in our daily lives. Whether you are buying groceries or estimating your journey time, numbers are always part of the process. In some cases, precision is not necessary, so employing guesstimation may suffice. In this article, we will explore the concept of guesstimation and discuss how to apply it to large mental math problems.
Guesstimation is a problem-solving technique that uses educated guesses and rough calculations for large, complex mathematical problems. The goal of guesstimation isn't to get the exact answer but to come up with an approximation that's close enough in a short amount of time.
Let's illustrate the use of guesstimation with a couple of examples.
Imagine that you are at a supermarket and need to multiply 78 by 43. Instead of using the exact figures, you could round 78 up to 80 and 43 down to 40. Thus, the problem becomes 80 multiplied by 40, which equals 3,200. The exact multiplication of 78 by 43 results in 3,354, so your guesstimate was not far off.
Suppose you want to divide 987 by 32. By rounding 987 up to 1,000 and 32 down to 30, you get an easier problem, 1,000 divided by 30, which is approximately 33.33. The precise answer is approximately 30.84, showing that your guesstimate was quite close.
However, it's essential to use exact calculations when you're working to improve your numerical skills or when you require precision. Guesstimation is only a tool, not a replacement for mental math skills. It is best used when you're on the move and need reasonably accurate results quickly.
In conclusion, guesstimation is a powerful problem-solving tool that can help you estimate large, unwieldy numbers in your head quickly. It won't give the precise figure, but it will get you in the ballpark when time is of the essence.
Practice Guesstimation!