Brainetics Review: Does Brainetics Work? And Why Should You Care?
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You’ve seen the commercials. Now you want the details. I put together this Brainetics review so you can make a fair assessment yourself on whether Brainetics is a scam or not. Personally, I think calling Brainetics a scam is absolutely humorous. As one internet commenter puts it:The shock/scam online reviews of Brainetics appear groundless. They speculate, are ranting, frantic, suspicious, self-proclaimed non-user nay-sayers. Quickmath is old as dirt itself. -via Amazon
As I was collecting the Brainetics reviews (which are below!) from around the web, one thing immediately jumped out at me. All the negative reviews I’m reading appear to be from people who didn’t even attempt to use the product; they would return it within days of receiving it all while screaming and hollering for no apparent reason. Keep that in mind.
Brainetics Teaches Quick Math (aka Science Math)
Think about the math that you use on a daily basis. For example, you and some friends go out for dinner. When the check comes, you divide the check total by how many people you’re splitting the check with. With quick math, you can do it in your head on the spot. I don’t know about you, but that is impressive. Any math that you can execute in your mind is impressive – I generally need to at least whip out a pen and paper to help me along. Can you think of the potential these skills can do for your career?
Quick math is perfectly suited for everyday calculations you must make throughout the day, unlike long math. Long math is certainly essential and not be ignored, but the quick math techniques as taught by Brainetics is more useful in everyday life.
Another example? You know cheeseburger combos at your favorite fast food restaurant $6.76/piece. 4 others want you to pick up combos for them as well. With Brainetics, you will instantly be able to know to the penny how much money it will cost. Sure, you can do this with long math, but you can do this almost instantly with Brainetics.
Brainetics Reviews
Below I snipped all the reviews I could find on the web which, to me, appeared legitimate. Green background = good review. Red background = bad review.
One of the Brainetics tricks is for squaring numbers that end in 5. I tried it, and by golly, it works every time. For example, say you want to know the square of 85. The answer is 7225. Brainetics technique: take the number preceding the “5″, in this case 8. Multiply 8*(8+1) to get 72. Append 25 to it, and that’s your answer, 7225. As the numbers get larger, it gets tougher to do this — so try 395 squared. The answer: 156025. This time, it is 39*40, which is 40 less than 40*40=1600. So 39*40=1560. Append 25, and the answer is 156025.
Cool trick, but how does it work? If you think about it, any number ending in 5 can be written as 10*a+5, where a is some positive integer. That would mean that the square of the number could be written as (10*a + 5) * (10*a + 5). Multiplying out the terms, you get the following:
100*a*a + 100*a + 25, or
100*a*(a+1) + 25So the 100 out front allows you to simply append the 25 after muliplying a*(a + 1)!
Indeed a cool trick, wouldn’t you agree?
We got my son Brainetics for Christmas and he loves it! He’s in fourth grade and now he is showing us these amazing tricks!
Thank you Brainetics!
I recently purchased the product for my daughter who is in the third grade. She is a consistent honor roll student but struggles harder at understanding math. She has the foundation established so we are using this as a tool to future explore ways for her to learn. Everyone is not logical in their learning process, which is a requirement of math. Math is very logical and it frustrated me, being a logical thinker, that she could not grasp concepts as quick as I did. Again, this is just a tool to help enrich her achievement in math. Truth is…one all scholastic test there are timed math problems that often intimidates child so why not introduce other methods? This program has help my family as it has offer new ways for me to see math. It is not a magic wand and requires attention, meaning parents should engage with their children to help them with any questions they may have. It is not a replacement for the tradition methods of working math problem, but a different way to meet children/people who traditional methods seem to be uncomprehensive to. We are enjoying the product as a family. A side note, may daughter is showing her teacher some methods which she has used to help student who have struggled in math in her class. No child left behind. A cratfsman can not blame the tools. Just a tool!
Cost—What price do you put on your childs education and advancement?
If math were simply about long additions, multiplications and divisions, this product would have been great. Unfortunately, math is much more than that. It would be more beneficial for a seventh grader to learn and practice geometry concepts than spend hours trying to master the trick(s) behind squaring three digit numbers. However, the product has generated a lot of excitement among parents, and it may be good summer activity for the kids. But, expecting that this product will turn your kid into a math wizard is just absurd. It’s just a few tricks for very specific kind of multiplications (squares) and long additions. Cool if you know them but quite useless in the long run.
We just completed our first 30 minute sessions with our twin daughters that struggle in math (just turned 10). They didn’t want to stop the grid ssssion! I want them to work on math every day so I am limiting their time. However, they didn’t want to stop. That should say something!
The kids wont understand what they’re doing, or how they got the answer. Atleast with using a calculator you can explain what you’re doing.
Brainetics Company Info & Trial Details
| Brainetics Review | Brainetics.com |
|---|---|
| Company Info: | Brainetics, LLC
1-877-444-3776 |
| Cost: | Free Shipping 14 day trial for $14.95 You pay $149.99 in 14 days OR 1-Time Payment of $149.99 |
| What’s Included in Brainetics |
5 DVD’s Brainetics Manual for Parents |
Brainetics Video
Leave Your Own Comment On Brainetics
If you have used Brainetics, leave a comment below!
September 16th, 2010 at 4:24 pm
i have not recieved the brainetics yet, but i did order it, it should be coming any day now. i saw brainetics on tv and thought it looked interesting, so i looked it up ion the web, and i learned that it is 150$. i thought that it was a bit pricy but if i did not like it i would send it back. on tv i lerned one of the tricks, see if you get it!!!!
QUICK!!!!! Do 25*25 in your head!!!!!
ya probably got it but it took you at least 10 seconds. not for those who know the brainetics way to do it! this trick will only work if the number is two(2) digits and ends with five(5)
first, look at thelast number..5 you do 5*5…25 those are your last two(2) numbers. then look at your first number ex:2 you times it by the number that goes after it (ex 2*3 3*4 4*5 5*6 6*7 7*8 8*9)you take the answer and put it in front of the 25 and there you have it!!!
(answer to 25*25 is 625)
i recomend brainetics!!!
September 27th, 2010 at 9:18 am
I want to get this for my granddaughter but i also want to know what the benefits are for us “older” folks and is it a system more than just math for adults and how this might help in memory retention as we get older
pls respond and let me know since I DO want to get this for Maggie ASAP
September 30th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
@kurt, sure, anything to keep your brain working. your brain is like a muscle. when you stop using it it becomes weaker. brainetics will keep it working, including memorizing. but you can also do puzzles, memory games, etc. but if you like math, and math tricks, this is a cool set. math tricks have been around forever, so why not hit a discount book store and check out a book.
and regarding your grandchild, if you think amanda’s example is giong to help her in school, go ahead. i personally think you should consult with the teacher who is trying to teach her math, not math tricks.
good luck
November 25th, 2010 at 3:34 am
“The kids wont understand what they’re doing, or how they got the answer. Atleast with using a calculator you can explain what you’re doing.”
This review is pathetic! It shows how sad the education system in America is! That is a major reason that politicians send their kids to private school. They pass the laws and approve funds for education and know better than send them to public school! Every year the United States ranks lower in intelligence levels, yet people do not know or care? Too busy focusing on celebs to care about their future. I am talking about the parents! The sad part is that “monkey see monkey do” is how children learn! It will not be long until ‘Rome falls’ once again!
January 29th, 2011 at 7:38 am
My son is 16 and struggling in sschool. Is he too old for Brainetics?
January 31st, 2011 at 9:29 pm
I have three complaints–First at no time in the long informational was any age mentioned (9 years as on the box) Secondly there was no prerequisite as to the level of math skills to be able to use the material. Last and not least the price was not listed up front and then they try to sell you a more expensive package! One more being returned!!!!!!!!!!!My wife is a collage math teacher.
February 27th, 2011 at 8:56 pm
When things are marketed primarily through infomercials, you have to be very cautious about what you are being sold. The overwhelming cost of these products are the marketing productions themselves, not the products. I’ve obtained a copy of the Brainetics materials and can say that it is overall very weak. It’s like the old “where there’s a will there’s an A” materials (which I think are no longer sold, but were also marketed with infomercials starring the late John Ritter) – a good jolt of inspiration but very weak on the actual tips and tricks that make the difference. The stuff they show in the infomercial is the majority of the meat you will find in the product. If you want to know how to do things like divide big numbers by nine in your head or whatever, go look for paperback books on math shortcuts. There are plenty in your local library. And yes the powers of numbers ending in 5 are also in those books. Brainetics is just a small collection of math tricks wrapped in a clever name and sold via a very expensive television marketing campaign.
March 31st, 2011 at 11:43 am
I just want to say thanks for the heads up everyone. I loved the review that actually teaches the ending in 5 squaring technique. I can see how doing things in your head can give a new perspective on math and build a child’s confidence. I did little tricks like these with many of my algebra problems. So much so, that my first yr. of college, beginning Algebra–we were given a 10 ques. quiz to see if we could skip ahead. I got all the answers right, and the teacher offered to let me skip ahead, but I knew the answers but couldn’t remember any steps?!!! Of course, one time of explaining the missing steps to me, and I had it. I stayed in the class and became the student tutor to others that had a hard time. Yes, skipping the class would have saved time and money–but really, I’m afraid I would have struggled if I didn’t. I do have several math tricks books, and I know there are many more at the library. I’m going to save my money, and still empower my child. Thanks for the reviews!
March 31st, 2011 at 10:07 pm
The arguement that you’re learning tricks rather than how to use a calculator seems silly. The calculator is still doing the work. What matter does it make if you arrive at the correct answer?
Now, if you’re looking to be an astronomer or physicist or similar, I can see that you’d want to know how to use a computer (a calculator would be a joke for determining such enormously long numbers as often result from calculations in these fields.
For the vast majority of our kids, and I do mean the vast majority, like at least 95% of them, Brainetics is just fine, besides which the naysayers are conveniently leaving out the fact that there is a certain amount of calculating required and that this is being done without pencil and paper — in the head. And that’s a bad thing because….?
April 1st, 2011 at 10:00 pm
I am a teacher and any product that helps build confidence in a child helps open doors in the child’s mind to have the confidence to try more. Children need reinforcement and a few ‘good job’ in their day.
I tried some of these with my students and they were amazed that it was so easy. Even the ones that usually don’t try or don’t have enough confidence in themselves to think they can do it.
April 2nd, 2011 at 8:09 am
People are rushing to judgment and drilling into specific phraseologies of others’ reviews. The fact remains that, at the end of the day, all Mike has here is a few simple tricks–based on run-of-the-mill algebra I–for speeding up certain kinds of multiplication and addition problems. That’s all it is. I would rather have the child learn useful concepts. Also, the way Mike presents the material–”Subtract this one from that,” “Multiply these two,”–misses the fundamental message: if we want to show that algebra I is useful, then demonstrate WHY (a+b)(a-b) = a^2 – b^2 was useful for calculating 613 x 587.
April 11th, 2011 at 5:28 am
Just like everyone else i too have an asshole…(an opinion). Brainetics is great if you want to stay at a 5th grade math level. I’ve debated with my friends and we all conclude that when it comes to upper math classes, these tricks won’t work. 99.9% of the time your using a variable and i’m damn sure Mike does not have a trick to multiple that. The product is to teach tricks….not concepts. if your a concerned parent whose child doesn’t want to study or can’t comprehend numbers. MAKE THE PRACTICE!!!! When i was a child i was terrible at mental math…and still am. I am currently a physics major in college and i’ll let you in on a little secret. If you think computational problems are in college…your wrong. its all about concepts. Brainetics doesn’t teach that. So if you ask me, keep your $160 and offer it as a positive reward for your child to get better grades. All children are capable of high marks, you just have to find something that motivates them. Honestly, brainetics seems like a parents cop out instead of trying to teach your child on your own. btw if you really want the program you can find it on youtube. lol
April 17th, 2011 at 4:02 pm
I think the whole idea behind this method is to encourage learning, not to replace any concepts. I had a tremendous fear of math class myself as a child and hated being called a class clown for my inability.
In college, I failed math so bad I had to start with single digit additions and subtractions. That scared me even worse, once I engaged my mind I was able finish that same semester in calculus!
Whatever it takes to get a jump start I think is worth doing, besides if you don’t invest your money in that, its going into burgers or games! Who knows, maybe some kid might be a star in his/her class and change their life forever! I wish I had that chance!
April 23rd, 2011 at 9:55 am
I am an individual who has excelled in school after applying myself. I have degrees in 2 sciences, medicine (MD) and in pharmacy. Teaching concepts and how to think are critical. This is a lost art in our American culture which is why we fail in education. With that said, concepts need confidence to build upon and aggressively engage the mind. Brainetics is the mental exercise for concepts taught in class. Teachers and PARENTS must be engaged together to educate the children in their communities. I recommend it at this time as a starter set, then continue to the local book store and library for additional growth. This system is engaging for kids and their confidence will rise along with their innate curiosity to learn more. Then, they will self escalate into true learners.
By the way, No system works if you, the parent, are not interested in your kids learning. All children want your approval and positive reinforcement in their activities, so do it with them!
April 23rd, 2011 at 10:12 pm
I kinda think it might not help me but you know somethings on tv work! Bit I have not bought it yet I’m still debating if I should or not. What do you think? -Alli
May 11th, 2011 at 7:32 pm
Read more about Brainetics here:
http://rickyparker.com/forum/as-seen-on-tv/brainetics/
May 30th, 2011 at 1:14 am
I have to agree with the sound logic of many of the comments here. Brainetics is for entertainment only. yes it is for any age person whether a young student or older adult. However, this is NOT a substitute for education in math which children must learn in school, such as long math and long division and algebra. As Alice Young mentioned all the tricks in brainetics exists in math trick books in your local library, and the tricks do work, but do you want to confuse your child with these cool math tricks while they are trying to learn math the right way? I say its great for adults to learn a few tricks like this for their every day use of math, but it will never suffice for an engineer or many other professions that require a good education in math. Brainetics does not teach conversions of metric to English or back, it doesn’t teach trigonometry or calculus and it wont help an architect or builder. It’s just something fun for adults to add to their already established math skills. I don’t see any justification for the price or any educational value.
June 7th, 2011 at 7:25 pm
I think most people are missing the point. Whether this is a trick or not, people relate to the joy of getting something right. This system seems to be engaging enough to inspire further learning without staying in the fear mode of getting something wrong all the time. Isn’t that the point of teaching and learning?
June 15th, 2011 at 6:19 am
I was considering buying this for my children until reading all these reviews. After watching the info-mertial for 20 min and still not knowing the final cost of the product, I had to come to the vast knowledge base of the great W.W.W. I was never great at math, I would get the right answer but could hardly ever “show my work” which apparently ment I was cheating. And that is one of my earliest math memories. If this product is just some math “tricks” then will it confuse my 8 year old daughter with ADHD when its not the same steps she’s learning in school for the same types of math problems?
June 19th, 2011 at 11:24 am
I, brought Brainetics for my child after seeing it on tv it came within 2 weeks and it was great shes already on disk 3
July 9th, 2011 at 12:27 pm
The example you cited (10*a)+1… is exactly what you should show AFTER the trick is mastered. Then you’re using the parlour game to motivate and the introducing pre-algebra concepts. It’s an awesome strategy for teaching.
July 9th, 2011 at 7:09 pm
My daughter is very overachieving in math, but after trying this program, it took her half the time it took her before to do her math homework! I have a master’s degree in math, but I still couldn’t figure out how it works. I recommend this to everyone.
July 14th, 2011 at 5:25 am
I so wish this had been around for me when I was a kid.
July 18th, 2011 at 11:20 am
If you are in the process of ordering this and you change your mind and want to cancel, there is no way to do so on the website. Sad. You can do so on many other websites but not on this one. This should be looked into and changed.
July 19th, 2011 at 5:42 pm
I’m a teacher whose put the Brainetics program to use in my classroom which a lot of success. I teach a gifted program and a class with children that have learning disabilities, and have experienced substantial improvement in their overall drive & focus.
If you think your child will become an overnight genius, you’ve read into it’s purpose incorrectly. It’s designed to stimulate creative thought processes and memory comprehension. You have to put it to use properly and use consistency with your child just just like any other learning tool.
October 24th, 2011 at 1:43 pm
I watched the infomercial last night, and I made a note of the url so I could learn a bit more about Brainetics. Quite a good range of opinions here, and I think no one came up with a good reason NOT to buy and use the program. If it were nothing more than a math ‘game’ and motivator, it would be well worth the money.
My college math prof knew his multiplication tables through 225 and could tick of the result without missing a beat. He taught us how to do the same, and the technique was similar to those in Brainetics.
I’ll send this page to my son whose son is almost 5, and I wonder what they’ll do about a purchase. A “very aside”: A fiend of mine can recite The Cremation of Sam McGee, a colleague was able to draw the map of the US without taking pencil from paper, and others amazed people with various other feats. Get my point?
October 28th, 2011 at 5:45 am
My brother suffered a stroke a year and 1/2 years ago. He has been an areonautical enginer for over 30 years and has traveled worldwide for the company he was employed. He invented a product for same company. He is a brilliant man and previously rebuilt a boat that won prizes and refurbished a vintage Austin Healey and raced it.
Now he is trapped within his body but, he has made great strides through many forms of therapy.
Bottom line. Will he benefit from this program to rebuild his mental recovery?
October 28th, 2011 at 3:54 pm
I have an Engineering degree and a masters. I bought Brainetics to boost my child’s mathematical abilities. In a couple of days, we went through DVDs 1 and 2. I find the method useless… it has a lot of entertaining “tricks” that you would use in a cantina to entertain your drunk buddies. Tricks about “guessing” a number by using code words, or how to elevate a number to the 5th power with a trick. The method is all about memorizing lots of rules to achieve useless tasks. It does not foster rationalization required to excel in math and use it in physics and other real world applications. Just to give them the benefit of the doubt, we will study disks 3 and 4… but we will return the package if the program stays on the same track. I want my kids to trully excel in Math, not to regurgitate some memorized tricks.
November 14th, 2011 at 9:00 pm
I just watched the infomercial for brainrtics and I also read a lot of peoples comments re: this product. I thinks that it will be a great addition for kids that are in grade school to jr high school. Because it will help them with some of the basic math and make it fun and exciting for them. But i believe that it won’t help them as much when they get in high school. So if you think that it will help your child in any way it’s worth trying good luck. I think that every child should be happy and excited about school.
December 17th, 2011 at 11:43 am
does brainetics work for adults? and would it help in taking the math entrance test for junior college?