What is the integration shortcut taught in China?

[bbryant33]

I was recently talking to a doctor who told me he had a good friend who happened to be Chinese foreign exchange student both of whom were math majors. The doctors friend showed him an integration shortcut apparently taught in china. Only problem is I can't remember the name of this "shortcut" for the life of me. Any ideas of what it could be?

 

[DonAntonio]

I was recently talking to a doctor who told me he had a good friend who happened to be Chinese foreign exchange student both of whom were math majors. The doctors friend showed him an integration shortcut apparently taught in china. Only problem is I can't remember the name of this "shortcut" for the life of me. Any ideas of what it could be?

An electronic calculator...?

DonAntonio

Pd. Sorry for the joke: it sucks.

 

[Stephen Tashi]

Any ideas of what it could be?

I always have ideas. They aren't always correct, of course.

My guess:

The business about "only taught in China" is probably nonsense. It might be an unusual method like the technique that involves differentiating the integrand with respect to a constant that appears in it (such as \pi). The famous physicist Richard Feynman was noted for his use of this method. You can probably find articles about it if you include Feynman as a keyword. (I don't think this has anything to do with path integrals, another technique that he was famous for.)

 

[lugita15]

(I don't think this has anything to do with path integrals, another technique that he was famous for.)

No, it doesn't.

 

[SpaceWalrus]

Tabular Integration?

http://www.maa.org/pubs/Calc_articles/ma035.pdf