MSC #3 – Number Splitting

Number splitting or number decomposition involves partitioning a number into two or more components. Many arithmetic calculations can be simplified by number splitting but it also has applications in higher math.

The division 653,978 ÷ 13, for example can be simplified by splitting the dividend to 65| 39 | 78. We can then mentally divide 65, 39 and 78 separately to give an answer of 05| 03 | 06 r 50, 306.

We can also express 997 as 1000 -3 so that 997 x 7 can be easily computed as 7000 – 21 or 6,979.

In our example, we want to find out what 77.5% of 864 is. We can avoid decimal multiplication by splitting 77.5% into 50% + 25% + 2.5% and get the equivalent percentages easily:

50% is half 100% = half of 864 or 432

25% is half of 50% = half of 432 or 216

2.5% is 1/10 of 25%. = 1/10 of 216 or 21.6

So 77.5 % of 864 is 432 + 216+ 21.6 = 669.6

Many more applications of number splitting including its use in factoring quadratic equations will be discussed on Dec 5, 2021 by Veronica S. Prudente, training director of MATH-Inic Philippines and co-author of “30 Master Strategies in Computing” during the Inspirational Maths from India(Year 4).

The program for the 4-day webinar series and the webinar fees will published in a separate post.