Russian Multiplication - Numberphile

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 พ.ค. 2024
  • Johnny Ball on Russian and Egyptian Multiplication.
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    More on Johnny Ball, including his books and live shows: www.johnnyball.co.uk
    Russian multiplication is also known as Ethiopian multiplication.
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ความคิดเห็น • 1.6K

  • @AshuTosh-tg8bq
    @AshuTosh-tg8bq 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3536

    9 × 13
    Brady : I want another example
    Ok
    13 × 9

    • @PopeLando
      @PopeLando 4 ปีที่แล้ว +111

      True, this was the worst example ever of "falsifying the premise" to test the hypothesis! 😂

    • @angelmendez-rivera351
      @angelmendez-rivera351 4 ปีที่แล้ว +330

      PopeLando Well, not necessarily. Mathematically, it is necessary to treat 9*13 and 13*9 as separate calculations, and in order for the method to be valid, it is necessary that both calculations have the same output, since we know multiplication is commutative. Hence, we can consider this as a teat of sorts. If the result for calculating 13*9 fails to be equal to the result for calculating 9*13, then the method is invalid - the converse is not true, though, so if this test is passed, more tests are needed to determine sufficiency. However, this is the first step.

    • @phyphor
      @phyphor 4 ปีที่แล้ว +90

      @@angelmendez-rivera351 the magic phrase is "necessary but not sufficient"

    • @anigianesin6674
      @anigianesin6674 4 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      Outstanding move

    • @ruthsquire958
      @ruthsquire958 4 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      ​@@PopeLando How do you know the operation he performed gives you the same thing for a*b and b*a? The reason you rely on your usual intuition for a*b = b*a is is because multiplication over R is commutative. It may well be that the operations he was performing would result in a*b not being the same as b*a or one of these not being defined altogether.

  • @ExaltedDuck
    @ExaltedDuck 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3972

    I could enjoy listening to this man reading a phone book.

    • @triton6490
      @triton6490 4 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      True

    • @RalphDratman
      @RalphDratman 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @שחר א. No entiendo

    • @ActuatedGear
      @ActuatedGear 4 ปีที่แล้ว +26

      He sounds happy and he talks in a way that makes it infectious.

    • @rcb3921
      @rcb3921 4 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      What's a phone book?

    • @SierraSierraFoxtrot
      @SierraSierraFoxtrot 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Gonna take a long time in binary!

  • @supermarc
    @supermarc 4 ปีที่แล้ว +708

    I've been told this is the person that got Numberphile's very own James Grime into maths!

    • @jacksonpercy8044
      @jacksonpercy8044 4 ปีที่แล้ว +33

      Makes me wonder what got Johnny's father's friend into maths.

    • @thomasyates3078
      @thomasyates3078 4 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      @@jacksonpercy8044 What makes you think it was his father's friend. Johnny's story took place in a time when adult men could still speak to strange children without anyone being suspicious of their motives. I've always thought it's sad that can't happen anymore.

    • @qwertyTRiG
      @qwertyTRiG 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@thomasyates3078 He says so.

    • @thomasyates3078
      @thomasyates3078 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@qwertyTRiG No he doesn't. He says he met a fella in a pub.

    • @kenbiery807
      @kenbiery807 4 ปีที่แล้ว +31

      @@thomasyates3078 At 26 second he says "Mate of me dads".

  • @macronencer
    @macronencer 4 ปีที่แล้ว +327

    Just seeing Johnny Ball in a Numberphile video was enough to blow my mind, never mind the maths! One of my childhood heroes, definitely inspired me in my early life. I'm now a software developer of thirty years. Love you, Johnny!

  • @shruggzdastr8-facedclown
    @shruggzdastr8-facedclown 4 ปีที่แล้ว +746

    Am I alone, or does anyone else want more Numberphile videos featuring Johnny?!

    • @ericpraline
      @ericpraline 4 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      You‘re not

    • @fredsnicker
      @fredsnicker 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      He's truly a master educator/communicator/story-teller, the perfect combination for this channel.

    • @BernardWilkinson
      @BernardWilkinson 3 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      Just look for 'Think of a number'. Johnny Ball is a hero to many Brits. During the 70's and 80's this is what we all watched (Only 3 tv channels at that time and on at 5pm).

    • @drenz1523
      @drenz1523 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I want MORE Cliff Stoll and Johnny Ball!

    • @ThoughtandMemory
      @ThoughtandMemory 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      More. Much more.

  • @hehexdjnp_prakn2589
    @hehexdjnp_prakn2589 4 ปีที่แล้ว +516

    love his accent

  • @klaxoncow
    @klaxoncow 4 ปีที่แล้ว +543

    When he was halving it at first, I didn't realise what was going on.
    But when he did the doubling on both sides, it dawned on me what was going on because I've actually used this.
    You see, old CPUs - like the MOS 6510 in the C64, which was the second computer I ever owned - didn't have multiplication or division instructions. They were cheap and simple 8-bit chips and complex operations like that would have used up too much of the silicon.
    And this is exactly how you'd do multiplication on a chip like that, which didn't directly have a multiplication instruction.
    Because, in binary, to multiply something by 2, you just shift all the bits over to the left one. Just like how, in decimal, when you multiply anything by 10, all you do is stick a zero at the end - basically shifting all the digits left and dropping a zero in the gap you just created. Same idea works in binary, but shifting it all left and dropping a zero in the gap is multiplying by two, rather than ten, as this is "base 2" and not "base 10".
    So multiplying by any power of two is simple, just shift the bits over to the left. Once to multiply by 2. Twice to multiply by 4. Three times to multiply by 8.
    But what if you want to multiply by 3? Well, shift the bits over one - that's multiplying by 2 - and then add the original number to it. I.e. 3 x 9 = 2 x 9 + 9.
    If you want to multiply by 5 then multiply it by 4 - shift left twice - and add the original number to it. As 5 x 9 = 4 x 9 + 9.
    If you want to multiply by 6 then you can multiply by 4 - shift left twice - and multiply by 2 - shift left once - and then just add them together. Because 6 x 9 = 4 x 9 + 2 x 9.
    And if you keep following this logic, then you realise that you can - by arrangements of shifting left and adding it together (where adding on the original number can be seen as being "shift left zero times" - that is, 3 x 9 = 2 x 9 + 1 x 9).
    Then you realise the combination of what you need to shift left and add together is given to you by the binary of the number you're multiplying by. 5 in binary is 1001 = 4 x 9 + 1 x 9. 6 in binary is 1010 = 4 x 9 + 1 x 9.
    So you can write a subroutine to multiply two numbers together that shifts right one of the numbers and tests if there's a 1 bit shifted out. If there is then shift the other number left by as many times as you've shifted the other number right. Add this to a running total. Repeat until you've shifted all the original bits out of the "shift right" number.
    Done. The running total will now be the result of multiplying those numbers together. Multiplication using only bit shifting and addition. Using only halving and doubling, and adding up.
    (And, truth is, though modern CPUs do include multiplication and division instructions directly, doing it manually on those older CPUs tells you exactly how the hardware is doing it. It just automates the whole procedure into a single circuit for you.)
    Oh, and the other thing to note is that you need double the number of bits to store the result. If you're multiplying x and y together and they're both 8-bits, then you want 16-bits to store the result. Because 8 bits times 8 bits cannot produce a result more than double the size - so 16-bits. Or 32-bits by 32-bits, you need a 64-bit register for the result. As long as the result is double the size of the longest number in those you're multiplying, the result can't overflow.

    • @david102994
      @david102994 4 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      Thank you for explaining

    • @Endrju219
      @Endrju219 4 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      That's the missing part of the epilogue 😄 It's all clear now! Thank you!

    • @PvblivsAelivs
      @PvblivsAelivs 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I thought it was the 6502 processor.

    • @wobblysauce
      @wobblysauce 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      The video was great, just like this response. Nice things to learn.

    • @akshayb56
      @akshayb56 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Very interesting, particularly the bit shifting. Thanks!

  • @benuscore8780
    @benuscore8780 4 ปีที่แล้ว +129

    The egyptian method also shows how computers multiply numbers together - if you shift a number left by one position, you've doubled it, and the first factor is already in binary.

    • @Carewolf
      @Carewolf 4 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      Plus the egyption method is basically the same as the standard decimal way of multiplying most kids learn, except in binary.

    • @ivanti7433
      @ivanti7433 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@Carewolf о

    • @dishant8126
      @dishant8126 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      I would like but your comment's at 64 likes

    • @tibbsgaming7460
      @tibbsgaming7460 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      What? Shifting a number left means youve multiplied it by 10.

    • @benuscore8780
      @benuscore8780 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      ​@@tibbsgaming7460 In binary it multiplies by two.

  • @PhilBoswell
    @PhilBoswell 4 ปีที่แล้ว +921

    I have adored Johnny Ball since I was a small child, he was one of the inspirations for my love of maths.

    • @davidjackson2114
      @davidjackson2114 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Likewise

    • @onesagotoomany
      @onesagotoomany 4 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      My son and I both have our own copies of his "Think of a Number" book. Bought for each of us 35 years apart by my mother. The cover is different, but inside it's the same. The latest textbook I wrote has a section on phyllotaxis, which I remember first learning from that book. He is such a legend. And such an inspiration for our whole generation.

    • @simonjgriffiths
      @simonjgriffiths 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Me too, he was inspirational then and still is now

    • @Mroziwanman
      @Mroziwanman 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Ditto!

    • @markzambelli
      @markzambelli 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Me too...I loved him on TV in the 80's and I still have 'Think of a Number' on my bookshelves.

  • @ballinbadger8635
    @ballinbadger8635 4 ปีที่แล้ว +239

    I could listen to this man for hours. His enthusiasm for the field of mathemaics is apparent & astonishing!

    • @FeLiNe418
      @FeLiNe418 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Nobody beats the enthusiasm of Prof. Klein Bottles

  • @BonJoviBeatlesLedZep
    @BonJoviBeatlesLedZep 4 ปีที่แล้ว +221

    When I saw the 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 in a column my eyes widened. The ancient Egyptians were using binary and had no clue they were doing it. This is blowing my mind.

    • @1996Pinocchio
      @1996Pinocchio 4 ปีที่แล้ว +98

      to be fair, the only thing they didn't know was that a future civilization will call them "binary numbers" ^^

    • @35571113
      @35571113 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      I think they did not even have positional notation for numbers - neither binary nor decimal! I am now wondering if they had influenced the invention "Arabic" numerals, or if Indian people came to them independently.

    • @icyuranus404
      @icyuranus404 4 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      the egyptians probably knew it very well and were super advanced beyond what you know. think about what would happen if the internet disappeared along with all your ebooks. future civilizations would not know about your technological prowess

    • @hypsin0
      @hypsin0 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@icyuranus404 There's evidence of Egyptians urinating near anthills to diagnose diabetes. I really don't think they were very advanced beyond what we do actually know of their advancements.

    • @icyuranus404
      @icyuranus404 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      @@hypsin0 it is more environmentally friendly to pee on an anthill than to concoct a test that is administered by a debt laden college student wearing sterile gloves produced by dinosaur turds. they used binary because they knew what they were doing and we use it too and one day when civilization falls, there will be no youtube to convince the world that we ever used binary to interface with video drivers and it will only be found in egyptian and russian caves. maybe they had it all together and knew they were going to pass on so they encoded binary into our ancestoral knowledge which gave us the ability to use binary to make computers and share in their technological prowess. maybe they were so woke that they understood that you can still keep some things simple

  • @andyryan7874
    @andyryan7874 4 ปีที่แล้ว +29

    Johnny Ball is such a legend! He made that so simple for somebody as maths illiterate as me. Never knew he grew up in my home town of Bristol either. 🙂

  • @elementalsheep2672
    @elementalsheep2672 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1926

    This guy is a 22 year old in the body of a 52 year old, but he’s 82.

    • @RemnantCult
      @RemnantCult 4 ปีที่แล้ว +90

      Hot damn. He's healthy for 82.

    • @christosvoskresye
      @christosvoskresye 4 ปีที่แล้ว +62

      I hates them even numbers.

    • @stefan1024
      @stefan1024 4 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      That doesn't sum up at all ...

    • @An.Individual
      @An.Individual 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      he is actually 81 (from wikipedia)

    • @mgeorgescu
      @mgeorgescu 4 ปีที่แล้ว +26

      52 year old body LOL

  • @frozenmoon998
    @frozenmoon998 4 ปีที่แล้ว +349

    The way we get into Mathematics is not always an easy decision, however every minute after that, we get to appreciate our decision more and more.

    • @briangeer1024
      @briangeer1024 4 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Until stats

    • @FathinLuqmanTantowi
      @FathinLuqmanTantowi 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@briangeer1024 or when numbers no longer arranged linearly, and ancient letters show up

    • @brucanthwood
      @brucanthwood 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      I just dont get it... psi.

    • @Hikafujo
      @Hikafujo 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      I love this comment.

    • @thomasyates3078
      @thomasyates3078 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@briangeer1024 Stats is the best bit.

  • @BillySugger1965
    @BillySugger1965 4 ปีที่แล้ว +21

    Oh Jeez! I absolutely LOVED Johnny Ball’s TV when I was a kid, and ever since. I’m SO glad he’s still passionate about maths. PLEASE do as many videos with him as he feels able to do.
    My wife and I met Brian Cant in Poole after a show there, told him what a difference he’d made to us growing up and introduced our own kids to him. He seemed genuinely touched. Would love to meet Johnny too some day!

  • @thomashughes4859
    @thomashughes4859 4 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    The fascinating part is finding out how/why it works. He said that he learnt this from someone who was taught around in the 19th century. Thank you Numberphile.

  • @domramsey
    @domramsey 4 ปีที่แล้ว +57

    I can't believe you got Johnny Ball. He was like the Brady Haran of kids' TV in the UK in the 1980s. He made maths & science fun for a whole generation.

  • @mrmonster3434
    @mrmonster3434 4 ปีที่แล้ว +150

    Suddenly, I'm a kid again. We need more Johnny Ball!

  • @damionlee7658
    @damionlee7658 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Johnny was teaching me as a child with his TV show (and the audio cassette that came with my Salter Science chemistry set... And now is teaching me something new as an adult...
    Hats off to Johnny, what a fantastic influence he has been for so many of us.

  • @marksyb957
    @marksyb957 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Great to see Johnny again. He was a hero of mine when I was younger. I've got a signed copy of one of his books that had this method in it.

  • @EebstertheGreat
    @EebstertheGreat 4 ปีที่แล้ว +62

    The arithmetic you describe definitely appears in the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus ca. 1550 B.C. This is not from ancient Egypt (where it was likely preserved in Alexandria) but in fact from ancient Sumer. These sections in Book 3 (as in all the sections) used units and common denominators to work out difficult fractions. One problem to look at is 79. Although the solution to problem 79 suggests an arithmetical fact which is not true in general, it clearly shows an intimate understanding of arithmetic in its working out in this specific case.

    • @RalphDratman
      @RalphDratman 4 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      Problem 79 of Rhind Mathematical Papyrus? Where do I find a copy of that?

    • @icyuranus404
      @icyuranus404 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      i see...

  • @soreg666alex
    @soreg666alex 4 ปีที่แล้ว +478

    I'm russian and i never heard of something like that.

    • @dozenazer1811
      @dozenazer1811 4 ปีที่แล้ว +51

      Same lol
      But it might have been used a long time ago (I’ve heard of that from a 1910s book)

    • @FriedrichHerschel
      @FriedrichHerschel 4 ปีที่แล้ว +115

      Maybe it's just called "russian" because of the "purging" part.

    • @r-4spberry
      @r-4spberry 4 ปีที่แล้ว +29

      Абсолютно аналогично.

    • @reduser3731
      @reduser3731 4 ปีที่แล้ว +42

      @@FriedrichHerschel I don't think it's related to that, it was a joke. As far as I know, it is named "Russian peasant multiplication" which explains a lot lol

    • @constantin6705
      @constantin6705 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      ( Хорошие книги по истории математики у Ван дер Вардена {Van der Waerden}) "Science awakening"

  • @mousefad3673
    @mousefad3673 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Such a treat to see and hear Jonny Ball after so many years. I remember him being a fixture on the telly back in the early 80s! Very happy to see he's still going string, and as enthralling as ever.

  • @JackSchytte
    @JackSchytte 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    I love Johnny Ball! One of my earliest school memories was watching him forty years ago! This video took me back. He has all the energy and love of numbers he always used to. Great to see him on one of your videos.

  • @X_Baron
    @X_Baron 4 ปีที่แล้ว +79

    That Bristol geezer voice is priceless. :D

    • @ubertoaster99
      @ubertoaster99 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Pretty damn accurate, gotta say (as a Bristolian).

    • @russ18uk
      @russ18uk 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Arr kid does a proper job with maths proper like

    • @PhilBoswell
      @PhilBoswell 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@ubertoaster99 seeing as he's *from* Bristol, not particularly surprising ;-)

    • @ubertoaster99
      @ubertoaster99 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@PhilBoswell Yeah, but he moved north when he was young. His normal accent is slightly northern.

  • @qclod
    @qclod 4 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    This may be my favorite fact about maths practices, at least for now. Thank you for sharing this, including the history and the binary reasoning behind it. Makes so much intuitive sense with the doubling and halving, especially with this fantastic presenter. Grazie to both of you!

  • @yankeeclipper4326
    @yankeeclipper4326 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Wow! This is my favorite Numberphile yet. Maybe because I actually understand it. Really, this is something I've never heard of before and is so mind warping-ly simple yet at the same time perfectly illustrates the complexities and symmetry of math. Thanks for making these Brady (and Objectivity!). You and your comrades make, imho, the perfect videos: Fun, smart, thoughtful, and positive. Your vids are full of exuberance and there is no negativity, which is refreshing in today's world. You made my day!

  • @anon6514
    @anon6514 4 ปีที่แล้ว +45

    For clarity:
    Division by two then rounding down is equivalent to removing the last digit in the number's binary representation.
    All even numbers end in 0 and all odd numbers end in 1.
    This process is the very definition of the binary representation.

    • @turtlellamacow
      @turtlellamacow 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Thank you, I was wondering why this crucial step was left out. Without it the "connection" between the methods is incomplete.

    • @legendgames128
      @legendgames128 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      1st Column: Shift Left (automatically rounds down) until equal to 1.
      2nd Column: Shift Right the same number of times as the above line.
      Check each number in the 1st column to see if the 1s bit is a 0. If so, remove the same entries in both columns.
      Add together what's left.
      ​ Edit: thanks for the correction, @theblinkingbrownie4654, also because of your first correction I found another mistake.

    • @theblinkingbrownie4654
      @theblinkingbrownie4654 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

      ​@@legendgames128you confused your lefts and rights

    • @legendgames128
      @legendgames128 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@theblinkingbrownie4654 Thanks.

  • @damianknight8064
    @damianknight8064 4 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    oh seeing johnny ball just made my day ! loved him as a kid

  • @jays2001
    @jays2001 4 ปีที่แล้ว +18

    One of my childhood heroes, and once again, he reveals all...

  • @AdamHowie
    @AdamHowie 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Was so good to see Johnny Ball again, such a massive influence on my childhood and love of science :)

  • @DavePoo
    @DavePoo 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I can guarantee you that every 6502 programmer knows this egyptian method. The 6502 processor did not have a multiply instruction so If you wanted to multiply you could do it with a series of Add and "Shift Left" instructions (shift left will double a binary number!).

  • @ryanchavez1895
    @ryanchavez1895 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    This is the greatest thing I’ve heard today. Love it and want to teach my son this.

  • @EddieGriffith2802
    @EddieGriffith2802 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Yep, I was one of them kids that sat glued to Think of a Number on the telly back in the 80s! 40 years later and Johnny still showing us maths in a fun and entertaining way! Brilliant!

  • @helloarigato
    @helloarigato 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    This is my favourite numberphile video in years. Johnny Ball is amazing, thank you so much!

  • @sillybrit2006
    @sillybrit2006 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I can probably thank Johnny Ball for getting me hooked on maths & science when I was a kid, he's great. Loved his TV shows!
    Didn't know about this approach for multiplication.
    Great anecdote & history to go with the great explanation. Many thanks.

  • @mirjanbouma
    @mirjanbouma 4 ปีที่แล้ว +18

    Do we have more videos with this man? I need all of them.

    • @SlartiMarvinbartfast
      @SlartiMarvinbartfast 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Plenty outside of Numberphile, just search TH-cam for Johnny Ball.

    • @xera5196
      @xera5196 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I search that and just get videos in climate change denial

    • @gordslater
      @gordslater 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@xera5196 search YT for Johnny Ball think of a number, then play a few and click like a few. Algorithm will correct itself.

  • @rubenlarochelle1881
    @rubenlarochelle1881 4 ปีที่แล้ว +57

    Definition of a pleasing explainer: he begins at 0:40, I fully understand the video at 0:47, I still watch it until 5:10.

    • @emperortbw402
      @emperortbw402 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      There's still an interesting bit hidden starting at 5:57 where he explins how this can be used to almost effortlessly convert from base 10 into binary.

  • @classawarrior
    @classawarrior 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Wow, what a great presentation! Love the way it tied together at the end

  • @gunnararc
    @gunnararc 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    This is what numberphile is about! The math doesn't have to be complicated - it's all about the storytelling and the fantastic presentation of an interesting subject.
    What a great video!

  • @jamesdecross1035
    @jamesdecross1035 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Oh, yes, more of Jonny Ball, please… so inspiring, he is a superhero!

  • @YiannisANO1911
    @YiannisANO1911 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    this was fascinating information compacted in 5 short minutes, mind blowing

  • @dawiz9671
    @dawiz9671 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    We want more Johnny!! His voice and energy is so lovable and enjoyable!

  • @harriehausenman8623
    @harriehausenman8623 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Absolutely brilliant episode! What a wonderful connection.

  • @davidwilkie9551
    @davidwilkie9551 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Wow, truly brilliant techniques from what must be an original "learning by doing" pattern.

  • @caitgems1
    @caitgems1 4 ปีที่แล้ว +30

    Johnny is a legend.

  • @subliminalvibes
    @subliminalvibes 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Johnny Ball is such a wonderful personality from my childhood.
    Despite my rocky relationship with maths I find numbers so fascinating I'm going to give subscribing to this channel another try for 2020. Cheers from Australia!

  • @Jenked
    @Jenked 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    OMG it's Johnny Ball! I haven't seen him since I was a kid. Brilliant to see and hear him again. Thanks Numberphile, and thanks Brady!

  • @McChes
    @McChes 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Why isn’t Johnny Ball still explaining it all on national television?

  • @FlammaVulpes
    @FlammaVulpes 4 ปีที่แล้ว +91

    My uni professor taught us this method when we were studying binary, oct and hex, haha. Pretty interesting!

    • @SpiacyLos
      @SpiacyLos 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I understood binary, but how does it work with base 8 and base 16 numbers?

    • @FlammaVulpes
      @FlammaVulpes 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@SpiacyLos uh, it was more like a fun fact that had some relation to binary numbers. Not sure if it works with octal and hexadecimal tbh...

    • @suokkos
      @suokkos 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@SpiacyLos , base 8 and base 16 are just compressed binary representations. Hex is specially perfect for human readability because it divides all power of two variable sizes to whole sections.

    • @GreenIllness
      @GreenIllness 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      not sure what I said before made sense, but halfing and doubling seem to apply to any base systemI think:
      in deci (convert it)
      9x13
      in octal (start doubling and halfing)
      11x15
      4 32 (remember halfing 11 in octal is half of 8+1, i.e. 4&half, etc.)
      2 64
      1 150
      15+150=165
      165 octal is 117 in deci.

    • @suokkos
      @suokkos 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@GreenIllness , Correct. Base doesn't matter.
      Odd bases are harder because you can't make even or odd check as easily as in even bases. But basic algorithm doesn't care about base as long as you can do even or odd check.

  • @abracadabra8501
    @abracadabra8501 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This is insanely cool. Thank you for showing it to us! Спасибо большое!

  • @DarkCydeCA
    @DarkCydeCA 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    This is one of the greatest things I've ever watched on this channel and I've watched nearly every video. I love these "tricks" that also tie into modern concepts.

  • @bemusedindian8571
    @bemusedindian8571 4 ปีที่แล้ว +91

    Initially, I was like “Meh, I know this one”. Then the binary connection and... boom. :)

  • @madmanarca3558
    @madmanarca3558 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Johnny Ball on Numberphile!? I would never have expected this. Also this method is kinda mind boggling.

  • @333peacher4
    @333peacher4 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you for the new horizon and beauty.

  • @DuncanEllis
    @DuncanEllis 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Johnny Ball! What an absolute joy to see him continuing to be enthusiastic about maths.
    I remember his explanation of cycloids with a rolling cycloid log keeping a plank level.

  • @Flamingbob25
    @Flamingbob25 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    That cheeky little wink at the end, I love it.

  • @carpii
    @carpii 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Gotta love Johnny Ball.
    Still teaching me stuff, 35 years after I used to watch him on TV as a kid 🍺

  • @yanktheworld
    @yanktheworld 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you for this. I first learned about this method some years ago in a Math for Educators course (the professor called it “The Russian Peasant Method of Multiplication”). I couldn’t remember quite how it worked, and was never able to find an explanation of it. You just made my day.

  • @CannarWilm
    @CannarWilm 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    So great to see Johnny Ball on this channel. More please please please.

  • @mebamme
    @mebamme 4 ปีที่แล้ว +37

    I've been using the Egyptian method in programming, and I didn't know where it came from! I thought for sure that was a computer-era invention, or at least not older than binary.

    • @Archanfel
      @Archanfel 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      They used this method for engineering calculations when designing pyramids.

    • @Apjooz
      @Apjooz 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      The aliens had very fancy computers so it indeed was computer-era invention.

    • @fghsgh
      @fghsgh 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      I'm not sure why you would need this method when every programming language has a * operator, except for some low-level old 8-bit chips. And to figure out what a number is in binary, the bitwise and and shift are generally more handy.

    • @mebamme
      @mebamme 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@fghsgh Yep, it's on a low-level 16-bit chip! The SNES to be exact. It does have multiplication registers, but multiplying by powers of two and adding is probably more efficient there.

    • @fghsgh
      @fghsgh 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@mebamme Is doing it manually really faster? Maybe check the instruction set. I don't know the SNES CPU though. I do mostly Z80.

  • @nothankyou4859
    @nothankyou4859 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    fantastic video. this is the spirit of numberphile

  • @BonrekTheOrc
    @BonrekTheOrc 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Wow! It's good to see Johnny Ball, I remember watching him on Think of a Number as a teenager, and always loved the way he explained maths in such a simple and easy to understand way. I would like to see more videos with him in.

  • @pepemapache
    @pepemapache 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Beautifully explained, fascinating to see so many different ways to find the result. Numbers don't lie!

  • @nodroGnotlrahC
    @nodroGnotlrahC 4 ปีที่แล้ว +27

    Johnny Ball on Numberphile! Never have I clicked so fast!

  • @StephenHind
    @StephenHind 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Johnny Ball: legend!

  • @stephenaustin3026
    @stephenaustin3026 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    So great to see Johnny Ball again. Thanks Brady.

  • @murk1e
    @murk1e 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Johnny Ball.... I absolutely love this man. He was a major factor in my childhood. Lovely to see him. Thanks, Brady.

  • @user-oq3qs6ws3r
    @user-oq3qs6ws3r 4 ปีที่แล้ว +308

    Ноль, целковый, полушка, четвертушка, осьмушка, пудовичок, медячок, серебрячок, золотничок, осьмичок, девятичок, десятичок.

    • @sergiitomachynskyi1704
      @sergiitomachynskyi1704 4 ปีที่แล้ว +54

      Так считали наши предки.

    • @yardvader458
      @yardvader458 4 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      Партия и сюда добралась

    • @keithstathem872
      @keithstathem872 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Does that translate into english? Google Translate just made me more curious.

    • @PersimmonHurmo
      @PersimmonHurmo 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@keithstathem872 lol go study languages

    • @keithstathem872
      @keithstathem872 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@PersimmonHurmo I've tried several times, and the differences in grammar are very interesting, but I have such a hard time remembering vocabulary that I've never been able to get very far.

  • @jerberus5563
    @jerberus5563 4 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    That's pretty darned brilliant if you ask me...or even if you don't ask me, it's still pretty darned brilliant.

  • @Lunareon
    @Lunareon 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    His explanation is like a suspense novel: intensely captivating. I wish there were more teachers who excel at storytelling. It makes learning so much more interesting and effective. :)

  • @Fogmeister
    @Fogmeister 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    🤯
    This is awesome and the twist is even better!

  • @frasersteen
    @frasersteen 4 ปีที่แล้ว +20

    The OG still reveals all

  • @Seraph.G
    @Seraph.G 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    While watching this video, I ran into my sister's room to show her the ancient Egyptian multiplication halfway through putting my socks on because I thought it was so cool.

  • @mattshaw5179
    @mattshaw5179 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Seeing Johnny Ball has made my day! More please!!

  • @mattjackson9859
    @mattjackson9859 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great to see Johnny here, used to love his TV programme Think of a Number back in the day.

  • @gnenian
    @gnenian 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    He taught me to count in Sumerian (12s) and months and seconds and minutes on my hands when I was young.
    You count the 3 sections of the 4 fingers on your hand with your thumb. When you have counted 12 sections of one hand you close 1 finger on your other hand. When it makes a fist you have 60.
    Counting the twelve sections of both hands gives you the 24 (hours) in a day.

    • @JNCressey
      @JNCressey 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Here's another way to count:
      Your finger has 3 sections and 2 bends, that's 5 points to touch. You can touch the front or the side of the finger, doubling the points you can touch to 10.
      Each finger on one hand can point to a point on one finger on the other hand. You then have 4 sets of a finger pointing at a point on another finger.
      Now you have a 4 digit base-10 abacus.

    • @MichaelPohoreski
      @MichaelPohoreski 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      You can actually count up 1024 on your fingers.

    • @JNCressey
      @JNCressey 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@MichaelPohoreski, 9999>1024

    • @MichaelPohoreski
      @MichaelPohoreski 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@JNCressey Yup, you can use different bases but sadly most people aren't familiar with base 2 or base 60.

    • @JNCressey
      @JNCressey 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@MichaelPohoreski, then it's serendipitous that my method is in base 10.

  • @StuMas
    @StuMas 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    *Johnny is still on the ball!*

    • @fellowcitizen
      @fellowcitizen 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      now purge any words briefer than four characters or containing a narrow vowel

  • @sudiXP
    @sudiXP 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    This was brilliant thank you Brady for uploading. Thank you Johnny Ball

  • @lordvenusianbroon
    @lordvenusianbroon 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Oh my gawd, Sir Johnny 'Think of a Number' Ball!
    What a legend. You are spoiling us getting him on the Channel. And on my birthday. Brings me back to my yoof in the early 80s.

  • @moshe_raz9385
    @moshe_raz9385 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Omg that blew my mind

  • @Twilzeth
    @Twilzeth 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I was shown this by my math teacher like 12 years ago and I've never remembered it since but now I do and know why it works

    • @Carewolf
      @Carewolf 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @Nhật Nam Trần Because of the binary representation. The Egyption method makes it obvious. The original method is a round about way to get the same pattern as the binary presentation on the left hand side.

    • @Carewolf
      @Carewolf 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @Nhật Nam Trần No, that is exactly how it works. The division by 2 and looking at whether or not something is even or odd, is the same as looking at every bit in the binary representation in turn. Every division by 2 moves on to the next binary bit, and looking at whether or not the result is odd or not, it looking at if that bit is set.

    • @Carewolf
      @Carewolf 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @Nhật Nam Trần Yes, but not in format this short. The only short proof is to show it is equivalent to binary and use the known properties of that format.

    • @MichaelPohoreski
      @MichaelPohoreski 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Nhật Nam Trần It is basically equivalent to **binary multiplication:**
      === Algorithm ===
      1. Initialize sum

  • @SteveEngledow
    @SteveEngledow 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Excellent! More of the wonderful Johnny Ball please ❤️

  • @apollobraden
    @apollobraden 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    More of this!!! This was amazing.

  • @fanq_
    @fanq_ 4 ปีที่แล้ว +79

    I never saw that connection before... it does get a little unruly with larger numbers pretty quick tho

    • @Sharklops
      @Sharklops 4 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      yeah, although I don't suppose that would have been much of an issue for most of the people making use of this method centuries or millennia ago in their everyday lives

    • @chaosme1ster
      @chaosme1ster 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      True if done by hand, but I can see how doubling and adding can be computationally less expensive than multiplying in certain programming environments or on certain processor architectures.

    • @himagainstill
      @himagainstill 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@chaosme1ster This basically reduces multiplication to bit shifting, comparison and addition.

    • @JNCressey
      @JNCressey 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@chaosme1ster, a question is why the multiplication wouldn't just be implemented like this.

    • @hugovangalen
      @hugovangalen 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I think it's even to convoluted for 9×13. The way I have learned it school seems more straightforward and wastes less ink and paper too. :)

  • @rayhanmansoor2951
    @rayhanmansoor2951 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Brilliant is really helpful
    I learned a lot in 6 months

    • @kay486
      @kay486 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      lol nice bot comment

    • @rayhanmansoor2951
      @rayhanmansoor2951 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Jolly Joy I’m not a bot
      Check my channel

  • @matthewgough9533
    @matthewgough9533 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    That was absolutely fantastic! I've seen this about 10 years ago but it was great to see it again.

  • @KeldWolf
    @KeldWolf 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    If more ad placements had such relaxing music i think i'd sit through it. That was simply pleasant.

  • @TentoesMe
    @TentoesMe 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Oh my! They're converting it to base 2 and multiplying in base 2!

  • @hamiltonianpathondodecahed5236
    @hamiltonianpathondodecahed5236 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Cliff Stoll, Johnny Ball, -Matt Parker- ,these people should never ever die atleast not before me

    • @JohnMichaelson
      @JohnMichaelson 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Is there some inside humor about Matt Parker I'm not aware of for his name to be crossed out?

    • @chaosme1ster
      @chaosme1ster 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@JohnMichaelson Parker Square

  • @Maladictus
    @Maladictus 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Very cool! Thanks for the vid Brady

  • @martijn3151
    @martijn3151 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Love this guy! Amazing story teller. I’d love to see more math history episodes.

  • @user-fg1jn8iz3n
    @user-fg1jn8iz3n 4 ปีที่แล้ว +27

    Well i’am from Russia and I haven’t heard about this method 😄
    But I admit it’s stunning!

    • @andres6868
      @andres6868 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      It's on several books I have as the "Russian peasant multiplication method"

    • @pansepot1490
      @pansepot1490 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Lol the comment section is full of people from Russia who have never heard of this method. I guess “Russian” is just the name the Brits have for it. Like French kiss.
      Also, Russians must be very fond of mathematics if there’s so many who follow this channel. 😀

    • @willdarling1
      @willdarling1 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      next we'll find out brazil nuts actually come from Spain

    • @user-iw8iq1vz2y
      @user-iw8iq1vz2y 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Нихера не понятно, но очень интересно))

    • @ivansusanin6748
      @ivansusanin6748 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@pansepot1490 This method was widely used by Russian peasants. This is indicated by the mathematics historian Wiktor Wiktorowitsch Bobynin (1849-1919). But since 1917 in Soviet times he was not taught.

  • @bssyamkrishnan
    @bssyamkrishnan 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    okay now THIS should be taught in all schools all over the world!!

    • @inyobill
      @inyobill 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Not practical for large numbers, complicated to multiply fractions. The method taught always works and is over-all he most efficient.

    • @terranrepublican5522
      @terranrepublican5522 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      it's taught in the second week of the first semester at my uni, computer science

    • @corasundae
      @corasundae 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Doubling isn't that easy to do in your head with larger numbers.

  • @GaryMarriott
    @GaryMarriott 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    I never thought I would have Johnny Ball astound me ever again, thanks Numberphile.

  • @IanMcc1000
    @IanMcc1000 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Johnny Ball, one of the best TV presenters ever. Haven't seen him for ages, but he's so great at explaining things so clearly and concisely. My mind is blown by this, as it seems very elegant in a way to do the calculation. Yet for many people in the world this is just normal.

  • @PTNLemay
    @PTNLemay 4 ปีที่แล้ว +47

    This is how I imagine Samwise Gamgee's gaffer sounds like.

  • @cosminxxx5287
    @cosminxxx5287 4 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    and we keep wondering how they built pyramids.... well they probably didn't have the tech but for sure they were very inteligent so they knew how to use the limited things they have. very nice stuff. we can use our brain to multiply 2 digit numbers and sometimes 3 digits.. but when it comes to big numbers and you dont have a calculator, this egiptian/russian method and also the indian method are golden.

  • @leanbravo8856
    @leanbravo8856 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    This was both enlightening and charming. I am delighted.

  • @MakeItWithJim
    @MakeItWithJim 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I love Johnny Ball - glad he’s still with us