2011-03-20 17:11:17

Hey guys, I have another one of those odd questions which clearly show my ignorance lol.  When it comes to working out longer division problems (without the use of a calculator) different groups have been taught different methods.  From what I understand, the method called "long division" is generally used throughout the world but that does not necessarily mean it is the method taught to Vi/blind students.  My question is, what method (if any) were you taught in order to handle longer division problems such as 54803 divided by 344?  I'm most interested in the steps you would use to work out the answer.

- Aprone
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2011-03-20 18:50:35

funny you mention this Aprone. That is one thing I really suck at when doing math. You can do it in braille with a normal braille writer, but it sure requires a lot of precision and knowing where stuff is, or otherwise you really mess up. You definitely need a normal braille writer for this (using a pc or PDA just won't work if you want to calculate manually since you need to see more than one line.
Well, I suck at math overall, but this is seriusly one of the harder things for me to work with since there's so mmuch happening at once and there is tuns of going back up to add a number to the result, etc.

<Insert passage from "The Book Of Chrome" here>

2011-03-20 19:12:24

Hmm, I can definitely see how working out long division would be difficult!  I have some ideas for how to make a program/tool to aid in the process but this isn't really something people would need.  After being forced to learn the process in school, it is doubtful anyone would ever choose to do it again... especially if they are sitting at a computer and able to simply use the calculator.  Oh well.

- Aprone
Please try out my games and programs:
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2011-03-22 07:33:28

I actually tried to answer this several times, but unfortunately the forum grue seemed to eat my answers, ---- that and I've just obtained a new laptop so am going through all the general setup shenanigans when the default rubbish and security kicks in.

It's actually an xp machine (one of the last made), which my brother got 6 months ago and has never used. Sine he now wants a netbook (for the reason that he has never used his laptop), and I wanted an xp laptop things worked out very well.

Anyhow, now that I'm on my pc I can give answers to this.

Actually Aprone Pitermach was dead right for me too.

Even at secondary school when i was doing all lessons on a laptop (one reason I now am quite happy with carrying a laptop around with me), the one exception was maths, which I stil used a perkins brailler for.

Sinse then though i've just not needed that facility, Funnily enough, even when i did A-level biology and psychology which certainly did! take some use of statistics and such, I was able to cope on computer sinse most of the calculations required tended to be bog standard percentages and the like.

Even now I don't really have the need to perform long division, though I do stil occasionally find myself performing long multiplication or percentage based somes occasionally, ---- for instance when playing a game like Core exiles and wanting to calculate how much fuel my ship gets in a day or my prophits for selling x units of a resource at x creddits per unit.

Because my ability with spacial logic is always so bad (worse than most other people whether blind or not), I actually found maths a very uneven subject.

When dealing with algebra, basic equation balancing or the like I always got on well, but as soon as graphical (ie, use of graphs), or columnized representation came into it I found things far harder because of my issue with space.

For me, it was always easy to simply do things in my head than sit and try to plot a graph, construct a pie chart or the like.

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

2011-03-22 09:56:35

Sorry to hear you had to retype your answer multiple times Dark.

For those of you who've tried the game, do you have any suggestions for the clue examiner?  I wanted you guys to be able to take your time hearing the individual digits in the clue and it seemed, to me, to make sense mapping them to the buttons on the left.  I'd love to hear any recommended changes to the idea.

- Aprone
Please try out my games and programs:
Aprone's software