How do you work out the value of 32.7 x 27 without a calculator?

Answer 1

Those of us past a certain age were taught ancient sacred techniques and rituals

at the feet of our wise and learned gurus when we were in school. You see, we had

much more time back then, because mp3, ipods, ipads, CDs, DVDs, cellphones, earbuds,

and even TV had not been invented yet, and nobody had any of these. Facebook and

Twitter didn't exist, and nobody had a computer, if you can just imagine that! So life

was empty and boring, with a lot of time to spare, and for people who were interested,

there were lots of wonderful and mysterious things to learn. Something like Hogwart's,

but not so scary.

But where were we before we started telling stories of a land long ago and far away ?

Oh yes . . .

To "work out" the value of 32.7 x 27 without a calculator . . . (we also didn't have

calculators when we were in school, and had to do all our math without them) . . .

With a pencil and a piece of paper:

-- Multiply 32.7 by 20. Write the answer off to the side.

-- Multiply 32.7 by 7. Write the answer off to the side.

-- Add up the two numbers that you find off to the side.

The sum is the answer to (32.7 x 27).

If you can't handle that multiplication with only a pencil, then try it this way:

-- In one long, straight column, write 32.7 on each line, 27 times.

-- Carefully add up the long column of 27 numbers.

-- The sum is the answer to (32.7 x 27).