Games Around the House
Sep 16, 2023 | Dundas
Family bonding around a table game can reinforce math as well as be fun.
Here's a quick tip for squaring a two digit number ending in five:
(10n + 5)2 = 100 × n × (n+1) + 25
Hence:
152 = 100 × 1 × 2 + 25 = 200 + 25 = 225
252 = 100 × 2 × 3 + 25 = 600 + 25 = 625
352 = 100 × 3 × 4 + 25 = 1200 + 25 = 1225
452 = 100 × 4 × 5 + 25 = 2000 + 25 = 2025
552 = 100 × 5 × 6 + 25 = 3000 + 25 = 3025
:
952 = 100 × 9 ×10 + 25 = 9000 + 25 = 9025
The trick works for numbers of more than two digits, but becomes less handy for mental math.