Fun Learning Way to Square a Number

There are several ways to perform multiplications. You can use a pen and paper, use a calculator, or memorize the results of particular numbers. Off course, trying to memorize the results of multiplications is not practical. You can only memorize so many. However, memorizing the multiplication table up to 10 or 12 might be a good idea to facilitate learning advanced multiplications. If you are able to memorize even up to 99, more power to you. But beyond that, I think is a waste of time and energy and takes the fun learning concept out of the equation. What a person needs to do instead is memorize and practice a method that will allow him/her to instantly process numbers in their brain to come up with the answer. I’m sure there are several methods that can practice with numbers. In this post, I will discuss only one fun and easy learning method that can be easily applied to a variety of two digit numbers.

If you know the basic multiplication table, you will be able to instantaneously answer the results of 10 × 10. 20 × 20. 30 × 30. and so on. I’m sure this should not be a problem for you. If so, here are the answers:

10 × 10 = 100. Basically this is the result of 1 × 1, and just adding the number of zeroes to the result 2 in this case. I hope I’m not insulting your intelligence or confusing you here.

20 × 20 = 400

30 × 30 = 900

If you can instantaneously know the answer for 8 × 8, for instance, which is 64, you would know

that 80 × 80 is equal to 6400.

How many seconds does it take you to do that? I hope it’s no more than 3 seconds.

Now we will only deal with multiplying like numbers—the square of a 2 digit number—so that the concept is easily understood, and then we can move on to other numbers. Let’s start with a different numbers than the, fun and easy one’s, that end with zero. How about (19²), (29²) and (39²), how can we multiply these numbers in our mind without using a pen and paper or calculator?

To do so, what we’re going to do is round them to the nearest number ending with a zero and take it from there. 

Let’s try the first number 19. The nearest zero number to it is 20. Why? Because 19 is actually (20 – 1). In other words, 19² is the same (20 – 1 )².  Realizing this much, we will first know that the answer will be close to 400, but not quite.

So the product of 19 × 19  is actually (400  - 19 – 20) = 361. 

And 29² is actually 30 × 30 = 900 – (30 – 29) = 900 – 59 = 841

The last one is 39² = (40)² - (40 – 39) = 1600 – 79 = 1521

If you didn't quite understand the concept here, don't worry, you'll get it later. In the next post, we will do similar multiplications utilizing a different approach, the Square of a Binomial. This approach should make things much easier than the previous method.

(a ± b)² = a² ± 2ab + b².  

Learn Math The Fun Way

Mathematics is the science of dealing with numbers, quantities, shapes, patterns and how they relate. It is not isolated skills and procedures. Mathematics involves many aspects of our daily lives. It relates to subjects like science, art, engineering, music and even cooking. In fact, it relates to many things we do on daily bases.


Although math involves many things in our lives, a lot of people dislike or hate math. Many students consider math to be their worst subject in school. It is the subject responsible for the big plunge in their grade point average. People hate math, most likely, because they had a terrible math teacher or teachers in grade school. Because they were not properly taught the basic concepts of mathematics, they find it hard and frustrating to understand and grasp later concepts. According to an official survey reveals that about 70% of the world’s student’s state that they hate math. They feel that math is daunting and intimidating. Students that begin to have trouble with math in early stages will dismiss the subject as something they are just not good at. It is true that math is not the easiest subject to learn; however, if approached properly, math could become fun to learn and very engaging. They must comprehend the “why” mathematical process is the way it is. Explain to them the reason, and they will learn how to reason.


To make it fun to learn for their kids, parents should promote reasoning by asking their kids questions and giving them the time to think it through. By doing so, they are encouraging their children to exercise critical thinking and reasoning. Finally, practice is the key to success in any endeavor. The three key elements to success is practice, practice and more practice.


There are many entertaining activities, games, and books that are geared towards enhancing math skills for different levels. You’ll be surprised at how much faster your kid will start learning when they are having fun and enjoying doing it. Even if the student is already doing well, he/she will start doing better.