Russian Peasant Multiplication Algorithm

First in the video series learning the ways of the Russian Peasant Mathematicians. Videos to follow are: Russian Peasant Calculus, Russian Peasant Number Theory, and a folk song about the Four Colour Theorem.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Russian
• Peasant
• Multiplication
• Maths
• Algorithm
• Decision
• Discrete
• Mathematics
• Times
• Calculus
• Number
• Theory
• God

[newcoleco]

It's a binary computer way to do a multiplication with integer numbers.

22 is 16 + 4 + 2 = 2^4 + 2^2 + 2^1 = (bin) 10110

17 is 16 + 1 = 2^4 + 2^1 = (bin) 10001

Try using 17 instead of 22 to divide by 2, you will get a sum of 2 numbers (22 + 22*16), not 3 (17*2 + 17*4 + 17*16).

[supergsx]

What the heck? Wow they sure took the long way...

[RaNd0mPiXeLs]

In soviet russia multiplication, number multiply you!

[kray97]

For complex multiplications this should be the easier method because it's easier to double, halve and add than it is to successive row multiplications with carrying and then adding them all together.

It's also a cool challenge to program this algorithm.

[SnowofLight]

Because someone is more likely to remember this method than to remember to carry a calculator

[raduborza]

This is the old babylonian method of multipling, there are some tables proving that...

[returnoftheramble3]

This is like the Egyptian method.

[returnoftheramble3]

They taught me to make grids in math, and I have a bunch of methods for simple things. I could make everyone retarded.

[returnoftheramble3]

@gpardhu yeah, they designed it so that peasants would do worse and take longer, which is much more clever than damaging the masses. They dumb down the material in the midwest as well compared to the east coast. It's amazing. With us, they don't teach us methods. They give us plain information. Unfortunately, that has caused some of us to creatively make links.

[theNijool]

hum multiply cheyyan ithra kashtapedandallo..!

vere pani onnumillaa

[returnoftheramble3]

just look at where I pulled the digits. Like, 6X2=12 then this 1+2=3 then +2 blah blah

[returnoftheramble3]

1622=352 6X2=12 3+2 =5 2+1=3 352

1722=374 7X2=14 5+2=7 2+1=3 374

1822=396 8X2=16 7+2=9 2+1=3 396

blah, blah

20X22 484 10X2=20 2+2=4 2+2=4 440

You can make it as annoying as you want to.