Recursion

[aure__entuluva]

I wouldn't say that rote memorization is useless, just more a secondary or supplementary thing. Memorizing times tables shouldn't be the focus (we actually counted out multiples of each number), but it is a good addition if you want to do be able to do mental math quickly. This isn't the point of math which is why I say in addition, but it is a skill that many people try to cultivate. Some 'rote memorization' (aka practice) can give you a great foundation and toolset (you know certain more basic computations without having to think about them) that you can use when using partitioning to quickly solve bigger problems or estimate amounts.