brain wanders during a tedious presentation at work. This attentional ability is not capable of multitasking
.
I love how Dr. Medina describes the crux of the problem: being able to pay attention, which he calls “attentional ability.”And therein lies the secret to peak performance: being able to pay attention one “sequence” at a time. Sometimes, however, we can have trouble just paying attention at all, with focusing and concentrating on just the one task at hand before moving on to the next. Which is why I’ve designed the following exercises to help you do just that.
First I’ll showcase a math shortcut that demands focus and concentration; then I’ll move on to a word game that requires even more intense focus and concentration because you have to be aware of what you’re doing every step of the way. And finally I’ll round out this chapter with a test that illuminates your mind’s natural ability not only to focus and concentrate on the spot but also to notice patterns and heighten your “attentional” capacity.
DIVIDING ANY NUMBER BETWEEN 10 AND 90 BY 91
The following exercise forces you to place different information in your brain in sequence and then retrieve certain information at different times in order to arrive at your answer. First, however, I want you to take note of the pattern involved with the solutions to all of these types of equations. Below are four different solutions to the problem of dividing any number between 10 and 90 by 91. Can you figure out what these four solutions have in common?
Can you find the pattern? (Note: I’m giving only the first six decimal places.)
72 ÷ 91 = 0.791208
84 ÷ 91 = 0.923076
31 ÷ 91 = 0.340659
56 ÷ 91 = 0.615384
When I first designed this shortcut for dividing any two-digit number by 91, I did so by finding patterns in numbers that relate to the number 1,001. For example, 91 times 11 equals 1,001, and 13 times 77 equals 1,001. Now, before you start trying to figure out how I went from seeing that pattern to arriving at a trusty new formula for working with the number 91 as a denominator, don’t ask. I’ll save you from having to hear the very long story of how I finally reached my shortcut. But it’s worth emphasizing that my shortcut invention wasn’t arbitrary. It was possible due to my pattern awareness. (For those who want to spend time thinking it out, by all means, have at it! You can go online at www.MikeByster.com to share your step-by-step approach and see if it syncs up with my formula or offers a whole new approach.)
So, with that in mind, let’s turn back to these equations. In all six digits of the answers, patterns exist in relation to each equation.
Did you find some of them? Here they are.
The six digits of each answer always add up to 27. Hence, in our first answer, 0.791208, if you were to add those individual numbers up, 7 plus 9 plus 1 plus 2 plus 0 plus 8, you’d get 27. The same is true of 0.923076 (9 plus 2 plus 3 plus 0 plus 7 plus 6 equals 27), and so on.
In each answer, there will be three even digits and three odd digits. (Zero is considered an even digit.)
The first and fourth digits of each answer add up to 9, the second and fifth digits of each answer add up to 9, and the third and sixth digits of each answer add up to 9.
Spend time admiring and looking at these patterns if they didn’t jump out at you initially. The next time you’re askedto find a pattern, maybe it’ll emerge in your mind’s eye a lot faster. Okay, so let me take you through figuring out how to divide any number between 10 and 90 by 91. Note that this shortcut only works for numbers between 10 and 90, and the number cannot end in 0. (Did you catch that? I said between 10 and 90, so you can’t use either 10 or 90. Are you paying close attention? You need full processing power to get really good at this.)
Alert:
In many of the exercises I will use language like “tens digit number” and “ones digit number” as I explain the
.
I love how Dr. Medina describes the crux of the problem: being able to pay attention, which he calls “attentional ability.”And therein lies the secret to peak performance: being able to pay attention one “sequence” at a time. Sometimes, however, we can have trouble just paying attention at all, with focusing and concentrating on just the one task at hand before moving on to the next. Which is why I’ve designed the following exercises to help you do just that.
First I’ll showcase a math shortcut that demands focus and concentration; then I’ll move on to a word game that requires even more intense focus and concentration because you have to be aware of what you’re doing every step of the way. And finally I’ll round out this chapter with a test that illuminates your mind’s natural ability not only to focus and concentrate on the spot but also to notice patterns and heighten your “attentional” capacity.
DIVIDING ANY NUMBER BETWEEN 10 AND 90 BY 91
The following exercise forces you to place different information in your brain in sequence and then retrieve certain information at different times in order to arrive at your answer. First, however, I want you to take note of the pattern involved with the solutions to all of these types of equations. Below are four different solutions to the problem of dividing any number between 10 and 90 by 91. Can you figure out what these four solutions have in common?
Can you find the pattern? (Note: I’m giving only the first six decimal places.)
72 ÷ 91 = 0.791208
84 ÷ 91 = 0.923076
31 ÷ 91 = 0.340659
56 ÷ 91 = 0.615384
When I first designed this shortcut for dividing any two-digit number by 91, I did so by finding patterns in numbers that relate to the number 1,001. For example, 91 times 11 equals 1,001, and 13 times 77 equals 1,001. Now, before you start trying to figure out how I went from seeing that pattern to arriving at a trusty new formula for working with the number 91 as a denominator, don’t ask. I’ll save you from having to hear the very long story of how I finally reached my shortcut. But it’s worth emphasizing that my shortcut invention wasn’t arbitrary. It was possible due to my pattern awareness. (For those who want to spend time thinking it out, by all means, have at it! You can go online at www.MikeByster.com to share your step-by-step approach and see if it syncs up with my formula or offers a whole new approach.)
So, with that in mind, let’s turn back to these equations. In all six digits of the answers, patterns exist in relation to each equation.
Did you find some of them? Here they are.
The six digits of each answer always add up to 27. Hence, in our first answer, 0.791208, if you were to add those individual numbers up, 7 plus 9 plus 1 plus 2 plus 0 plus 8, you’d get 27. The same is true of 0.923076 (9 plus 2 plus 3 plus 0 plus 7 plus 6 equals 27), and so on.
In each answer, there will be three even digits and three odd digits. (Zero is considered an even digit.)
The first and fourth digits of each answer add up to 9, the second and fifth digits of each answer add up to 9, and the third and sixth digits of each answer add up to 9.
Spend time admiring and looking at these patterns if they didn’t jump out at you initially. The next time you’re askedto find a pattern, maybe it’ll emerge in your mind’s eye a lot faster. Okay, so let me take you through figuring out how to divide any number between 10 and 90 by 91. Note that this shortcut only works for numbers between 10 and 90, and the number cannot end in 0. (Did you catch that? I said between 10 and 90, so you can’t use either 10 or 90. Are you paying close attention? You need full processing power to get really good at this.)
Alert:
In many of the exercises I will use language like “tens digit number” and “ones digit number” as I explain the
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