India's 'Human Calculator Kid' Shatters 6 World Records In a Single Day (gizmodo.com) 34
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Gizmodo: Fourteen-year-old Aaryan Shukla cruised through six mental math calculation world records in a single day, according to a Guinness World Records statement published on February 12, earning the well-deserved nickname, "human calculator kid." Specifically, it took Shukla:
- 30.9 seconds to mentally add 100 four-digit numbers
- One minute and 9.68 seconds to mentally add 200 four-digit numbers
- 18.71 seconds to mentally add 50 five-digit numbers
- Five minutes and 42 seconds to mentally divide a 20-digit number by a ten-digit number ten times
- 51.69 seconds to mentally multiply two five-digit numbers ten times
- Two minutes and 35.41 seconds to mentally multiply two eight-digit numbers ten times
According to the statement, these are among the most difficult mental calculation world records ever attempted. Shukla's frankly mind-boggling achievement also comes in the wake of another world record he broke in April 2024 at the age of 13: fastest time to mentally add 50 five-digit numbers. It took him just 25.19 seconds. That's an addition every half a second. I wouldn't be surprised if students seeking "shortcuts" in their math homework started phoning up Shukla instead of reaching for their ChatGPT browser tab. Guinness World Records published a video about Shukla's accomplishments on YouTube.
- 30.9 seconds to mentally add 100 four-digit numbers
- One minute and 9.68 seconds to mentally add 200 four-digit numbers
- 18.71 seconds to mentally add 50 five-digit numbers
- Five minutes and 42 seconds to mentally divide a 20-digit number by a ten-digit number ten times
- 51.69 seconds to mentally multiply two five-digit numbers ten times
- Two minutes and 35.41 seconds to mentally multiply two eight-digit numbers ten times
According to the statement, these are among the most difficult mental calculation world records ever attempted. Shukla's frankly mind-boggling achievement also comes in the wake of another world record he broke in April 2024 at the age of 13: fastest time to mentally add 50 five-digit numbers. It took him just 25.19 seconds. That's an addition every half a second. I wouldn't be surprised if students seeking "shortcuts" in their math homework started phoning up Shukla instead of reaching for their ChatGPT browser tab. Guinness World Records published a video about Shukla's accomplishments on YouTube.
Re: (Score:2)
The next Ramanujan
Hold on, let's wait and see. Arithmetic != Mathematics. Ramanujan was gifted at both.
Re: (Score:2)
The next Ramanujan
This kind of calculation is cool (and the feat is super impressive), but it's more of a parlour trick than a practical skill.
Ramanujan was an extraordinary mathematician. This kid probably has the brains to do well if he pursues formal mathematics, but what he's doing hereisn't math.
Re: Exciting (Score:2)
Arithmetic isn't math?
Re: (Score:2)
It is in the US. Elsewhere it is a small part of it.
Re: Exciting (Score:2)
Ignoring your comment about the US in hopes it was just a silly joke, the statement that arithmetic isn't math is poorly phrased at best.
Re: (Score:2)
the statement that arithmetic isn't math is poorly phrased at best.
Since you're the only one making this statement in this thread, I'm sure you'll follow your advice and phrase it better in the future.
Re: Exciting (Score:2)
The original statement was "what he's doing isn't math". What he's doing is adding, multiplying, and dividing numbers, so I would be interested to hear how that isn't arithmetic.
Re: Exciting (Score:2)
As someone who could amaze the other kids in school by mentally multiplying two three-digit numbers in a few seconds (and still could as a middle-aged man, albeit a bit slower) I can assure you this trick is based in exceptionally strong memory rather than just arithmetics.
I was good in school arithmetics too, but this is a totally different skill.
Calculator (Score:2)
"30.9 seconds to mentally add 100 four-digit numbers"
My calculator does it in a few nanoseconds. :-)
Re: (Score:3)
As my grade school teacher used to say...
"But what happens when your calculator is out of BATTERIES??"
Re: (Score:3)
Its solar!
Re: (Score:2)
But I live in the Pacific Northwest, you insensitive clod!
Re:Calculator (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm not convinced I could reliably type that many numbers into a calculator in 30 seconds.
Relativistic Fingers (Score:2)
My calculator does it in a few nanoseconds. :-)
You can type 500 key presses that fast? I'm not sure your fingers are compatible with relativity.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Why go to the gym and lift weights when you can use a pallet jack?
Wow (Score:3)
18.71 seconds to mentally add 50 five-digit numbers
It would take me longer than that to read 50 5-digit numbers!
Misread one of those (Score:2)
I thought it said "Two minutes and 35.41 seconds to mentally multiply two eight-digit numbers times ten" and thought to myself I could probably beat that.
Cheating (Score:1)
Its India, so I honestly don't consider this to be real, just another cheater scamming everybody.
They have so much academic dishonesty and everything else because everything is so competitive over there so basically when you're the fiftieth person named Raj Kumar there's not much out there for you to differentiate yourself and it's harder for yourself so yeah India is brutal that way but Unfortunately they didn't do the right thing and actually start having integrity they just decided to start cheating.
http [businessinsider.com]
"Your a Mentat, Harry." [n/t] (Score:1)
"Your a Mentat, Harry."
The trick is knowing WHAT to calculate (Score:2)
Anyone remember Stand and Deliver?
Asia's IQ (Score:1)
I keep reading that Asians have higher IQ than westerners, on average, so why is this surprising?
Re: Asia's IQ (Score:2)
They meant other Asians.
Previous records? (Score:2)
Would be nice to include what the previous records for all these were. Were they even close, or is this a total wash?
More interesting question (Score:2)
Can he calculate SHA-256 in his head? If yes, he can start mining Bitcoin.