Man calculates the 13th root of a random 200 digit number in his head in 70 secs!

[BruceH]

link

My head hurts even thinking about it. :-)

[Vieira, Luiz C. (Brazil)]

You and Les posted about the same subject in almost no time delay... The system counted one minute between yours and his, but we could take the typing, net speed and so... Could our 'mathlet' compute the possiblities of this event to happen? 8^D

Cheers!

Luiz (Brazil)

[Allen]

Ahhh.. Since Les and Bruce's posts were around 70 seconds apart.. Perhaps Bruce is being modest, and solved the Root just before posting his version :-)

[Patrick Rendulic]

Quote from the article:

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He refuses to reveal just how he does his mental gymnastics, but hinted: "I will not say exactly what is my method. I am doing something like artificial intelligence in reverse, because I am imitating a computer."

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That's scientific spirit! Keept it for yourself!

[Les Bell]

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Ahhh.. Since Les and Bruce's posts were around 70 seconds apart.. Perhaps Bruce is being modest, and solved the Root just before posting his version :-)

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Ahhh . . . well . . . I, of course, don't do these kinds of calculations in my head. I use any of several HP calculators, thereby saving . . . oh . . . around a minute, or so.

;)

Best,

--- Les

[http://www.lesbell.com.au]

[bt_schmidt]

Quote:

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Ahhh . . . well . . . I, of course, don't do these kinds of calculations in my head. I use any of several HP calculators, thereby saving . . . oh . . . around a minute, or so.
;)
Best,
--- Les

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Ahhh...well... that pretty much encapsulates exactly what's wrong with today's youth. When I was a lad growing up in Yorkshire we had to do 13th roots of random 200 digit numbers in our heads before breakfast, which of course we never had because we worked all day and didn't get back to our home until after breakfast, by which time we were 2 hours late for work. And by our home, I mean a tiny old house, with greaaaaat big holes in the roof. And while I say "house", it was really only a hole in the ground covered by a sheet of tarpolin, ..but it was a house to us! And you know you try and tell that to the young people today... and they won't believe ya'!

...bt

PS. Apologies to MP.