You would still have to break it down into smaller multiplication problems and add these partial products to find the answer. The lattice method makes the process faster and more visually interesting.

So he began incorporating lattice multiplication into his lessons. He was skeptical at first, but he stayed committed and soon the method “spread like a wildfire,” Rush said.

Lattice multiplication makes use of the multiplication table in order to multiply huge numbers together quickly and easily. It is thought to have originated in India and moved west into Europe.