What is the integration shortcut taught in China?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a purported integration shortcut that is claimed to be taught in China. Participants explore the nature of this shortcut, its potential methods, and whether it is unique to Chinese education.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Debate/contested, Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant shares a personal anecdote about a Chinese foreign exchange student who demonstrated an integration shortcut, seeking clarification on its name.
  • Another participant humorously suggests that the shortcut might simply be an electronic calculator, indicating skepticism about the existence of a unique method.
  • A different participant proposes that the claim of the shortcut being "only taught in China" may be unfounded and suggests a possible method involving differentiating the integrand with respect to a constant, referencing Richard Feynman’s techniques.
  • One participant confirms that the method discussed does not relate to path integrals, which were also associated with Feynman.
  • Another participant mentions "Tabular Integration" as a possible method, providing a link for further reading.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the validity and uniqueness of the integration shortcut, with no consensus reached on its existence or specific nature.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes assumptions about the shortcut's exclusivity to Chinese education and the validity of various proposed methods, which remain unresolved.

bbryant33
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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?
 
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bbryant33 said:
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.
 
bbryant33 said:
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.)
 
Last edited:
Stephen Tashi said:
(I don't think this has anything to do with path integrals, another technique that he was famous for.)
No, it doesn't.
 
Tabular Integration?

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