The basic method
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The internet is awash with alternative multiplication techniques. One in particular is the Japanese method. Although the Japanese seem to have nothing to do with its history, let’s work through the simplest of these methods step by step (see also the figures opposite).
• Draw sets of parallel lines representing each digit of the first number to be multiplied (the multiplicand).
• Draw sets of parallel lines corresponding to each digit of the second number (the multiplier), perpendicular to the first sets.
• Mark a dot wherever one line crosses another.
