Multiply faster
Multiply two numbers that sit near 100 or 1000
Numbers like 97 × 96 look hard, but they are barely below 100 — the long method wastes that structure.
Spot it when
Both numbers are within ~10–15% of a power of 10 (e.g. 97, 104, 994).
Watch it solved
Choose the base
Both numbers are below base 100. Our working base is 100.
⚡ Speed Advantage
4× faster with Vedic Mathematics
When you’ll actually hit this
Real moments — exams, homework, competitions — where this shortcut earns its keep.
A bank-exam quant question: 98 × 97, and four options are seconds apart on the clock.
Deficiencies −2, −3 from 100: left 98−3 = 95, right 2×3 = 06 → 9506.
Estimating a print run: 103 booklets at 107 pages each, in your head before the meeting.
Surplus +3, +7 above 100: left 110, right 21 → 11021.
A speed round throws up numbers a bit further from 100, like 88 × 92.
Deficiencies −12, −8: left 88−8 = 80, right 12×8 = 96 → 8096.
A near-1000 product appears in a data set and you want it without long multiplication.
Deficiencies −6, −3 from 1000: left 991, right 018 → 991018.
The method behind it
निखिलं नवतश्चरमं दशतः
Nikhilaṃ Navataścaramaṃ Daśataḥ
“All from 9 and the last from 10”
Find how far each number is from the nearest power of 10. Those distances do the multiplication for you.
via long multiplication (12 partial products).
deficiencies 3 and 6, left=, right= (3 steps).
Use when
- • Both numbers within 10–15% of a power of 10 (10, 100, 1000)
Avoid when
- • Numbers far from any base (use Urdhva-Tiryakbyham)