In the middle of the 20th century, the United States decided to move to a different way of teaching math. Known as “New Math”, it has been ridiculed a lot. For example, Tom Lehrer wrote a parody song that criticizes New Math for not caring about the correct answer, because “the idea’s the important thing”. As you watch this video, try to follow along with the math.
Tom Lehrer – New Math (4:22)
Note that Tom Lehrer performed this song in 1965. The “children” of the day that he was criticizing were the ones who created the Internet and the technology companies of the 80s and 90s.
Many of the changes that were introduced are still with us today. If you were educated in Canada, it is likely that you learned the “new” technique for doing subtraction. However, there are many different algorithms (techniques) that were used in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the video, the first algorithm used by Tom Lehrer is the Equal Additions Algorithm.
Equal Additions Algorithm (1:24)
Did you know that there is an algorithm that allows you to subtract from left to right?