[Grandpa's Grumbling] Are Liberal Arts More Important Than Ever in This Day and Age!?

(Grandpa) What is 25 times 25?

(Grandchild) Huh!? Wait a second, let me go get something to write with😅

(Grandpa) 5 times 5 is 25, 2 times 3 is 6, so it's 625.

(Grandchild) What do you mean?

(Grandpa) How about 35 times 35? 5 times 5 is 25, 3 times 4 is 12, so it's 1,225.

(Grandchild) Wait a minute. <doing long multiplication> You're right!?

(Grandpa) For multiplication where the tens digit is the same and the ones digits add up to ten, you first multiply the ones digits, then multiply the tens digit by that same number plus 1, and line the numbers up to get the answer. For 46 times 44, 6 times 4 is 24, 4 times 5 is 20, so 2024 is the correct answer!?

☆☆☆

*The Reveal
(10a+b)×(10a+c) where b+c=10
... The tens digits are the same, the ones digits add up to 10
If you expand this equation
100aa+10ac+10ab+bc
=100aa+10a(b+c)+bc
=100aa+100a+bc
=100a(a+1)+bc
25×25=625 46×44=2024

☆☆☆

(Grandchild) Grandpa, that's amazing!?

(Grandpa) <getting carried away> What is the sum of numbers from 1 to 10?

(Grandchild) <writing on paper> 55!

(Grandpa) Correct! Take a look.
1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10=
(+) 10+9+8+7+6+5+4+3+2+ 1=
11+11+11...= 11×10 = 110
If you add them vertically, they all become 11, right? Since there are ten 11s, 11 times 10 equals 110. The sum of two sets of 1 to 10 is 110, so divide by 2 and 55 is the correct answer! The sum of 1 to 20 would be (1+20)×20÷2=210!?

(Grandchild) That's interesting!? Give me more problems!

Liberal Arts is sometimes translated simply as "education," but it originally referred to the seven liberal arts, which were the "basics of arts (sciences/techniques) that a person needs to possess" in the ancient Greek and Roman eras.

Specifically, it consisted of the Trivium (grammar, rhetoric, and logic) and the Quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music) four subjects.

▼ Professor Ueda from Tokyo Tech explains it very clearly here👇
It's a quick read, so please check it out😊

I believe that in this "100-year life era," it is even more important to polish one's liberal arts to lead a rich life.

As yahoi-san, who raised their children in the U.S., mentioned, they teach children how to make complaints starting in elementary school in the U.S.

Such classes are essentially a modern version of liberal arts education, which could be called "rhetoric" or "logic."

The U.S. teaches complaint etiquette as a form of "culture" that prevents the creation of monster complainers, while Japan remains stuck in the Showa era😅

★★★

If your child says, "Studying this stuff will never be useful in the future," you must not join in and say, "Yeah, you're right, I don't think it's useful at all either."

"In school, you solve test problems that have a correct answer, but once you go out into the world, you'll run into problems with no answers, and you'll struggle with how to solve them."

"The options you have for how to deal with those situations depend on your own level of culture. That's why, if you want to live freely, it's very important to learn broadly. Since that's the kind of study that has continued since the ancient Greek and Roman eras, let's just pretend you've been tricked and study with all your might for now." It would be cool to be able to say something like that😊

This is just Grandpa's subjective opinion, but I get the feeling that Asians, including the Japanese, are more prone to making impulsive, emotionally-charged complaints without being able to practice "anger control"?

Especially those from the Showa generation—aren't the very people who honed their career advancement skills by reading the room and catering to their superiors without ever voicing "dissent" in the company now causing trouble for those around them after retirement with their own "dissent" (interpretations that suit their own convenience)?

Even as you get older, you can learn "rhetoric" and "logic" on note. Am I the only one who thinks that liberal arts is a lifelong learning theme!?

(Grandpa) Well then, next is a 100-kanji quiz game. Sounds fun!

(Grandchild) I'm definitely not doing that!

(Grandpa) It's a game, you know!?

(Grandchild) No way~, I'm not falling for it!?

(Grandpa) <This kid is sharp. They've already figured out how to read people's hearts at the third-grade level.> I wanted you to do the kanji too. <End of grumbling>

Thank you for reading until the end.

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