User:Halder House

Some Novel Methods of Arithmetic By Late Hari Charan Choudhury,MA ( 1890- 1966)

History of Author and Publisher :

Hari Charan Choudhury lived in Bengal, India. He graduated from Calcutta University. He was the Headmaster of Lalgola Mahesh Narayan Academy in  Lalgola< Some Novel Methods of Arithmetic>. The school was established almost a century ago in 1914 AD by the local Maharaja (King) Jogendra Narayan Ray in the name of his father. Lalgola is situated in the northern part of the world’s largest delta - The Gangetic Delta. In the pre-independence time Lalgola was an important business hub. His acquaintances  were Mr Wheeler( England), The Principal of K.N. College, Berahampore, Murchidabad, Poet Kalidas Roy, Writer Jatindra Mohan Bagchi and Educationist  Dinabandhu Andrews.

Vision of the Author :

Hari Charan Choudhury’s vision was to help school students to understand and enjoy  the art of arithmetics. He was influenced when influenced by the leadership of the educated Indian  during his time. Their collection vision was to progress the Indian society with the establishment of  strategic culture  of education amongst their country men and women so to embrace both western and Indian intellectual thinking.

Publication History:

The book was published in both English and Bengali versions.

First Edition was published in April,1926

In 1926, Bihuti Bhusan Dutta, D.SC, Lecturer in Mathematics, Calcutta University added to the forward of the book ‘ The following pages contain a few methods in Arithmetics adapted for the use of the students of High english Schools. The methods are novel and simple: specially the one about the multiplication in a line is very interesting. Students will find them helpful in working out exercises involving : Multiplication of numbers integral as well as decimals Reductions of fraction to recurring decimals and vice versa. Students may profitably use them in their examinations either by employing the methods directly or by way of testing the results obtained otherwise with the help of them. The author in view of the writing of a school arithmetic in which these methods will be incorporated along with others ones. As the first step towards that end he publishes the present booklet to popularize the methods.’

Fifth Edition was published in 1931.

The fifth edition of the book was thoroughly revised and large additions had been provided as three new chapters dealing  with three new subjects. The subjects are : Squaring of numbers in one line Division in one line Finding out square roots in one line The methods adopted possess the same characteristic as those published in the former edition in as much as they all enable us to perform certain sets of sums in one line. In fact, in this edition I have been almost able to realise fully, my cherished dream of reducing all calculations relating to fundamental rules of arithmetic to one line.

In 1934, at the request of teachers and students , author had appended  to the book a formula that will enable public to make quick calculation of weekday of a particular date of certain year of Christian era. Sixteenth Edition was published in July, 1938

In 1938, the book was published by Purna Chandra Biswas, M.Sc., Professor of Physics, College of Engineering and Technology Bengal, Jadavpore, Calcutta , West Bengal.

Nineteenth Edition was published in 1949.

The book was published by Hari Charan Choudhury, himself. Printed by International Press, 60 Hari Ghosh Street , Calcutta - 70006.

Twentieth Edition was published in May, 2008.

Only very few copies of the book survived in the private collection of the educated elite Bengali families. One such copy was provided by Mita Ghose ( Teacher and translator of French and writer) and other by Late Dr Tandra Roy(gynaecologist). The latest publication of the book was financed by Chidananda Halder( BA, MBA), Bengal, India. The idea to republish the book to celebrate the existence of both easy to learn arithmetic book and the leadership quality of Hari Charan Choudhury more than eighty years ago was cultivated and introduced by Indranil Halder ( B Sc Bio-Medical Science, MBA), Sydney, Australia.

Book Chapters:

Chapter 1: Multiple in one line ( from right to left ) Chapter 2: Multiplication in one line ( from left t right ) Chapter 3: A novel method of converting fractions into recurring decimals Chapter 4: A new method of converting recurring decimals to fractions Chapter 5: A novel method of multiplying decimal numbers Chapter 6: Method of squaring a number in one line Chapter 7 : Method of finding in one line the square root of a number Chapter 8 : Division of integral numbers in one line Chapter 9 : Division of recurring decimals in one line

There are Appendix 1, 2 and 3 are also included in the book.

Example: Here is a given formula for finding out the week-day of a given date of a given year, past or future. Example : What was the week-day on the 27th June of 1450 A.D.? First subtract 1 from 1490 ( the year being not completed). Divide 14 by 4 and take the remainder 2. Divide 49 the remaining part by 4 again the quotient is 12 and the reminder is 1. Add together 2 to the remainder of the first division and 12 the quotient of the second division, then multiply the sum 14 by 5. To the product 70 and then add 1 to the remainder if the second division. Thus 71 is obtained .........

Consult the chart : Month 	      Jan  	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec Regular Year 	3	3	6	1	4	6	2	5	0	3	5	1 FLeap Year	3	4	0	2	5	0	3	6	1	4	6	2

Now as we are given 27th of June of an ordinary year, so we must take 4 allotted to May which is the previous month( as it is completed )

Now add together 71 in (1), 4 ( allotted to May) and 27 ( the days of June): the sum is 102. 102 when divided by 7 leaves 4 as remainder; the fourth day counted from Monday(inclusive) is Thursday. So the week -day on the 27th of June of 1450 was Thursday. 

The rule to follow :

Subtract 1 from the year ( i.e., the number indicating the year) Divide the hundreds- part of the remainder( thus obtained) by 4 and take only the remainder of the division. Divide the remaining part of the remainder ( obtained above by Rule 1.) by 4 again and take both the quotient and the remainder if this division. Add together the remainder of the first division and the quotient of the second division and multiply the sum by 5 and add to the product the remainder of the second  division and take the sum. Consult the chart given above and take the number that is allotted to the month previous to the month of which the days are given. Add together the number obtained by rule (4),the number obtained by rule (5), and the number of days given of the given month and take the sum. Divide the sum obtained by rule (6) so many days as the reminder; if the remainder be 0 it is Sunday. 

Press Releases :

The Calcutta Review  may, 1927- This booklet with a Foreward by Dr Bibhuti Bh. Dutta of the University College of Science, Department of Mixed Mathematics is intended for students of the High English Schools. The methods used in the book are so simple and lucid that they will be of great help to the boys going up for the examinations. The chapter on multiplication in one line is very interesting. We quite agree with Dr Dutta when he says that students will find the methods helpful in working out exercises involving Multiplication of numbers integral as well as decimal Reduction of fractions to recurring decimals and vice versa. We recommend this book for use both by teachers and students.

The Forward  15 of May, 1927- This book will be great service to the students of High english Schools as few novel methods of working out sums are shown in this book. They are simple, easy and convenient. The students might take these methods in their examination or might at least use them profitably in testing the results.

The Amirta Bazar Patrika  25 of September, 1927 - This book contains simple and novel methods for working out exercises involving the multiplication of numbers integral as well as decimal and conversation of fractions to recurring decimals and vice versa. The book is written in a simple and clear style and is the result of long years of meditations by the authors. It has already been highly spoken by teachers if mathematics and it will be of great help to the candidates for Marticulation Examination