multiplication, algorithm, prototypical thinking.

The article deals with the idea of breaking down prototypical calculation procedures in the case of university students of mathematics by introducing alternative algorithms for mental and written multiplication. Prototypical thinking can have many disadvantages, especially in mathematics and especially in the case of calculations of simple operations, which we learn before we are able to understand them from the point of view of their mathematical definition. The tendency to think prototypically often does not allow us to perceive tasks individually and solve them in a simpler way. Because the inclination to use learned prototypes in case of multiplication is evident in our students, we decided to monitor the extent to which we are able to influence this in students by introducing other ways of computation with their advantages.