Lesson 4 Addition 03

Addition (Part-III)
Dropping of Elevens:
This method was developed by a Russian born mining engineer and a
genius – Jackow Trachtenberg, when he was in German detention camp during
World War I. This method of addition can be done from left to right also. This
method almost pin-point the mistake i.e. we can know in which column of
addition the mistake has occurred.

In this method, instead of dropping the 10s (as was explained in Part 2 of
Do You Know Addition?), we would be dropping 11s in the process of column-
wise chain addition. Let’s see an example –

Ex: 1 DR*
4 6 7 8 7

3 9 3
 
8 9 0 8
  
9 6 9 8 5
  
8 7 9 6

5 4 7 7

7 4 1 9 3
2 3 4 9
  
8 1 6 3 9
 
3 4 6 7 2
0 9 0 0 9  Running Total
0 2 4 5 5  Elevens (or marks)
3 6 0 1 4  Total  5

This method is similar to dropping of tens. Instead of dropping 10s, we

drop 11s while adding along the column. Dropping 10 was easy in the sense that
while adding if we happen to get two digits, the left digit is dropped and we
proceed with the units digits, i.e. if the running total is 16 then 1 is dropped and
we proceed with 6.

But while dropping 11, drop 1 of left digit and reduce the units digi by 1 i.e.
if our running total is 16, then drop the left digit 1 and reduce the units digit 6 by
1 and proceed with the resultant 5. Again if the running total is 14, drop 1 and

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reduce 4 to 3 and proceed further with 3. If the running total is 11 drop the
entire 11 and proceed with 0.
However, as in the previous case whenever you drop eleven make a mark
on the top of the number. In the Ex. 1 above, ten numbers are added from top
to bottom (it can be added from bottom to top also) and from left to right (it can
be added in the conventional way i.e. from right to left also). Starting from top to
bottom and from left most column –

Column 1:
o 4 + 9 = 13  drop 11  mark on top of 9 and proceed with 3-1=2
o 2 + 7 + 8 = 17  drop 11  mark on 8 and proceed with 7-1=6
o 6 + 3 = 9  write 9 in the running total row and below this write 2
which is the number of marks or elevens dropped in this column.
Column 2:
o 6 + 8 = 14  drop 11  mark on 8 and proceed with 4-1=3
o 3 + 6 + 8 = 17  drop 11  mark on 8 and proceed with 7-1=6
o 6 + 5 = 11  drop 11  mark on 5 and proceed with 0
o 0 + 4 + 2 + 1 + 4 = 11  drop 11  mark on 4  write 0 in the
running total row and below this write 4 which is the number of marks
or eleven in this column.
Column 3:
o 7 + 3 + 9 = 19  drop 11  mark on 9, proceed with 9-1=8
o 8 + 9 = 17  drop 11  mark on 9, proceed with 7-1=6
o 6 + 7 = 13  drop 11  mark on 7, proceed with 3-1=2
o 2 + 4 + 1 + 3 + 6 = 16  drop 11  mark on 6, proceed with 6-1=5
o 5 + 6 = 11  drop 11  mark on 6, write 0 in the answer row and 5
below it as there are five marks or elevens dropped in this column.
Column 4:
o 8 + 9 = 17  drop 11  mark on 9 , proceed with 6
o 6 + 0 + 8 = 14  drop 11  mark on 8, proceed with 3
o 3 + 9 = 12  drop 11  mark on 9, proceed with 1
o 1 + 7 + 9 = 17  drop 11  mark on 9, proceed with 6
o 6 + 4 + 3 = 13  drop 11  mark on 3, proceed with 2
o 2 + 7 = 9  write 9 in the answer row and 5 below it.
o
We have running total (after dropping elevens) and the number of elevens
dropped in each column. To arrive at the final total, the addition of the above
two rows is done in a special way. It is started conventionally from the units;
that is, 9 + 5 = 14. Write 4 on the total line with a dot for carry over 1. From
next step we add in ‘L’ shape as explained below –

0 9 0 0 9  Running total
0 2 4 5 5  elevens or marks

   
3 6 0 1 4
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i.e. T U  Tens Units
0 9  Running total
5 5  elevens or marks

 
1 4  5 + 5 + 0 + 1 (carry) = 11

H T U  Hundreds Tens Units

0 0 9  Running total
4 5 5  elevens or marks

 
0 1  5 + 4 + 0 + 1 (carry) = 10

Th H T U  Thousands Hundreds Tens Units

9 0 0 9  Running total
2 4 5 5  elevens or marks

 
6 0  4 + 2 + 9 + 1 (carry) = 16

As we still have carry over of 1, we do the last step by imagining two 0s in the
running total and in elevens dropped in the Ten Thousands column and again
add in the same ‘L’ shape as below –

TTh Th H T U  Ten Thousands Thousands Hundreds Tens Units

0 9 0 0 9
0 2 4 5 5


3 6  2 + 0 + 0 + 1 (carry) = 3

The Total is 36014.

Checking in Dropping 11s method:

In this method check can be exercised with DR in such a way that we can
check column wise totals as explained below –

9 0 0 9  Running total … A
2 4 5 5  Elevens … B
2 4 5 5  Elevens (repeated) … C
13 8 10 19  Total of A + B + C … D
4 8 1 1  DR of row D … E
31 44 55 64  Total of each column of Addends … F
4 8 1 1  DR of row F … G

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For the addition to be correct row E and row G should tally. If it does so,
then the addition is correct, else recheck only that column where the DR does
not tally.
This method i.e. dropping of 11 is explained in 4 pages. But once you
practice this method, you can adopt this method with lots of ease and
confidence.
* What is DR (Digital Root) and how it is calculated and utilized, is
explained in Checking of Arithmetic Sums (Part-I).

DR or Digital root is also known as Nines Remainder and instead of

checking by nines remainder, we can also check by elevens remainder; this is
explained in Checking of Arithmetic Sums (Part-II).

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