An electronic calculator is typically a portable electronic device used to perform calculations, ranging from basic arithmetic to complex mathematics.
Middlesex University London is a public research university based in Hendon, northwest London, England. The university also has campuses in Dubai and Mauritius. The name of the university is derived from its location within the historic county boundaries of Middlesex.
A child prodigy is, technically, a child under the age of 10 who produces meaningful work in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to describe young people who are extraordinarily talented in some field.
A mental calculator or human calculator is a person with a prodigious ability in some area of mental calculation.
Mental calculation consists of arithmetical calculations using only the human brain, with no help from any supplies or devices such as a calculator. People may use mental calculation when computing tools are not available, when it is faster than other means of calculation, or even in a competitive context. Mental calculation often involves the use of specific techniques devised for specific types of problems. People with unusually high ability to perform mental calculations are called mental calculators or lightning calculators.
Shakuntala Devi was an Indian mental calculator, astrologer, and writer, popularly known as the "Human Computer". Her talent earned her a place in the 1982 edition of The Guinness Book of World Records. However, the certificate for the record was given posthumously on 30 July 2020, despite Devi achieving her world record on 18 June 1980 at Imperial College, London. Devi was a precocious child, and she demonstrated her arithmetic abilities at the University of Mysore without any formal education.
The soroban is an abacus developed in Japan. It is derived from the ancient Chinese suanpan, imported to Japan in the 14th century. Like the suanpan, the soroban is still used today, despite the proliferation of practical and affordable pocket electronic calculators.
Peter Benjamin Borwein was a Canadian mathematician and a professor at Simon Fraser University. He is known as a co-author of the paper which presented the Bailey–Borwein–Plouffe algorithm for computing π.
The Mental Calculation World Cup is an international competition for mental calculators, held every two years in Germany.
Arthur T. Benjamin is an American mathematician who specializes in combinatorics. Since 1989, he has been a professor of mathematics at Harvey Mudd College, where he is the Smallwood Family Professor of Mathematics.
Willem Klein, also known as Wim Klein or under his stage names Pascal and Willy Wortel, was a Dutch mental calculator, famous for being able to carry out very complicated calculations in his head very fast. On 27 August 1976, he calculated the 73rd root of a 500-digit number in 2 minutes and 43 seconds. This feat was recorded by the Guinness Book of Records.
Rüdiger Gamm is a German "mental calculator". He attained the ability to mentally evaluate large arithmetic expressions at the age of 21. He can also speak backwards, and calculate calendars. Featured on the Discovery Channel program The Real Superhumans, he was examined by Allan Snyder, an expert on savants, who concluded that Gamm's ability was not a result of savant syndrome but connected to genetics.
Alexis Lemaire is a mental calculation world record holder. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science related to artificial intelligence from the University of Reims. He is also the owner of world records for mentally calculating the 13th root of 100-digit numbers and 200-digit numbers.
Jan van Koningsveld is a mental calculator.
Gert Mittring is a German mental calculator. He was inspired by the late Wim Klein. He has competed in the MSO mental calculation event every year since 2004, failing to win the gold medal outright on only four occasions. He has held numerous world records for mental calculation, such as calculating the 89247th root of a 1000000 digit number. He has doctorates in statistics and mathematics education, and is a member of the Intelligence Research Committee of Intertel. Mittring is said to have been poor in math during his school years. He has written several books on mental calculation.
Alberto Coto García is a Spanish mental calculator. He was the world champion in mental calculation from 2008 to 2010.
Scott Flansburg is an American dubbed "The Human Calculator" and listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for speed of mental calculation. He is the annual host and ambassador for The National Counting Bee, a math educator, and media personality. He has published the books Math Magic and Math Magic for Your Kids.
Lee Jeonghee is a South Korean abacus master. She is the only known soroban abacus master to have reached the eleventh dan. She is also known as Abacus Master (주산왕) in South Korea.
Matthew Thomas Parker is an Australian recreational mathematician, author, comedian, YouTube personality and science communicator based in the United Kingdom. His book Humble Pi was the first mathematics book in the UK to be a Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller. Parker was the Public Engagement in Mathematics Fellow at Queen Mary University of London. He is a former teacher and has helped popularise mathematics via his tours and videos.
Neelakanta Bhanu Prakash is a human calculator, YouTuber and entrepreneur from Hyderabad, India, and is titled as the "World's Fastest Human Calculator". He won gold in the 2020 Mental Calculation World Championship at Mind Sports Olympiad 2020. He also holds 50 Limca records for his mathematical calculations.
