Image caption, The area method could be used to work out how much turf is needed. A landscape gardener might use multiplication to work out the total area of turf needed for a new lawn.

For example, to multiply four-digit numbers, instead of needing 4 2 = 16 multiplications, Karatsuba's method gets away with only nine. When using his method, twice as many digits means only three ...

These days, many elementary school students learn to multiply using the "box method ... The box method makes this immediately clear, while the traditional method muddles this simple fact up ...

For example, multiplying two 4×4 matrices together using a traditional schoolroom method would take 64 multiplications, while Strassen's algorithm can perform the same feat in 49 multiplications.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Unfortunately, the method likely won’t make all multiplying faster unless you are using really big numbers. In a FAQ section ...

Image caption, The area method could be used to work out how much turf is needed. A landscape gardener might use multiplication to work out the total area of turf needed for a new lawn.