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Monday, April 22, 2013

Just 50 seconds !!


Is maths an Indian thing? Is it our heritage and is that why Mathematics plays a very important role in an average Indian’ life. Right from our birth and our entire primary and secondary education a child has to go through tortures of the tyrannical Maths.


Every Indian parent wants his or her child to excel in maths than other subjects. A child scoring hundred per cent in maths is considered to be brilliant and those flunking it are seen with awe of sympathy. What is with us Indian and Maths?


Well our possessiveness and demand for excelling in maths may be because we feel proud of our Indian History that gave so much to the world of Mathematics. We were the one giving Zero to the world. It was Aryabhata the great Indian  mathematician and Astronomer  who first thought of it.


S. Ramanujan whose 125th birthday was recently celebrated by the University of Florida was a great Indian mathematician who just enjoyed maths. He loved it so much that in his childhood he uses to fail in every subject, because he gave all the time to his beloved maths.


Shakuntla Devi, a world renowned mathematician who is being also called as the Human computer and is having a Guinness world record for lightest calculations. In 1977, she could calculate 23rd root of 201 digit number in just 50 sec. JUST 50 SECONDS. Whereas we might take 10 min to calculate cubic root of 5 digits.  In 1980, she multiplied two 13 digits number randomly given to her by the computer department of imperial college, London. her puzzles are still being used by various recruiters to test their applicant's IQ level.


It’s sad to inform you all that Shakuntla Devi passed away this April, because of her respiratory ailments in Bengaluru. It’s even sadder to know that her tricks died with her as schools had refused to teach her ways. Had it not being the case, Indian would not have to use calculators.


Here is a video of her powers


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