Tips & Tricks

Programming Popular

Use Early Returns to Reduce Nesting

Problem

Deep nesting of if/else blocks makes code hard to follow — 3+ levels of indentation is a code smell.

Solution

Return early for edge cases and errors at the top of your function. The main logic stays flat at the base level.

Benefit

Reduces nesting from 3-4 levels to 0-1. Each condition is handled and exited immediately — much easier to read.

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Math Popular

The 9s Finger Multiplication Trick

Problem

The 9 times table is one of the hardest to memorize, especially for students and anyone doing quick mental math.

Solution

Hold up 10 fingers. To multiply 9 × N, fold down finger #N. Fingers to the left = tens digit, fingers to the right = ones digit.

Benefit

Never memorize the 9 times table again — works for 9×1 through 9×10 with 100% accuracy using your hands.

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Programming

Commit Messages Should Explain WHY, Not WHAT

Problem

Messages like "Fix bug" or "Update file" are useless 6 months later when you need to understand what changed and why.

Solution

Write commit messages that explain the reason for the change. The diff shows WHAT changed — the message should explain WHY.

Benefit

Makes git blame and git log actually useful. Your team (and future you) will thank you during debugging.

Code Example Read tip

Math

Multiply Any Number by 5 Using Division

Problem

Multiplying large numbers by 5 in your head can be slow, especially with odd numbers.

Solution

Divide the number by 2, then multiply by 10. If the number is odd, divide by 2 and you will get a .5 — just move the decimal.

Benefit

Dividing by 2 is always easier than multiplying by 5 — works for any number, any size.

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