Even so, he failed math twice.

When he was eight years old, Franklin was enrolled in a Boston grammar school.

It also covered economic subjects such as pre-decimal British currency and arithmetic for business use.

Cocker’s Arithmetick, the 17th century textbook that helped Benjamin Franklin pass math.

Portrait of Benjamin Franklin by David Martin, 1767 (Photo: The White House Historical Association, viaWikimedia Commons, Public Domain).

Within its first year of publication alone, it received a second and third impression.

CockersArithmetickgained such popularity that a new edition of the book was reissued nearly every year until the mid-18th century.

It eveninspired the phraseaccording to Cocker, meaning quite correct.

Cocker’s Arithmetick, the 17th century textbook that helped Benjamin Franklin pass math.

A scene from Benjamin Franklin’s early life (Photo: Internet Archive, viaWikimedia Commons).

[I] went through the whole by myself with great ease.

A scene from Benjamin Franklin’s early life (Photo: Internet Archive, viaWikimedia Commons).

Cocker’s Arithmetick (Photo:Internet Archive).

Cocker’s Arithmetick, the 17th century textbook that helped Benjamin Franklin pass math.

Cocker’s Arithmetick (Photo:Internet Archive).

Portrait of Edward Cocker by Richard Gaywood (Photo: National Portrait Gallery, viaWikimedia Commons).

Cocker’s Arithmetick, the 17th century textbook that helped Benjamin Franklin pass math.

Portrait of Edward Cocker by Richard Gaywood (Photo: National Portrait Gallery, viaWikimedia Commons).