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Nikhilam Sutra: Near-Base Multiplication Explained

Nikhilam Navatashcaramam Dashatah means “all from 9 and the last from 10”. It uses the differences between numbers and a nearby power of ten to simplify selected multiplication problems.

When to use the Nikhilam sutra

The method is especially useful when both factors are close to 10, 100 or 1,000. For 98 × 97, use 100 as the base, cross-subtract to get 95, multiply the deficits to get 06, and combine them as 9,506.

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