Computational skill involves facility with the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division - deciding upon the correct operation, selecting a means of carrying it out, performing the operation, and making sense of the answer. Mental Computation Mental arithmetic should be regarded as a first resort where a calculation is needed. People who are competent in mental computation tend to use a range of personal methods which are adapted to suit the particular numbers and situation. Therefore it is important to encourage the development of personal mental computation strategies, and to experiment and compare strategies used by others, and to choose those best suited to personal strengths and the particular context. Nowadays everybody should know how to use a calculator effectively because it is taken for granted that calculators are available whenever they can be used.
Computers are now the basic tool for computation in commerce and industry.
Most consumers are affected by the use of computers as 'number crunchers' and many will work with them. Probably the most common use of mathematics for the majority of people relates to money and finance and therefore the concepts of money and exchange, leading into social and commercial arithmetic are regarded as important applications of the use of number. Paper-and pencil Computation. Calculators should be used for more laborious or repetitive computations. Such use of calculators allows us to develop mathematical concepts more thoroughly and to concentrate on more realistic applications.